TECH TIP # 40

Convert between times gravity (g)

and centrifuge rotor speed (RPM)
TR0040.1

Introduction
Certain procedures necessitate precise centrifugation conditions, which must be specified in terms of relative centrifugal
force (RCF) expressed in units of gravity (times gravity or g). Many microcentrifuges only have settings for speed
(revolutions per minute, RPM), not relative centrifugal force. Consequently, a formula for conversion is required to ensure
that the appropriate setting is used in an experiment. The relationship between RPM and RCF is as follows:
g = (1.118 10-5) R S2
Where g is the relative centrifugal force, R is the radius of the rotor in centimeters, and S is the speed of the centrifuge in
revolutions per minute. Values of RCF in units of times gravity ( g) for common microcentrifuge rotor radii appear in the
following conversion table. As an example, centrifugation of a sample at 5,000 RPM in a microcentrifuge that has a rotor
with a radius of 7 cm will deliver a centrifugal force of 1,957 g.
Centrifugation speed and time often are not critical factors in routine sample-handling procedures involving a benchtop
microcentrifuge. Usually, as long as speed and time are sufficient to ensure that cells, debris or resin are pelleted effectively,
it does not matter if the speed is faster or the time longer than necessary. For this reason, many protocols do not specify a
particular centrifugal force to be applied but instead indicate some general guideline such as centrifuge at high speed for 1
minute.

Conversion Table
Speed
(RPM)
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
3500
4000
4500
5000
5500
6000
6500
7000
7500
8000
8500
9000
9500
10000
10500
11000
11500
12000
13000
13500
14000

4
45
101
179
280
402
548
716
906
1118
1353
1610
1889
2191
2516
2862
3231
3622
4036
4472
4930
5411
5914
6440
7558
8150
8765

Rotor Radius (from center of rotor to sample) in centimeters

5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
56
126
224
349
503
685
894
1132
1398
1691
2012
2362
2739
3144
3578
4039
4528
5045
5590
6163
6764
7393
8050
9447
10188
10956

67
151
268
419
604
822
1073
1358
1677
2029
2415
2834
3287
3773
4293
4847
5433
6054
6708
7396
8117
8871
9660
11337
12225
13148

78
176
313
489
704
959
1252
1585
1957
2367
2817
3306
3835
4402
5009
5654
6339
7063
7826
8628
9469
10350
11269
13226
14263
15339

89
201
358
559
805
1096
1431
1811
2236
2706
3220
3779
4383
5031
5724
6462
7245
8072
8944
9861
10822
11828
12879
15115
16300
17530

101
226
402
629
906
1233
1610
2038
2516
3044
3622
4251
4930
5660
6440
7270
8150
9081
10062
11093
12175
13307
14489
17005
18338
19722

112
252
447
699
1006
1370
1789
2264
2795
3382
4025
4724
5478
6289
7155
8078
9056
10090
11180
12326
13528
14786
16099
18894
20376
21913

123
277
492
769
1107
1507
1968
2490
3075
3720
4427
5196
6026
6918
7871
8885
9961
11099
12298
13559
14881
16264
17709
20784
22413
24104

134
302
537
839
1207
1643
2147
2717
3354
4058
4830
5668
6574
7547
8586
9693
10867
12108
13416
14791
16233
17743
19319
22673
24451
26295

145
327
581
908
1308
1780
2325
2943
3634
4397
5232
6141
7122
8175
9302
10501
11773
13117
14534
16024
17586
19221
20929
24562
26488
28487

14

15

157
352
626
978
1409
1917
2504
3170
3913
4735
5635
6613
7669
8804
10017
11309
12678
14126
15652
17256
18939
20700
22539
26452
28526
30678

168
377
671
1048
1509
2054
2683
3396
4193
5073
6037
7085
8217
9433
10733
12116
13584
15135
16770
18489
20292
22178
24149
28341
30563
32869

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