What Hurst Scientific does

Hurst Scientific is a privately held, family-owned Australian distributor of laboratory equipment, consumables, and scientific supplies, founded in 2007 and headquartered in Forrestdale, Perth, Western Australia. The company sources products from third-party manufacturers and brands (including Met-App Australia, Medite, and Bright Instruments) rather than developing its own technology, and resells them across more than 20 product categories spanning general lab equipment, histology and anatomical pathology, microbiology, life sciences, cryogenic storage and PPE, chemicals, and surgical instruments. Its go-to-market is exclusively direct-to-consumer e-commerce via its website, with no physical retail storefront; orders are processed online, freight is calculated in-cart (with a free-freight promotion from May 1), and Western Australian customers can collect from the Perth warehouse. The company holds ISO 9001:2015 quality certification and TGA approval, positioning it as a quality-assured supplier to regulated Australian laboratory and healthcare customers.

Revenue is generated through one-time online unit sales of stocked and specially ordered products to a diversified set of end markets: pathology laboratories and hospitals as the primary segments, supported by veterinary clinics, schools and universities, and research facilities. Pricing follows a per-unit model with substantial dispersion (e.g., surgical scissors $9–$48; forceps $10–$206; specimen containers $142 per 500) and some items priced on application. Distribution is anchored by stocking locations across Western Australia, Queensland, Victoria, and New South Wales, with sales staff based in NSW and Queensland, enabling Australia-wide delivery. Marketing relies on the company website, email newsletter for promotions, and online product catalogues; no other digital channels, paid acquisition, or enterprise sales motion is documented.

Name

Hurst Scientific

Legal name

Hurst Scientific

Website

https://hurstscientific.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Hurst Scientific is a family-owned Australian distributor, founded 2007 and headquartered in Perth, that sells laboratory equipment, consumables, and scientific supplies online to pathology labs, hospitals, universities, veterinary clinics, and research facilities nationwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Laboratory Equipment & Consumables Distribution

SIC

Laboratory Apparatus & Furniture (3821)

akta.pro primary industry

Lab Furniture, Facilities & Utilities (Benches, Casework, Gas/Water Systems) (HLAGAIAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Science & STEM Lab Equipment & Supplies (Chemistry, Biology, Physics, Makerspaces) (EDAEAIAC)

Keywords

• Laboratory equipment supplies
• Histology lab consumables
• Pathology laboratory products
• Life science instruments
• Scientific equipment distribution

Headquarters

HQ city

Forrestdale

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Laboratory Supplies Sales: Revenue is generated through direct online sales of laboratory equipment, consumables, and scientific supplies to laboratories, hospitals, clinics, and research facilities across Australia. Sales include both in-stock items and special orders.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Hurst Scientific is an Australian family-owned distributor that supplies laboratory equipment, lab consumables, and scientific supplies to pathology laboratories, hospitals, research facilities, educational institutions, and veterinary practices. The company stocks and ships products from trusted manufacturers including Met-App, Medite, and Bright Instruments, and is ISO 9001:2015 certified and TGA approved. Founded in 2007 and headquartered in Forrestdale, Western Australia, it sells via an e-commerce website with Australia-wide delivery and no physical shopfront.

Product overview

Hurst Scientific is a family-owned Australian laboratory equipment and supplies distributor founded in 2007, serving laboratories, hospitals, pathology labs, and research facilities across Australia. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio organized across multiple product categories: lab equipment (balances, centrifuges, incubators, PCR thermocyclers, spectrophotometers), lab consumables (specimen containers, pipettes, tubes), and specialized product lines including Bright Instruments and Medite Equipment for histology, along with microscope slides, surgical instruments, stains & solutions, cryostorage, safety products, chemicals, microbiology supplies, and refrigeration equipment. As an ISO 9001:2015 quality-assured supplier and TGA-approved company, they position themselves as a complete laboratory procurement destination for scientific disciplines throughout Australia.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Medite Equipment (Brand)minorOthersHurst Scientific supplies Medite equipment including microtomes, embedding systems, tissue processors, cryostats, stainers, and other histology equipment.
• Bright Instruments (Brand)minorOthersHurst Scientific stocks Bright Instruments products including microtomes, cryostats, cryostat blades, and accessories.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Regional players

• DKSH: Asia-Pacific focused market expansion services company distributing scientific instruments, laboratory equipment, and specialty chemicals across fragmented APAC markets. Closely comparable business model of distributing third-party manufacturer brands across the region, though at much larger scale than Hurst.

Broad incumbents

• Bio-Rad Laboratories: Global clinical diagnostics and life science research equipment and consumables supplier with Australian operations. Overlaps with Hurst in serving pathology laboratories and research facilities with analytical instruments, reagents, and consumables.
• Avantor: Global laboratory supplies and equipment distributor serving biopharma, healthcare, and research customers in Australia. Comparable product breadth and customer overlap with Hurst, but with significantly larger scale, private-label offering, and global procurement leverage.
• Merck Life Science (Sigma-Aldrich): Major global supplier of laboratory chemicals, reagents, and consumables operating in Australia under the Sigma-Aldrich and Merck brands. Overlaps with Hurst across consumables, analytical reagents, and lab instruments and serves many of the same pathology, research, and education customers.
• Thermo Fisher Scientific: Global leader in laboratory equipment, instruments, consumables, and services with a substantial Australian presence. Competes directly with Hurst for institutional procurement contracts but with a vastly broader portfolio, own-brand products, and global scale advantages in pricing and supply.
• Corning Life Sciences: Global manufacturer of plastic laboratory consumables (cell culture vessels, plasticware, filtration) with established Australian distribution. Overlaps with Hurst's consumables portfolio, particularly in life science research and clinical lab settings.
• Eppendorf: German laboratory equipment manufacturer of pipettes, centrifuges, bioreactors, and consumables with Australian distribution. Competes with Hurst in the lab equipment category where Hurst distributes products, particularly in academic and clinical research accounts.

Direct peers

• Scitech: Australian scientific equipment and laboratory supplies distributor serving research, education, healthcare, and industrial customers. Closest direct competitor to Hurst in the Australian market with overlapping product categories (microscopy, life science, consumables) and similar SMB-to-mid-market customer profile.
• Biolab: Australian scientific equipment and laboratory supplies distributor with comparable product categories and customer segments. Most directly comparable peer to Hurst in the Australian market, competing for similar pathology, education, and research accounts.
• Sapphire Bioscience: Australian life science distributor representing multiple international brands in research and clinical diagnostics supplies. Comparable business model and customer base to Hurst, focused on Australian research and pathology customers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hurst-scientific-pty-ltd

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Hurst Scientific