Fume hoods: how a laboratory fume hood is sized, why ducted fume hoods and a mobile fume hood suit different rooms, what a fume hood monitor is for, what fume hood installation involves, and the costs behind a fume hood price that the quote leaves out
A fume hood is the only piece of lab equipment whose purchase price is routinely the smaller half of the spend. The enclosure is quoted by the manufacturer; the ductwork, the fan, the make-up air, the controls and the commissioning are quoted by somebody else, and a hood ordered without that second conversation sits in a crate. This page covers the specification decisions and the parts of the project that the equipment quote does not include.
- the OSHA laboratory standard requiring a written chemical hygiene plan
- 1910.1450
- hazard communication, which decides what the container must tell the user
- 1910.1200
- the CDC and NIH handbook that sets biosafety levels and cabinet classes
- BMBL
Figures in this panel are the standards this class of equipment is specified and inspected against, named from the regulations themselves and linked in the sources below. They are identifiers, not prices: BioBricks publishes verified prices for synthesis services only, and does not claim an equipment price index it has not measured.
- 4 vendor service pages verifiedevery figure matched verbatim to the vendor's page
- Quoted and dated, never estimatedlast verification pass 2026-08-24
- 1 service classes coveredeach with measured search demand behind it
The decisions that set the price
- Ducted or filtered. A ducted hood exhausts outside and needs a fan, a duct route and make-up air. A filtered or ductless hood carries its own carbon or particulate filtration and needs none of that, but it is only suitable for a known and limited chemical inventory, and the filters are a recurring cost with a monitored breakthrough point.
- Bypass, restricted bypass or variable air volume. The airflow scheme decides how much conditioned air the hood throws away when the sash is down. Variable air volume costs more to install and much less to run, which usually decides it for a new building and rarely decides it for a single replacement hood.
- Width, depth and interior services. Hood width is chosen from the work, not the space, and every service dropped into the interior, gas, vacuum, water, electrical outlets, is a separate line and a separate penetration. Decide the interior layout before the order rather than during the installation.
- Liner and worktop material. Epoxy resin is the general-purpose liner; stainless steel suits radionuclide and perchloric work, and polypropylene suits hydrofluoric acid. A liner chosen for price and not for chemistry is replaced early, and replacing a liner means taking the hood out of service.
- Commissioning and the containment test. The hood is not usable until face velocity is set and a containment test has been performed as installed, with the room's air balance as it will actually run. Confirm who performs that test, when, and what happens if the result fails.
What the equipment quote usually excludes
Expect the hood manufacturer to quote the enclosure, the base cabinets, the liner and the interior services, and nothing beyond the connection point. The exhaust fan, the duct run, roof penetration and weatherproofing, the make-up air provision, the control system, the electrical work, the plumbing and the commissioning are a construction project.
Ask early whether the building's existing air handling can supply make-up air for another hood. A replacement hood in an existing bench run is usually straightforward; an additional hood frequently is not, and that answer changes the budget by an order that has nothing to do with the model chosen.
Running cost and ongoing testing
A ducted hood exhausts conditioned air continuously unless it is a variable air volume design with a working sash sensor, and in a heating or cooling climate that is the dominant lifetime cost. Sash discipline matters more than any specification decision: a hood left open at full height throws away air all night.
Periodic face velocity checks and a documented containment test after any change to the room's air balance are what keep the hood a control rather than a cupboard. Build that into the service contract at purchase, when you have leverage.
Common questions
- What is the difference between a fume hood and a biosafety cabinet?
- A fume hood protects the user from chemical vapour by drawing air away and exhausting it. A biosafety cabinet protects the user, the sample or both using filtered air, and many recirculate. They are not interchangeable: a fume hood offers no product protection and a cabinet offers limited chemical protection.
- Do ductless fume hoods work?
- For a defined and limited chemical inventory within the filter's capability, yes, and they are far cheaper to install. They are unsuitable for unknown or varied chemistry, for large volumes and for anything the filter medium does not retain, and they need a monitored filter change regime.
- How is a fume hood tested?
- Face velocity across the sash opening is measured at commissioning and periodically afterwards, and a containment test using a tracer is performed as installed. A hood that has never been tested as installed in its own room has not been proven to contain anything.
- What size fume hood should I buy?
- Size it from the largest apparatus you will put in it plus working clearance, then check the room can supply the exhaust. Buying a wider hood than the air handling supports is the most expensive way to discover a building limit.
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Sources
Cite or embed this figure
The median advertised gene synthesis price per base pair in the US research synthesis services market was $0.11 in August 2026, across 4 verified vendor service pages recorded in BioBricks Synthesis Price Index.
Cite as: "BioBricks Synthesis Price Index", updated 2026-08-24, https://biobricks.org/fume-hood/.