Freeze-Thaw Cycle Calculator
Estimate sample degradation across repeated freeze-thaw cycles.
About Freeze-Thaw Cycle Calculator
Losses compound multiplicatively rather than adding, so five cycles at 8 per cent leaves about 66 per cent rather than 60. Whole cells and RNA are markedly more sensitive than DNA. Aliquoting into single-use volumes costs nothing and eliminates the problem entirely, which is why it is standard practice for any valuable sample.
Formula
Freeze-Thaw Cycle
Remaining activity = (1 − loss per cycle)^cycles
- loss per cycle
- Fraction of activity lost each freeze-thaw, which compounds
- aliquoting
- Splitting into single-use portions so each is thawed once
Worked example
With the default values below, Freeze-Thaw Cycle Calculator returns Remaining Activity of 65.908%. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.
Inputs used
- Number of freeze-thaw cyclesminimum 0
- 5
- Loss per cycleaccepts 0–100 %
- 8 %
- Sample typeone of Protein, RNA, DNA, Whole cells
- Protein
- Initial concentrationminimum 0
- 100
- Aliquots availableminimum 1
- 10
Results
- Remaining Activity
- 65.908%
- Remaining Effective Concentration
- 65.908
- Cycles Until Half Activity Remains
- 8.31
- Effective Loss per Cycle
- 8.00%
- Recommendation
- Aliquoting is sufficient to avoid repeated freeze-thaw
Step by step
- 1Values used
- 2Freeze-Thaw Cycle
- 3Remaining Activity= 65.908
- 4Remaining Effective Concentration= 65.908
- 5Cycles Until Half Activity Remains= 8.31
- 6Effective Loss per Cycle= 8.00
- 7Recommendation= Aliquoting is sufficient to avoid repeated freeze-thaw
Assumptions and limits
- The result is derived only from the 5 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
- In particular, this calculator does not take inflation, tax, fees or charges or compounding frequency into account.
- Figures are rounded for display to 3 decimal places, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.
How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is Freeze-Thaw Cycle calculated?
Remaining activity = (1 − loss per cycle)^cycles Losses compound multiplicatively rather than adding, so five cycles at 8 per cent leaves about 66 per cent rather than 60. Whole cells and RNA are markedly more sensitive than DNA.
Why does Freeze-Thaw Cycle matter?
Aliquoting into single-use volumes costs nothing and eliminates the problem entirely, which is why it is standard practice for any valuable sample.
What values do I need to enter?
This calculator takes 5 inputs: Number of freeze-thaw cycles, Loss per cycle, Sample type, Initial concentration, Aliquots available. The pre-filled defaults are a realistic starting point — replace them with figures from your own environment for a result you can act on.