Storage & Containers

Track the physical location of samples across freezers, racks, and containers.

Overview

The storage system lets you record where biological samples are physically located — from the building and room down to the specific freezer, rack, box, and position. This ensures samples can be found when needed and provides chain-of-custody documentation.

Storage hierarchy

Location (building, room)
  └── Container (freezer, fridge)
       └── Container (rack, shelf)
            └── Container (box, plate)
                 └── Sample position

Locations

Locations represent physical spaces. They can be nested (building → room → bench area).

1. Navigate to Storage → Locations
2. Click New Location
3. Enter name and optionally select a parent location

Containers

Containers represent physical storage objects (freezers, racks, boxes, plates). Each container has a type that defines its capacity and geometry.

Creating containers

1. Navigate to Storage → Containers
2. Click New Container
3. Select the container type (e.g., "96-well plate", "Cryo box 81-position")
4. Assign it to a location and/or parent container
5. Give it a label (e.g., "Box A-12")

Placing samples

Once containers are set up, assign samples to specific positions:

1. Navigate to the container page
2. Select an empty position
3. Search for and assign a sample

You can also use Bulk Place to assign multiple samples at once.

Vessel types

Vessel types define the geometry and capacity of containers. The system comes with common types (96-well plates, cryo boxes, etc.) and administrators can create custom types to match your lab's equipment.

Finding a sample

Each sample's page shows its current storage location (if assigned). You can also search containers by label or browse the storage hierarchy to find specific samples.