What Norell does

NORELL, Inc. is a privately held U.S. manufacturer of precision Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) and Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) sample tubes and laboratory accessories, founded in 1967 in New York City by Mark W. Norell and currently headquartered at 1001 Innovation Drive in Morganton, North Carolina. The company manufactures tubes from specialized glass formulations — ASTM Type I Class A (Pyrex 7740, Duran, Kimax KG-33) and ASTM Type I Class B (N-51A) — plus natural quartz and Suprasil quartz, using computer-controlled precision checking for concentricity and camber specifications. Its product portfolio spans multiple NMR tube series (Standard, Select, Select for Ceramic Turbines, Sample Vault, Secure, Ultra-Thin Wall, Valved, Screw Cap, Heavy Wall, Medium Wall, High-Throughput, Constricted, Amberized, Bruker MATCH, Bruker Microbore) and supporting accessories including NorLoc Generation II Security Caps, Optimizer Inserts for Bruker/Agilent-Varian/JEOL spectrometers, tube cleaners, fluoropolymer tubing, deuterated solvents, and cuvettes.

The company monetizes through one-time unit sales of consumable tubes, caps, accessories, and solvents, with entry-level items priced at approximately $14.99 (economy caps, 100-pack) and premium configurations reaching $400+ (Sample Vault 96-pack tube-and-cap systems, Suprasil quartz tubes). Distribution runs through a direct e-commerce storefront (shop.nmrtubes.com), phone, fax, and mail ordering, plus an international distributor network; marketing is driven by an interactive product website, an extensive print and downloadable technical documentation library, and annual sponsorship of the Experimental Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Conference (ENC). Customers are primarily scientific research laboratories across academic, pharmaceutical, chemical, and biotech end-markets, with a secondary high-throughput pharmaceutical screening segment served via Sample Vault products engineered for Bruker SampleJet automation. The company's principal technical differentiation rests on U.S. Patent No. 8,054,080 (Sample Vault integrated closure system) and a patent-pending NorLoc Generation II Security Cap design, layered onto 57+ years of accumulated NMR-specific manufacturing expertise and vertically integrated in-house engineering and machine-shop capabilities.

Name

Norell

Legal name

NORELL, Inc.

Website

https://nmrtubes.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1967

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Norell is a privately held U.S. manufacturer, founded in 1967, of precision NMR and EPR sample tubes plus laboratory accessories (caps, inserts, deuterated solvents, fluoropolymer tubing), serving academic, pharmaceutical, chemical, and biotech research laboratories worldwide through direct e-commerce and international distributors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Morganton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. NMR/EPR Tube Sales: Core revenue from manufacturing and selling precision NMR sample tubes across multiple series (Standard, Select, Sample Vault, Secure, Ultra-Thin) in various sizes (1mm to 10mm) and MHz ratings (200-1000+ MHz).
2. Accessories and Consumables: Sales of complementary products including NMR tube caps (Economy, NorLoc, Fluoropolymer, Screw-Cap), tube cleaning accessories, tube racks, optimizer inserts, fluoropolymer tubing, and other laboratory accessories.
3. Deuterated Solvents: Sale of deuterated solvents for NMR spectroscopy including Chloroform-D, DMSO-D6, Methanol-D4, Methylene Chloride-D2, and other deuterated compounds in various quantities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Norell manufactures precision NMR (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance) and EPR (Electron Paramagnetic Resonance) sample tubes from specialized glass types including ASTM Type I Class A and Class B, quartz, and Suprasil. The company produces multiple tube series (Standard, Select, Sample Vault, Secure, Ultra-Thin Wall, Valved, Heavy Wall, Medium Wall, Bruker MATCH, Bruker Microbore, Amberized, Constricted, Screw Cap, High-Throughput) along with complementary accessories such as NorLoc Security Caps, Optimizer Inserts, tube cleaners, fluoropolymer tubing, and deuterated solvents for scientific laboratories.

Product overview

Norell is a manufacturer of precision NMR (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance) tubes and EPR (Electron Paramagnetic Resonance) tubes along with a comprehensive portfolio of laboratory accessories. The product portfolio centers on multiple NMR tube series (Standard, Select, Select for Ceramic Turbines, Sample Vault, Secure, and Ultra-Thin Wall) that are manufactured from various glass types (ASTM Type I Class A and B, Pyrex, Duran, Kimax, quartz) to serve different application requirements from routine analysis to ultra-high precision work. The Sample Vault Series with integrated closure caps (U.S. Patent No. 8,054,080) targets high-throughput automated systems like Bruker SampleJet. Supporting accessories include Optimizer Inserts for multiple spectrometer brands (Bruker, Agilent/Varian, JEOL), NorLoc Generation II Security Caps, tube cleaners, brushes, fluoropolymer liners, caps, and tubing. The company also offers deuterated solvents and fluoropolymer tubing (PTFE, PVDF, PFA, FEP) for broader laboratory use.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• NMR Tubes from NORELL: Core brand for NMR tubes and related laboratory equipment.
• Sample Vault Series
• Select Series
• Standard Series
• Secure Series
• NorLoc

Products and services

• Standard Series NMR Tubes Routine NMR tubes manufactured from ASTM Type I Class B glass (N-51A), computer-checked for concentricity and camber. Ideal for room temperature applications with minimal thermal gradients; available in 5mm, 3mm, and 10mm sizes for research laboratories.
• Select Series NMR Tubes High-precision NMR tubes manufactured from ASTM Type I Class A glass (Pyrex 7740, Duran, Kimax KG-33) with superior thermal shock resistance and low expansion coefficient for variable temperature applications; up to 1000 MHz rating.
• Select Series for Ceramic Turbines NMR tubes with extremely precise dimensional specifications designed for ceramic spinner turbines in variable or high temperature applications where tube diameter must be tightly controlled.
• Sample Vault Series NMR Tubes High-throughput NMR tubes with integrated closure system (U.S. Patent No. 8,054,080) designed for automated systems including Bruker SampleJet, featuring coded/open/closed port caps for fail-safe sample delivery in pharmaceutical and high-volume screening labs.
• Secure Series NMR Tubes NMR tubes designed to work with NorLoc Security Caps for enhanced sample containment, featuring a security band that engages with cap design elements to improve evaporation resistance.
• Ultra-Thin Wall NMR Tubes NMR tubes with significantly reduced wall thicknesses compared to traditional options, providing increased sample volume and enhanced signal-to-noise ratios for improved sensitivity. Available in 5mm and 10mm outer diameters.
• Valved NMR Tubes Pressure-rated NMR tubes with internal valves and fluoroelastomer/PTFE seals for pressurized inert atmosphere blanketing, reactive gaseous reagent addition, low boiling point solvent containment, and elevated temperature experiments. Available in reduced, intermediate, and extreme pressure configurations.
• Heavy Wall NMR Tubes NMR tubes with 1.4mm wall thickness offering protection from breakage through temperature or pressure changes; recommended for hazardous or radioactive samples.
• Suprasil Quartz NMR Tubes High-quality quartz NMR tubes with extreme thermal shock resistance, recommended for Boron NMR and UV catalyzed reactions above 190nm.
• Amberized NMR Tubes Light-sensitive NMR tubes with amber coating to protect samples from UV and visible light degradation.
• Natural Quartz EPR Tubes EPR (Electron Paramagnetic Resonance) sample tubes manufactured from natural quartz for high-sensitivity EPR spectroscopy applications.
• NorLoc Generation II Security Caps Advanced NMR tube cap system with patent-pending internal design providing enhanced sample containment, improved handling efficiency, and superior evaporation resistance compared to traditional caps. Available in multiple colors.
• Optimizer Inserts Precision adapters for 5mm spinner turbines that hold various tube sizes (1.5mm to 4.25mm) in 5mm systems. Available for Bruker, Agilent/Varian, and JEOL spectrometers. PEEK variants available for demanding chemical environments.
• Sample Vault NMR Sample Tube Rack High-strength, high-modulus biopolymer 96-position tube rack designed for reliable Bruker SampleJet compatibility with open-wall design providing 360-degree sample visibility.
• Deuterated Solvents Deuterated NMR solvents including Chloroform-D, Deuterium Oxide, Methanol-D4, DMSO-D6, Methylene Chloride-D2, Pyridine-D5, Tetrahydrofuran-D8, Acetone-D6, Acetonitrile-D3, Benzene-D6, Acetic Acid-D4, and Trifluoroacetic Acid-D for NMR spectroscopy.
• Fluoropolymer Tubing Fluoropolymer tubing line including PTFE, PVDF, PFA, FEP, and Thin Wall FEP tubing for chemical transfer applications requiring high chemical resistance and low extractable impurities.

Quantifiable outcome

• NorLoc caps retain 99.98% acetone-d6 after 1 day vs 97.08% with economy caps; 99.51% vs 87.74% for benzene-d6 after 10 days
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• BrukercoreTechnology or IntegrationNorell's Sample Vault Series NMR tubes are engineered for compatibility with Bruker SampleJet automated NMR systems. The Sample Vault tubes feature open-wall rack design specifically tested for reliable Bruker SampleJet compatibility, enabling high-throughput automated workflows. Norell also offers Bruker Match NMR tubes and Bruker Microbore tubes as part of this integration partnership.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Rototec-Spintec: Rototec-Spintec manufactures specialty sample tubes and rotors for NMR and EPR applications, primarily in the European market. It is comparable to Norell in its focus on precision glass consumables for analytical spectroscopy and serves overlapping research customer segments.
• New Era Enterprises: New Era Enterprises is a smaller specialty manufacturer of NMR sample tubes and consumables serving similar research and industrial spectroscopy customers. It competes with Norell in commodity and mid-tier NMR tube SKUs but has a narrower precision and patent-protected product line.

Broad incumbents

• JEOL Ltd. JEOL is a major NMR and EPR instrument manufacturer. Like Agilent and Bruker, JEOL sells accessories for its own spectrometers, and Norell produces JEOL-compatible Optimizer Inserts to support JEOL-installed labs, creating a partial overlap in consumables offerings.
• Bruker Corporation: Bruker is the dominant NMR instrument maker and a core strategic partner of Norell via the SampleJet automated system integration. While Bruker's primary business is instruments, it also sells consumables, making it both a critical channel for Norell's Sample Vault tubes and a partial competitor in NMR consumables.
• Agilent Technologies: Agilent (which acquired Varian) manufactures NMR spectrometers and sells associated consumables and optimizer inserts. Norell offers dedicated Agilent/Varian-compatible Optimizer Inserts, illustrating both the partnership and the partial overlap in serving Agilent-installed NMR labs.
• Thermo Fisher Scientific: Thermo Fisher supplies a comprehensive range of laboratory consumables, including products used in NMR and adjacent spectroscopy workflows. While not a specialist NMR tube maker, its scale and one-stop procurement model make it a structural competitor for institutional lab budgets.
• Sigma-Aldrich (Merck KGaA): Sigma-Aldrich, part of Merck's Life Science division, sells a broad catalog of laboratory consumables including deuterated solvents and NMR tubes. While not a specialty NMR-tube specialist, its scale, distribution, and bundled procurement contracts make it a meaningful competitor for institutional lab spend.

Others

• SP Scientific (SP Industries): SP Scientific is the parent company of Wilmad-LabGlass, Norell's main direct competitor. As a larger laboratory equipment platform, SP Scientific provides scale, distribution, and complementary product breadth that Wilmad can leverage against Norell's standalone business.

Direct peers

• Wilmad-LabGlass: Wilmad-LabGlass (a SP Scientific brand) is the most direct competitor to Norell, manufacturing precision NMR and EPR sample tubes, sample holders, and custom lab glassware for the same research and pharmaceutical laboratory customers. The two companies compete head-to-head across standard, precision, and specialty NMR tube product lines.
• Cambridge Isotope Laboratories: Cambridge Isotope Laboratories (CIL) is the leading global supplier of deuterated NMR solvents such as Chloroform-D, DMSO-D6, and Methanol-D4. Norell also sells deuterated solvents, putting the two companies in direct competition in the NMR consumables basket purchased by the same research-lab customers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/nmrtubes

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Norell