Lab Furniture for Schools & Colleges
Laboratory benches, worktops, storage, fume hoods and stools for science, computer, robotics and language labs — fabricated to your room size and installed. This page covers how to choose between them: bench types, worktop materials, standard sizes and indicative costs.
Lab Furniture by Type of Lab
Four rooms, four different furniture specifications
Science Labs
Island and wall benches with chemical-resistant tops, reagent racks, sinks and drip cups, a demonstration table, chemical and glassware storage and a fume hood where chemistry is taught. Full specifications, bench sizes and budgets are on our science lab furniture page.
Computer Labs
Seated 750 mm benches, laminate tops, cable management trays and grommets, multiple power and data points per position, CPU holders and lockable storage — no chemical resistance needed, so the worktop budget goes into cabling and ergonomics instead.
Robotics & Tinkering Labs
Open island worktables that seat four to six with nothing fixed on top, a heat-tolerant bench for soldering and power tools, labelled component drawers, a pegboard tool wall and a project display shelf. Sizing guidance is on our robotics lab page.
Language & Maths Labs
Seated carrel or cluster tables, headphone and console positions, acoustic separation where required, and shelving for manipulatives and reference material.
College & PU Labs
Heavier duty versions of the same benches for longer sessions and larger batches, with anti-vibration tables for balances and instrumentation, and services taken to each position rather than to the perimeter.
Prep Rooms & Stores
The room schools forget to budget for: a stainless steel wash-up bench, open shelving, a lockable chemical store with separate acid and alkali cupboards, and a trolley to move apparatus into the lab.
Bench Types and Standard Sizes
| Bench | Typical size | Where it goes |
|---|---|---|
| Island bench | 1,200–1,500 mm deep, 2,400–3,600 mm long, 850–900 mm high | Centre of the lab, students working back to back; the main practical bench |
| Peninsula bench | 1,200 mm deep, fixed to one wall at one end | Narrow rooms where a full island would block circulation |
| Wall / side bench | 600–750 mm deep, 850–900 mm high | Perimeter; carries sinks, services and standing apparatus |
| Demonstration table | 1,800–2,400 mm long, 750–900 mm deep, 900 mm high | Front of the room, usually with a sink and a service outlet |
| Seated bench | 750–760 mm high, 600–750 mm deep | Computer, robotics, language and maths labs |
| Anti-vibration table | Granite or slate top on an isolated frame | Analytical balances and sensitive instruments |
Allow 600 to 750 mm of bench width per student and at least 1,200 mm of clear circulation between bench runs. A 3,000 mm island bench seats four a side comfortably. Squeezing a fifth in is the single most common cause of a lab that looks right on the drawing and is unusable in practice.
Choosing a Worktop
The one decision that drives both cost and lifespan
| Worktop | Resists | Best for | Relative cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Epoxy resin | Strong acids and alkalis, solvents, heat; monolithic and repairable by sanding | Chemistry benches and fume hood liners | Highest |
| Phenolic resin / compact laminate | Most laboratory chemicals, moderate heat; much lighter than epoxy | The usual school chemistry compromise; general science benches | High |
| Granite | Heat, abrasion, load; very stable | Balance tables, physics benches, demonstration tables | High — but stains with acids |
| Post-formed HPL | Water and everyday wear; not strong chemicals | Physics, biology, computer, robotics, language benches | Lowest |
| Stainless steel | Water, heat, hygiene requirements | Wash-up counters and prep-room benches | Medium |
| Ceramic | Almost everything, including strong acids and high heat | College and research benches with heavy chemical use | Highest |
Specify the top per bench run, not per lab. A composite science room might justify phenolic on the two chemistry islands and post-formed laminate everywhere else — and that split alone often takes 20 to 30 per cent off a furniture quotation with no loss of function.
Storage, Services and Safety Furniture
| Item | What to specify |
|---|---|
| Under-bench storage | Drawer and cupboard modules on the island runs, lockable, with adjustable shelves — the cheapest storage you will ever buy because the carcass is already there. |
| Chemical storage cupboard | Ventilated, lockable, with separate acid and alkali compartments and spill-containment trays. This is the first thing a safety inspection looks for. |
| Glassware and apparatus cabinets | Glazed doors so stock can be counted without opening, adjustable shelves, and a fixed home for every apparatus type. |
| Fume hood | Size (1,200 / 1,500 / 1,800 mm), liner material, sash type, airflow and the exhaust route out of the building — the exhaust run is what gets forgotten and is often the larger part of the cost. |
| Sinks and services | Polypropylene or epoxy sinks with drip cups, water and drainage runs, gas points where used, and power points at bench level rather than floor level. |
| Stools | Height matched to the bench — 600–650 mm seat for an 850–900 mm bench, 450 mm for a seated bench. Mismatched stool heights are the most common complaint after handover. |
| Safety station | Eyewash and safety shower position, fire extinguisher bracket, first-aid cabinet and a clear exit route allowed for in the bench layout. |
Indicative Lab Furniture Costs
| Room | Typical fit-out | Indicative cost |
|---|---|---|
| Physics / biology lab, ~30 students | Island and wall benches with laminate or granite tops, demonstration table, stools, storage | Rs. 2,50,000 – 4,50,000 |
| Chemistry lab, ~30 students | As above with phenolic or epoxy tops, sinks and drip cups, reagent racks, chemical storage, one fume hood | Rs. 4,50,000 – 8,00,000 |
| Computer / robotics lab, ~30 positions | Seated benches with cable management, power and data points, CPU holders, storage, chairs | Rs. 1,80,000 – 3,50,000 |
| Fume hood (standalone) | 1,200–1,800 mm, liner and sash to specification, excluding the exhaust run | Rs. 90,000 – 2,00,000 |
| Prep room / store | Stainless wash-up bench, open shelving, lockable chemical store, trolley | Rs. 60,000 – 1,50,000 |
All figures are indicative and not a quotation. They move with worktop grade, frame construction, room dimensions and how much of the services run is in scope. Send us your room dimensions and batch size and we will replace every one of them with an itemised line and a scaled bench layout.
Related Pages
- Science lab furniture for schools — bench-by-bench specifications, storage and costs for physics, chemistry and biology rooms
- Science lab equipment for schools — the apparatus and glassware that goes on the benches
- Robotics lab for schools — worktable sizing, storage and room zoning for a tinkering room
- Library furniture — shelving, reading tables and issue counters
- Student desks & benches — classroom furniture by age band
- School furniture — the full range
CBM IMPEX is a GST-registered school and college equipment supplier based in Basavanagudi, Bengaluru. Lab furniture is fabricated to your room drawing through our manufacturing partners and installed by our own team across Karnataka.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is included in lab furniture?
The fixed and semi-fixed furniture a laboratory is built around: island, peninsula and wall benches with their frames and worktops; a demonstration table for the teacher; under-bench and wall storage; chemical and glassware cupboards; laboratory stools; sinks, drip cups, reagent racks and service fittings for water, gas and power; and, where chemicals are handled, a fume hood. Loose apparatus, glassware and instruments are equipment rather than furniture and are quoted separately.
Which worktop material should a school laboratory use?
Epoxy resin is the reference worktop for chemistry: monolithic, chemical and heat resistant, repairable by sanding, and the most expensive. Phenolic resin or compact laminate is the usual school compromise — good chemical resistance, much lighter, noticeably cheaper. Granite is heavy, extremely durable and excellent under balances and physics apparatus, but it stains with acids. Post-formed high-pressure laminate is fine for physics, biology, computer and robotics benches where no strong chemicals are used, and is the cheapest. Stainless steel suits wash-up and prep areas. Matching the top to the actual chemistry in the room, rather than buying one grade for every bench, is where most of the saving is.
What are standard laboratory bench sizes?
Working heights are about 850 to 900 mm for a standing or stool-height bench and 750 to 760 mm for a seated bench or a computer and robotics table. Island benches are usually 1,200 to 1,500 mm deep so two rows of students can work back to back; wall and peninsula benches are 600 to 750 mm deep. Allow 600 to 750 mm of bench width per student, so a 3,000 mm island bench seats four students a side. Demonstration tables are typically 1,800 to 2,400 mm long and set 900 mm high.
How much does lab furniture cost for a school?
Indicatively: a physics, biology, computer or robotics lab for about 30 students, with laminate-topped benches, stools and storage, runs roughly Rs. 2.5 to 4.5 lakh. The same room in a chemistry configuration with phenolic or epoxy tops, sinks, reagent racks and a fume hood runs roughly Rs. 4.5 to 8 lakh. A fume hood on its own is roughly Rs. 90,000 to 2,00,000 depending on size and lining. All figures are indicative and move with worktop grade, frame construction and room size.
Do you make lab furniture to custom room sizes?
Yes. Benches are fabricated to the room rather than bought off a shelf, because laboratory rooms are rarely a standard size and the wrong bench run wastes both floor area and circulation space. Send your room dimensions, the batch size the lab has to seat and the subjects it serves, and we return a scaled bench layout with an itemised quotation.
How long does lab furniture fabrication and installation take?
Typically four to six weeks from a confirmed layout and advance: fabrication runs three to five weeks, and site installation of a single lab takes two to four days. Plan it around a holiday period, because a bench run cannot be installed around a timetable.
Can a computer lab or robotics lab use the same furniture as a science lab?
Only partly. The frame and storage logic carries over, but the worktop and services do not: a computer or robotics bench needs a seated 750 mm height, cable management and multiple power points, and has no use for a chemical-resistant top, sinks or reagent racks. Specifying chemistry-grade tops for a computer lab is a common and expensive mistake.
Do you supply lab furniture without the equipment?
Yes. Furniture, apparatus and glassware are quoted separately and can be ordered separately, which is often what a school wants when it is refurbishing an existing lab rather than building a new one.
Get a Lab Furniture Quote and Bench Layout
Send your room dimensions, the batch size the lab has to seat and the subjects it serves. You get back a scaled bench layout and an itemised quotation within 2–3 working days.