Test tube

A test tube is a kind of laboratory glassware, composed of a fingerlike length of glass tubing, open at the top, usually with a rounded lip at the top, and a rounded 'U' shaped bottom.

They range in size from a couple inches to several inches long, from a few millimeters to a couple centimeters in diameter. They are designed to allow easy heating of samples, to be held in a flame, and often are made of expansion resistant glasses, such as Pyrex ®.

Tests tubes are often preferred above beakers when multiple small chemical or biological samples have to be handled and/or stored.

Vacutainers are a type of test tube that can be used for both collection and storage of blood.