What the term denotes
Supplies covers consumables and ancillary items used alongside other material rather than being the subject of work themselves — diluents, containers and similar. It is defined by role rather than by chemistry.
Consumables still need lot records
Because supplies are ancillary they are the items most often received without being logged. That is precisely what creates a gap: if a question arises about a preparation, the diluent used is part of the answer and is frequently the part nobody wrote down.
Research use only
Everything grouped under this heading in our catalog is designated research use only. That designation marks material as intended for laboratory research and explicitly not for diagnostic or therapeutic use. It describes intended use — it is not a statement about quality, and it does not create a category of permitted use in people.
Safety data sheets
Where a supply is a chemical, hazard communication requirements may apply in a workplace, including having a safety data sheet available. OSHA publishes what those obligations are.
Records worth keeping
Lot, date received, expiry, and — for anything used in a preparation — a note connecting which supply lot was used with which preparation and when.
Authoritative sources
US government publications, linked for reference. None of these evaluate, approve or endorse anything in this catalog.
- OSHA — Hazard Communication ↗
Safety data sheet requirements and chemical handling obligations in a workplace.
- 21 CFR Part 809 (eCFR) ↗
The federal regulation containing the research-use-only labelling provision for in vitro diagnostic products.
- NIH PubChem ↗
National Library of Medicine chemical database. Structure, identifiers and published literature for a named compound.
- FDA — Unapproved Drugs ↗
FDA's explanation of what it means for a product to be unapproved, and how it treats them.
Frequently asked questions
- What counts as a supply?
- Consumables and ancillary items used alongside other material rather than being the subject of the work — diluents and containers, for example. The heading is defined by role rather than chemistry.
- Do I need to record lot numbers for consumables?
- It is the gap that most often causes trouble. If a question arises about a preparation later, which diluent lot was used is part of the answer, and it is usually the part that was never recorded.
- What is a safety data sheet?
- A standardised document describing a chemical's hazards, handling and storage requirements. OSHA sets out when one must be available in a workplace under its hazard communication standard.