What Hilgenberg does

Hilgenberg GmbH is a privately held German specialty glass manufacturer headquartered in Malsfeld, with a reported operating history of more than 100 years. The company produces high-precision glass components for four primary use-case segments: scientific research and analytical laboratories (NMR spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, thermal analysis, liquid handling), industrial and chemical/pharmaceutical manufacturing, medical technology, and technical applications. Its portfolio spans approximately 25,000 product variants organized into glass capillaries and tubes (including proprietary multi-capillaries with more than 1,000 cavities in a single 9.5 mm unit), NMR tubes in numerous configurations (standard, thick-walled, vacuum valve, screw cap, coaxial, UV protection, photo-NMR, etc.), Mark/XRD capillaries with wall thicknesses as low as ~10 µm, sample and test tubes, pipettes and filling needles, column packing materials (Raschig rings, Wilson helices), precision glass beads (tolerance down to ±0.005 mm), rods, fibers, glass panes, and laboratory accessories. Manufacturing is conducted primarily in borosilicate glass 3.3, quartz glass, soda-lime glass, and special Lindemann glass, with capabilities spanning standard catalog production as well as bespoke custom solutions in small series, large series, and individual prototypes.

The business operates on a direct-sales model: standard products are sold against a published price list (2026 pricing released), while custom solutions are quote-based with request forms on the multilingual German/English website. Pricing is per-unit with minimum order quantities ranging from 25 to 1,000 units depending on SKU, and distribution is global, serving more than 3,000 customers worldwide. Marketing channels center on the company website with downloadable technical resources (price lists, ISO 9001, REACH, RoHS, and AEO certificates, glass data sheets) and selective international trade show participation, including CISILE 2026 in Beijing. A distribution partnership with Xiruite has been announced to support Beijing operations, and the company maintains an R&D collaboration with the University of Paderborn on very thin-walled borosilicate capillaries.

Hilgenberg is led by managing directors Ingo Hilgenberg and Florian Salewski, indicating family ownership continuity, with no disclosed external investment, private equity involvement, or parent company. Strategic activity in 2025–2026 has emphasized product expansion (NFC-labeled NMR tubes, glass powder for XRD sample preparation, NMR tube storage rack, refreshed NMR price list) and geographic extension into China, rather than acquisitions or capital raises. The company operates from a single Malsfeld headquarters and production facility. Note on founding date: firmographic data states 1913, while internal company history references 1900; both predate World War II and are consistent with the "over 100 years" claim used in the company's own materials.

Name

Hilgenberg

Legal name

Hilgenberg GmbH

Website

https://hilgenberg-gmbh.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1900

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Hilgenberg GmbH is a German precision specialty glass manufacturer producing high-precision capillaries, NMR and XRD tubes, pipettes, and bespoke glass components for more than 3,000 scientific, laboratory, industrial, and medical customers worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Glass Manufacturing

NAICS

Glass and Glass Product Manufacturing (32721), Glass Container Manufacturing (327213), Flat Glass Manufacturing (327211), Other Pressed and Blown Glass and Glassware Manufacturing (327212)

SIC

Glass & Glassware, Pressed Or Blown (3220), Glass Containers (3221), Flat Glass (3211)

akta.pro primary industry

Pharmaceutical & Medical Glass Packaging (Vials, Ampoules, Syringes) (IMALAEAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Wide-Mouth & Storage Glass Packaging (Canisters, Utility Jars) (IMALAEAI), Flat Glass (Float/Sheet/Plate) Manufacturing (IMADAHAA)

Keywords

• Precision glass manufacturing
• Laboratory glassware
• Glass capillaries
• NMR tubes
• Specialty glass products

Headquarters

HQ city

Malsfeld

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Standard Glass Products Sales: Sale of standardized precision glass products including capillaries, tubes, rods, pipettes, beads, and accessories. Products are sold in various volumes with minimum purchase requirements.
2. Custom Manufacturing: Custom manufacturing of glass products tailored to specific customer requirements, offered in small series, large series, or as individual custom pieces.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Hilgenberg GmbH manufactures and processes high-precision specialty glass products for science, laboratory, industry, medicine, and technology applications. The company offers approximately 25,000 product variants including glass capillaries, NMR tubes, Mark/XRD tubes, pipettes, glass beads, rods, fibers, and custom-engineered glass components. It produces standardized products as well as custom-tailored glass solutions in small and large series using borosilicate glass 3.3, quartz glass, soda-lime glass, and special glasses.

Product overview

Hilgenberg GmbH is a precision glass manufacturer with over 100 years of experience, offering approximately 25,000 product variants for science, laboratory, industry, medicine, and technology sectors. The product portfolio consists of high-precision glass components organized into core categories: Glass Capillaries & Tubes (including multi-capillaries with over 1000 cavities), NMR Tubes (in various configurations including standard, thick-walled, vacuum valve, and screw cap), Mark/XRD Tubes (extremely thin-walled capillaries for X-ray analysis), Sample & Test Tubes (EPR, melting point, DSC crucibles), Pipettes & Needles (Pasteur, micropipettes, filling needles), Column Packing (Raschig rings, Wilson helices), Glass Beads (standard and precision), Glass Rods & Fibers, Glass Panes & Windows, and Accessories & Tools (burners, cutting tools, seals). The company also offers Custom Special Solutions for bespoke requirements. Products are manufactured primarily from borosilicate glass 3.3, soda-lime glass, and quartz glass, with custom dimensions and specifications available.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Glass Capillaries & Tubes High-precision glass capillaries and tubes including simple round, filament, theta, flat, oval, jagged, triangular, bundled, and multi-capillary designs, plus standard, thin-walled, and precision glass tubes and cloning cylinders for laboratory and industrial use.
• NMR Tubes Nuclear Magnetic Resonance tubes in standard, thick-walled, vacuum valve, screw cap, coaxial insert, constriction, UV protection, time domain, imaging, Luer lock, gel compression, and photo-NMR configurations, made from borosilicate glass 3.3 or quartz glass for spectroscopy laboratories.
• Mark Tubes (XRD Tubes) Extremely thin-walled capillaries (approximately 10 µm wall thickness) for X-ray fine structure analysis of monocrystals, powder compounds, and liquid crystals, suitable for Debye-Scherrer, SAXS, and WAXS measurements; available in borosilicate glass 3.3, quartz, soda-lime, and special Lindemann glass.
• Sample & Test Tubes Comprehensive range including EPR tubes, melting and boiling point determination tubes, glass crucibles for DSC/TGA/SDTA, round-bottom tubes, flat-bottomed tubes, bottles, weighing bottles, microanalysis tubes, micro inserts, and destructible ampules.
• Pipettes & Needles Glass pipettes including Pasteur, dropping, angled, micropipettes, mini pipettes, glass nozzles, special pipettes, and filling needles (flexible and inflexible, including polyimide-coated variants) for laboratory liquid handling.
• Column Packing (Filling Bodies) Raschig rings and Wilson helices made from soda-lime glass, borosilicate glass 3.3, quartz glass, and neutral glass, used as column packing materials in laboratory and industrial applications.
• Glass Beads Standard and precision glass beads in soda-lime, borosilicate 3.3, and quartz glass with smooth or frosted surfaces; standard tolerance ±0.02 mm, precision tolerance down to ±0.005 mm.
• Glass Rods & Fibers Glass rods and fibers in round profiles and other custom profiles for laboratory and industrial applications.
• Glass Panes & Windows Glass panes and windows made from flat glass for various industrial and technical applications.
• Accessories & Tools Laboratory accessories including micro hand torches, hand torch kits, heat sealing devices, butane torches, cutting tools, disposable syringes, seals & caps, UV adhesive & lamps, pipette bulbs, storage solutions, and magnetic stirrers.
• Special Solutions (Custom Manufacturing) Custom-designed glass components manufactured to specific customer requirements in small series, large series, or as individual pieces, including perforated Mark tubes, capillaries with Luer connections, hydrophobic inner surface coatings, and special X-ray testing capillaries.
• Multi-Capillaries Advanced capillaries with over 1,000 cavities in a single 9.5 mm diameter capillary, with average inner diameter of approximately 260 µm, leveraging proprietary multi-capillary technology.
• NFC Labels for NMR Tubes Labeling solution for NMR tubes using NFC technology that enables intelligent sample management in laboratory environments.
• Glass Powder for XRD Sample Preparation Specialized glass powder product for sample preparation in X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements, helping achieve more accurate measurement results by reducing absorption effects.
• NMR Tube Storage Rack Storage rack for 5 mm diameter NMR sample tubes made from chemical-resistant polypropylene with perforated plates, designed for laboratory sample organization.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 3,000 customers worldwide served
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• University of PaderbornminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative development of very thin-walled capillaries (50 µm wall thickness) from borosilicate glass 3.3 as an alternative to Mark tubes, available in larger diameters (2.1-5.2 mm outer diameter) and flexible lengths.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Gerresheimer AG: German specialty glass and plastics manufacturer serving pharma, medical technology, and laboratory customers with vials, ampoules, and precision glass components — overlaps with Hilgenberg's medical/analytical tube offering.
• Schott AG: Mainz-based specialty glass manufacturer with deep expertise in borosilicate, quartz, and technical glasses for scientific, pharmaceutical, and industrial customers — the closest large-scale analog to Hilgenberg's precision specialty glass portfolio.
• DWK Life Sciences: Owner of the Kimble and Wheaton brands, DWK manufactures laboratory glassware including tubes, vials, and pipettes for scientific customers — directly comparable to Hilgenberg's sample/test tube and pipette lines.
• Duran Group: Specialist in laboratory borosilicate glassware (DURAN brand) including beakers, flasks, tubes, and custom precision glass — directly comparable product portfolio and customer base to Hilgenberg.
• BRAND GMBH + CO KG: German manufacturer of liquid handling and life science consumables, including precision glass and plastic labware such as pipettes, vials, and tubes — directly comparable to Hilgenberg's pipette and sample-tube product lines.
• Paul Marienfeld GmbH & Co. KG: German manufacturer of precision laboratory glassware and accessories for microscopy, hematology, and analytical applications — a close mid-sized specialist comparable to Hilgenberg.
• Nippon Electric Glass Co., Ltd. Japanese specialty glass manufacturer producing tubing, rods, and precision glass components for industrial and electronic applications — competes in adjacent specialty glass categories with similar manufacturing depth.

Broad incumbents

• Saint-Gobain: French multinational materials group with a significant glass division producing containers, flat glass, and specialty glass products — much broader portfolio, but overlaps in industrial/specialty glass end markets.
• Corning Incorporated: Large diversified specialty glass and ceramics company whose Life Sciences segment supplies laboratory glass and plastic consumables — overlaps with Hilgenberg's analytical/scientific end markets but at vastly greater scale and breadth.
• AGC Inc. (Asahi Glass): Global glass and chemicals manufacturer whose portfolio includes specialty glass for electronics, industrial, and life-science applications — a broad incumbent with adjacent rather than directly competing offerings.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hilgenberg-gmbh

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hilgenberg