Bürkle Laboratory Trays and Spill Troughs are durable, multipurpose polypropylene trays designed for laboratory work, chemical spill containment, instrument handling, experiments, food presentation, industrial QA/QC and general material handling.
Manufactured from white polypropylene (PP), the Bürkle 4201 series is shatter-resistant, resistant to flexing and designed with a strong rounded rim for convenient handling.
Molded grooves in the bottom create a drainage area that can keep instruments, components or other items elevated above small amounts of collected liquid. Empty trays can also be nested inside one another for compact storage.
Cambridge offers individual trays from 1 L to 60 L, as well as convenient 4-piece and 6-piece sets.
| Bürkle Part # | Capacity | Outer L × W × H | Material Thickness |
| 4201-1318 | 1 L / 0.26 gal | 225 × 180 × 44 mm / 8.86 × 7.09 × 1.73 in. | 2 mm |
| 4201-1824 | 3 L / 0.79 gal | 305 × 245 × 69 mm / 12.01 × 9.65 × 2.72 in. | 2.5 mm |
| 4201-2430 | 5 L / 1.32 gal | 370 × 305 × 78 mm / 14.57 × 12.01 × 3.07 in. | 2 mm |
| 4201-3040 | 15 L / 3.96 gal | 515 × 415 × 120 mm / 20.28 × 16.34 × 4.72 in. | 2 mm |
| 4201-4050 | 30 L / 7.93 gal | 625 × 530 × 135 mm / 24.61 × 20.87 × 5.31 in. | 2 mm |
| 4201-5070 | 60 L / 15.85 gal | 845 × 645 × 158 mm / 33.27 × 25.39 × 6.22 in. | 3 mm |
Bürkle also offers pre-selected tray sets for laboratories that need several sizes.
| Bürkle Part # | Configuration | Trays Included |
| 4201-0095 | 4-Piece Set | 1 L, 3 L, 5 L and 15 L |
| 4201-0100 | 6-Piece Set | 1 L, 3 L, 5 L, 15 L, 30 L and 60 L |
| Capacity | Typical Use |
| 1 L | Small instruments, bench-top experiments, sample organization and compact work areas |
| 3 L | General laboratory work, bottles, small chemical containers and instrument handling |
| 5 L | Larger bench-top experiments, reagent containers and general-purpose containment |
| 15 L | Larger equipment, multiple chemical bottles, production QA/QC and spill-control applications |
| 30 L | Larger containers, process work, bulk laboratory materials and floor or bench containment |
| 60 L | Large equipment, multiple containers and higher-capacity spill containment applications |
Bürkle specifically identifies the 4201 series for use as a spill trough for environmentally hazardous and aggressive substances.
The raised sides can help contain drips, small leaks and spills beneath compatible bottles, laboratory equipment, instruments or process materials.
Potential uses include:
These trays can provide practical spill containment, but do not assume that any tray size automatically satisfies a specific regulatory secondary-containment requirement. Select capacity and material compatibility according to the chemicals, container volumes and applicable workplace or environmental requirements.
Molded grooves in the bottom create a raised drainage area.
This can help keep instruments, containers or components elevated slightly above small amounts of liquid collected in the tray.
The feature is useful for:
Bürkle incorporates a strong rounded rim around the tray.
The rim adds rigidity and provides a convenient edge for lifting and repositioning the tray.
This is particularly useful with the larger 15 L, 30 L and 60 L trays, where tray dimensions can make handling more difficult.
When empty, the trays can be nested inside one another.
Laboratories using several tray sizes can therefore reduce storage space compared with rigid straight-sided containers that cannot be nested.
The 4-piece and 6-piece sets are particularly convenient for facilities that want multiple containment sizes available without dedicating a large amount of storage space to empty trays.
Bürkle manufactures these trays from polypropylene using an injection-molding process rather than deep drawing.
The resulting tray is designed to be durable, shatter-resistant and resistant to flexing during routine use.
Polypropylene also provides useful resistance to many laboratory and industrial chemicals.
Polypropylene is compatible with many chemicals, but no plastic is universally resistant to every substance. Check compatibility with the exact chemical, concentration, temperature and expected contact time before relying on the tray for containment.
Bürkle specifies an operating-temperature range beginning at approximately -10°C / 14°F.
For normal application, Bürkle recommends use up to approximately 60°C / 140°F. The material can tolerate temperatures up to approximately 80°C / 176°F briefly.
Bürkle's current catalogue states that these trays are not intended for use in dishwashers or temperature-controlled cupboards. Use an appropriate manual cleaning procedure and remain within the manufacturer's recommended temperature limits.
The Bürkle 4201 tray is a versatile general-purpose laboratory container.
Typical applications include:
Bürkle specifically identifies these trays for use as etching trays and for work involving suitable aggressive substances.
The shallow open design provides convenient access to materials during appropriate dipping, treatment or chemical-processing operations.
Before use, verify that polypropylene is compatible with the particular reagent, concentration and operating temperature.
The tray can also serve as an instrument holder for laboratory, production and QA/QC equipment.
Bottom grooves can help keep items slightly elevated above minor liquid accumulation, while the raised rim helps contain small drips or residues.
Potential items include:
Bürkle publishes food-contact documentation for the 4201 laboratory tray series and identifies food display among its intended applications.
Suitable uses may include:
Food-production facilities should still confirm that cleaning, sanitation, allergen-control and material-contact requirements are appropriate to their process.
Industrial laboratories can use the 4201 series as general-purpose trays for:
Environmental and wastewater laboratories can use the trays for compatible sample bottles, testing equipment, wet instruments and bench-top containment.
Potential applications include:
Bürkle also identifies the tray for use as a photographic development basin.
The open rectangular format allows sheets or materials to be placed into compatible processing liquids while maintaining easy access from above.
| Option | What's Included | Best Fit |
| Individual Tray | One selected capacity | Facilities with a known container or equipment size |
| 4-Piece Set | 1 L, 3 L, 5 L and 15 L | General laboratory bench and small-to-medium containment needs |
| 6-Piece Set | 1 L, 3 L, 5 L, 15 L, 30 L and 60 L | Laboratories wanting the complete range for multiple applications |
| Specification | 1 L | 3 L | 5 L | 15 L | 30 L | 60 L |
| Part Number | 4201-1318 | 4201-1824 | 4201-2430 | 4201-3040 | 4201-4050 | 4201-5070 |
| Capacity | 1 L | 3 L | 5 L | 15 L | 30 L | 60 L |
| Material | Polypropylene (PP) | |||||
| Colour | White | |||||
| Outer Dimensions | 225 × 180 × 44 mm | 305 × 245 × 69 mm | 370 × 305 × 78 mm | 515 × 415 × 120 mm | 625 × 530 × 135 mm | 845 × 645 × 158 mm |
| Material Thickness | 2 mm | 2.5 mm | 2 mm | 2 mm | 2 mm | 3 mm |
| Bottom Drainage Grooves | Yes | |||||
| Handling Rim | Yes | |||||
| Nestable | Yes | |||||
| Minimum Temperature | -10°C / 14°F | |||||
| Recommended Use | Up to approximately 60°C / 140°F | |||||
| Brief Maximum Temperature | Up to approximately 80°C / 176°F | |||||
The Bürkle 4201 laboratory trays are manufactured from white polypropylene (PP).
Individual trays are available in 1 L, 3 L, 5 L, 15 L, 30 L and 60 L capacities.
Yes. Bürkle offers a 4-piece set containing 1, 3, 5 and 15 L trays and a 6-piece set containing all six sizes from 1 to 60 L.
Yes. Bürkle specifically identifies them as spill troughs for suitable environmentally hazardous and aggressive substances. Always verify polypropylene compatibility and confirm that the tray capacity is sufficient for your application.
Polypropylene provides resistance to many laboratory chemicals, but compatibility varies with the substance, concentration, temperature and contact time. Check compatibility before use.
Yes. Bürkle specifies bottom grooves and a drainage area that can help keep items elevated above collected liquid.
Empty trays can be nested inside one another for space-efficient storage.
Bürkle publishes food-contact documentation for the 4201 series and identifies food presentation as an intended application. Facilities should still verify that their specific cleaning, sanitation and material-contact requirements are satisfied.
Bürkle's current catalogue states that these trays are not intended for use in dishwashers. Use an appropriate manual cleaning procedure.
Bürkle specifies use from approximately -10°C, recommends application up to approximately 60°C and states that the trays can tolerate approximately 80°C briefly.
Yes. Bürkle specifically identifies instrument holding as an intended application, and the bottom drainage grooves can be useful with wet or recently cleaned instruments.
They can provide practical spill containment beneath compatible containers and equipment. Whether a particular tray meets a formal secondary-containment requirement depends on the chemical, container size, required containment volume and applicable regulations.
Bürkle describes the polypropylene trays as durable and shatter-resistant, as well as resistant to flexing during normal use.
Cambridge Environmental Products supplies Bürkle polypropylene laboratory trays and spill troughs in Canada in individual 1 to 60 L sizes as well as 4-piece and 6-piece sets.
Cambridge Environmental Products supplies Bürkle laboratory trays, spill-control products, sampling equipment and material-handling products across Canada.
If you are selecting a tray for spill containment, send us the chemical or material being handled, container dimensions, largest container volume, number of containers and required tray location.
Tray dimensions, containment capacity, chemical compatibility and the equipment or containers being placed inside all affect which size is appropriate.
Send Cambridge your application and we can help select the appropriate Bürkle tray size or set.
