The IPD9600-38S is the 3/8 inch (9.5 mm) stainless steel grinding ball for the Benchmark Industrial IPD9600 BeadBlaster 96 Ball Mill Homogenizer — sold as bulk bag of 1000 balls at $699 (~$0.70 per ball). The 3/8 inch bead is the brochure-paired bead format for 4 mL PC/PE vial workflows (IPD9600-48 sub-adapter + IPD9600-4PC / IPD9600-4PE vial consumables).
Key Specifications
| SKU | IPD9600-38S |
| Type | 3/8 inch (9.5 mm) stainless steel grinding ball — bulk consumable |
| Bead diameter | 3/8 inch (~9.5 mm) |
| Material | Stainless steel |
| Pack quantity | Bag of 1000 balls (per-ball cost ~$0.70) |
| Compatible chassis | IPD9600 BeadBlaster 96 |
| Brochure-paired sample vessel | IPD9600-4PC / IPD9600-4PE 4 mL PC/PE vials (bag of 240 each at $338) — used with IPD9600-48 48 × 4 mL vial sub-adapter |
| Sister bead-size SKUs | IPD9600-4M (4 mm SS, bag of 5000, $981), IPD9600-10BS (10 mm SS, 500 g bulk pack, $153), IPD9600-25BS (25 mm SS, each, $63) |
| List price | $699 |
Why 3/8 Inch / 9.5 mm — 4 mL Vial Workflow
The 3/8 inch (9.5 mm) bead is specifically sized for 4 mL PC/PE vials — the brochure-paired bead format for the IPD9600-48 vial-format workflow. Bead size to vial volume optimization:
- Too small (4 mm) — insufficient kinetic energy for 4 mL sample homogenization
- Just right (3/8 inch / 9.5 mm) — optimal kinetic energy for 4 mL vial volume
- Too large (15 mm+) — beads physically too large for 4 mL vial geometry
Workflow-paired procurement: When ordering the IPD9600-48 4 mL vial adapter + IPD9600-4PC or IPD9600-4PE vials, also order the IPD9600-38S bead pack as the matching bead format.
IPD9600 Stainless Steel Grinding Ball Family — Bulk-Pack Comparison
| SKU | Bead size | Pack | Per-ball cost | Best for sample vessel |
| IPD9600-4M | 4 mm | 5000/bag ($981) | $0.20 | 96-well plate workflows |
| IPD9600-38S (this product) | 3/8 in (9.5 mm) | 1000/bag ($699) | $0.70 | 4 mL vial workflows (IPD9600-48 + IPD9600-4PC / -4PE) |
| IPD9600-10BS | 10 mm | 500 g bulk ($153) | ~$3 | 25–50 mL grinding jars |
| IPD9600-25BS | 25 mm | Each ($63) | $63 | 50 mL grinding jars |
Application Profile
4 mL vial bead-mill workflows — the workhorse application. Pairs with IPD9600-48 sub-adapter + IPD9600-4PC / -4PE vials for 96-vial-per-cycle high-throughput vial-format homogenization.
QuEChERS sample prep at vial scale — pesticide / contaminant analysis where 4 mL vial format is the workflow standard.
Environmental sample prep — water-quality, soil, or air-sample analysis at 4 mL vial scale.
Forensic / clinical-research individual-vial workflows — per-vial chain-of-custody at high throughput.
Cannabis testing labs — per-strain / per-batch individual sample homogenization at 4 mL vial throughput.
Method-development workflows — protocol-development at the 4 mL vial format.
Bead Reusability and Replenishment
Stainless steel grinding balls are reusable across multiple cycles with proper cleaning. The 1000-bag bulk pack supports:
- Single-use workflows (regulated forensic / clinical-research where bead reuse is contraindicated): ~10 cycles at 96 vials per cycle (1 ball per vial = 96 balls per cycle)
- Multi-use workflows (research labs with proper between-cycle bead cleaning): months to years of routine workflow
For production-scale facilities running daily 96-vial workflows, plan replenishment per workflow throughput.
Ordering & Configuration
Pair with workflow stack. Confirm IPD9600 chassis + IPD9600-96 base adapter + IPD9600-48 4 mL vial sub-adapter + IPD9600-4PC or -4PE vial inventory.
Single-use vs multi-use workflow. Confirm at order whether the workflow protocol is single-use (regulated) or multi-use (research) — single-use workflows consume the 1000-pack faster.
Confirm at quote: chassis pairing, IPD9600-96 + IPD9600-48 adapter inventory, vial inventory (IPD9600-4PC / -4PE), workflow reuse policy (single-use vs multi-use), and lead time.
Warranty: Per Benchmark Industrial standard consumable terms — confirm at quote.
Benchmark Industrial IPD9600 4 mL vial workflow stack:
- IPD9600-96 — 96-well plate base adapter, set of 2 ($1,419, REQUIRED base)
- IPD9600-48 — 48 × 4 mL vial sub-adapter, set of 2 ($675)
- IPD9600-4PC — 4 mL polycarbonate vials, 240/pk ($338)
- IPD9600-4PE — 4 mL polyethylene vials with lined cap, 240/pk ($338)
- IPD9600-38S (this product) — 3/8 in SS grinding balls, 1000/pk ($699)
Pick the IPD9600-38S for the 4 mL vial bead-mill workflow; sister bead sizes (IPD9600-4M / -10BS / -25BS) cover other sample-vessel formats.
