Laboratory funnel Manufacturer, Suppliers and Exporter in Africa

Lss Africa is leading Laboratory funnel Manufacturer,and supplier and Exporter in Africa, Algeria (Algiers), Angola (Luanda), Argentina (Buenos Aires), Armenia (Yerevan), Australia(Canberra), Austria (Vienna), Bahrain (Manama), Bangladesh (Dhaka), Bhutan (Thimphu), Bolivia (Sucre), Botswana (Gaborone), Brazil (Brasília), Brunei (Bandar Seri Begawan), Montenegro (Podgorica), Morocco (Rabat), Mozambique (Maputo), Myanmar (Naypyidaw), Namibia (Windhoek), Nepal (Kathmandu), New Zealand (Wellington), Nigeria (Abuja), Oman (Muscat), Palestine (Ramallah), Panama (Panama City), Papua New Guinea (Port Moresby), Paraguay (Asunción), Peru (Lima), Philippines (Manila)¸ Portugal (Lisbon), Qatar (Doha), Rwanda (Kigali), Saudi Arabia (Riyadh), Senegal (Dakar), Serbia (Belgrade), Sierra Leone (Freetown), Slovakia (Bratislava), South Africa (Cape Town) (Pretoria) (Bloemfontein), South Sudan (Juba), Spain (Madrid), Sri Lanka (Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte) (Colombo), Sudan (Khartoum), Syria (Damascus), Tanzania (Dodoma), Thailand (Bangkok), Togo (Lomé), Tonga (Nuku'alofa), Trinidad and Tobago (Port of Spain), Tunisia (Tunis), Turkey (Ankara), Turkmenistan (Ashgabat), Uganda (Kampala), United Arab Emirates (Abu Dhabi), United Kingdom (London), United States (Washington, D.C.)

A laboratory funnel is a wide-mouthed vessel narrowing to a stem, used to direct liquids and powders into a container with a narrow opening, to support filter paper during gravity filtration, or to add and separate liquids under controlled conditions. Laboratory funnels are not one product. They divide into four jobs — transfer, filtration, controlled addition and liquid–liquid separation — and a funnel bought for one job will usually not do another.

This category holds twenty-two lines covering all four: plain and powder funnels for transfer; 60° filtering funnels and Buchner funnels for filtration; dropping, thistle and pressure-equalising funnels for controlled addition; and Squibb, pear-shape, cylindrical and Gilson separating funnels for extraction work. Two polypropylene holders support the glassware in use. LSS Africa supplies the range to schools, universities, TVET colleges, research institutes and industry across Africa, from its registered address in Pretoria, South Africa.

How do you choose a laboratory funnel?

Start with the job, not the shape. Transfer, Filter, Add, Separate — decide which of the four you are buying for, then choose within that group. This is the four-job funnel map, and it prevents the most common purchasing error in this category: ordering a quantity of "funnels" and discovering the practical class needs a filtering funnel, the organic chemistry bench needs a separating funnel, and neither can substitute for the other.

Transfer funnels move liquid or powder into a narrow neck. Filtering funnels hold filter paper or carry a built-in glass frit. Dropping and pressure-equalising funnels add a reagent to a running reaction at a controlled rate. Separating funnels partition two immiscible liquids and draw off the lower layer.

Only after the job is fixed do the secondary questions matter: capacity, top diameter, stem length, stopcock type and joint size.

What is the difference between a filter funnel and a Buchner funnel?

A filter funnel is a plain 60° cone that holds a folded filter paper and works by gravity. A Buchner funnel has a built-in perforated or fritted glass plate and works under vacuum, pulling liquid through far faster and giving a drier solid.

Two gravity filtering lines are stocked. The Long Stem Funnel has a 60° bowl angle for precise filter-paper fitting and a stem length of approximately 150 mm — the long stem helps establish a liquid column that speeds filtration. The Funnel Filtering, 60° angle with stem line is offered in 75 mm and 100 mm diameters.

Two Buchner lines are stocked. The Buchner Funnel with Sintered Disc is available in porosity grades 0 to 5 and has a fire-polished rim and stem. The Buchner Funnel Fritted Disc is described with thick wall and beaded rim, printed in white enamel.

Which porosity grade should a sintered Buchner funnel be?

Porosity grade sets the pore size of the fused glass disc, and therefore what the funnel will retain and how fast it will filter. The sintered range here is graded 0 to 5, with 0 the coarsest and 5 the finest. A coarser grade filters quickly and passes fine particles; a finer grade retains more but blocks sooner and is harder to clean.

Match the grade to the particle you are separating, not to the volume. Coarse grades suit gross filtration and gas dispersion; mid grades suit general preparative filtration of crystalline solids; fine grades suit fine precipitates and are the slowest to run.

The pore-size band corresponding to each grade is not published on this page. Request the grade-to-micron table before ordering, particularly where a method or a tender specifies a micron rating rather than a grade number.

What does the stopcock type change on a dropping or separating funnel?

The stopcock is the working part of any funnel that meters or drains liquid, and it is the field most often specified wrongly. Four types appear in this range: PTFE key, solid glass key, needle valve, and a polypropylene stopcock fitted with a self-lubricating PTFE plug.

A PTFE key requires no grease, which matters where grease would contaminate the sample or the solvent would dissolve it. A solid glass key is the traditional ground-glass fitting and needs greasing; it is matched to its own barrel and can seize if allowed to dry in place. A needle valve gives the finest drip-rate control, which is why it appears on the dropping funnels.

Published bore sizes are 2.5 mm, 4 mm and 6 mm across most lines. Specify bore as well as type — the two together determine flow rate.

What is the difference between dropping, thistle and pressure-equalising funnels?

All three add liquid to a vessel already in use, and they are not interchangeable. A dropping funnel meters liquid at a controlled rate through a stopcock and is supplied here in cylindrical form with needle valve, PTFE or solid glass stopcocks, and in pear shape with a PTFE stopcock and drip stem.

A pressure-equalising funnel has a side arm connecting the funnel body to the flask below, so the space above the liquid stays at the same pressure as the reaction. Without it, liquid will not flow reliably into a sealed or refluxing system. The line stocked here is pear shape with a socket, PTFE key stopcock and a stem with cone.

A thistle funnel is a long-stemmed tube used where the addition must be made low down in the flask, deeper than a funnel or dropping funnel stem would reach.

Which separating funnel shape should you specify?

Seven separating funnel lines are stocked, in four shapes. Squibb (conical or pear-bodied) is the general-purpose extraction shape and is the one offered here with graduations. Pear shape gives a narrow tapering base that makes the interface between two layers easy to read at low volumes. Cylindrical gives a longer, narrower column and a taller interface. Gilson is a globe-bodied extraction shape.

Note that "Gilson" here is a glassware shape name, not an instrument brand.

The polypropylene Separatory Funnel is the shatter-resistant option, with a PP stopcock carrying a self-lubricating PTFE plug push-fitted to the stem — appropriate for teaching laboratories and field work, though not for every solvent.

Capacity is the field that decides which of these a laboratory actually needs, and it is not published for any of the seven. Request it with your enquiry.

What else does a filtration or extraction bench need?

Two holders in this category support the glassware in use. The Funnel Holder is moulded polypropylene with two tapered wedges that grip retort rods of 1/2 inch or 3/8 inch diameter. The Separatory Funnel Holder is also polypropylene, with a non-corrosive front opening that leaves the solution visible while the layers settle.

Vacuum filtration with a Buchner funnel additionally needs a heavy-walled filtering flask, not an ordinary conical flask — an ordinary flask can implode under vacuum. A filtering flask made from heavy wall to withstand high vacuum and supplied with a glass connector is stocked inLaboratory Flasks.

Filter papers, vacuum tubing and vacuum sources are not listed in this catalogue. Confirm availability with your enquiry rather than assuming they ship with the funnel.

What should a funnel quotation state?

Six fields make funnel quotations comparable: job class, material, capacity or top diameter, stem length, stopcock type and bore, and ground-joint size where the funnel fits into apparatus. Product codes on this page run LSK-LF-10387 to LSK-LF-10408.

Material is the first gap to close. Three lines are stated as polypropylene; for the glass lines, ask whether the glass is borosilicate or soda-lime and get the answer on the quotation. Any funnel that will hold hot solvent or go into a heated assembly should be borosilicate.

Capacity is the second. Dropping, separating and pressure-equalising funnels are specified by volume in normal trade — commonly 100, 250, 500 and 1000 mL — and no volume is published here for any of them.

Joint size is the third: the pressure-equalising funnel is supplied with a socket and cone, but the joint designation is not stated.

Product types in this category

Selection criteria

Related categories

• Laboratory Flasks
• Glassware Burette
• Glassware Beaker
• All product categories
• Tenders / OEM
• Frequently Asked Questions
• About LSS Africa

Frequently asked questions

What is a laboratory funnel used for?

A laboratory funnel directs liquids or powders into a container with a narrow opening, supports filter paper during gravity filtration, adds reagent at a controlled rate, or separates two immiscible liquids. Which of those four jobs the funnel is for determines the type — transfer, filtering, dropping or separating funnels are not interchangeable.

What is the difference between a separating funnel and a dropping funnel?

A separating funnel partitions two immiscible liquids so the lower layer can be drawn off through the stopcock. A dropping funnel adds a liquid into a vessel below at a controlled rate. They look similar, but a dropping funnel is chosen for its metering control and a separating funnel for its body shape and interface visibility.

Do I need a pressure-equalising funnel or a plain dropping funnel?

Use a pressure-equalising funnel when the vessel below is sealed or refluxing. Its side arm keeps the space above the liquid at the same pressure as the reaction, so liquid flows reliably. A plain dropping funnel is sufficient for open vessels. The line stocked here is pear shape with socket, PTFE key stopcock and stem with cone.

What porosity grades are available on the sintered Buchner funnel?

Pore size from 0 to 5, with 0 being coarsest and 5 being finest. Coarse pore size filters quicker and retains lesser while finer pore size retains more and filters slower. The micron range of each pore size is not available on this page — ask for it if your process or tender requires micron range.

Are the funnels glass or plastic?

Both. Three lines are stated as polypropylene: the Analytical Funnel PP, the Separatory Funnel PP and the two holders. The remainder are glassware. Glass type is not stated for any line — request borosilicate or soda-lime specification in writing, particularly for anything used with hot solvent.

What capacities are available for separating and dropping funnels?

Capacities are not published for these lines. Specify the volume you need — separating and dropping funnels are normally supplied in a range of capacities — and request confirmation with your quotation, together with stopcock type, bore and any ground-joint size.

Can LSS Africa quote for a school or institutional bulk order?

Yes. Bulk and institutional quotations are available on submission of an item list by website enquiry or email, for schools, universities and government agencies, including government tenders. Accepted payment terms include bank transfer, letter of credit and institutional purchase orders.

Request a quotation

Send your funnel list — job class, type, capacity, stopcock type and quantity — and LSS Africa will return a written quotation. Institutional, tender and bulk enquiries are handled through the same route.

Request a Quote ·Request the Tender / OEM Catalogue