Cheap Tubes
Cheap Tubes is a privately held, Vermont-based supplier of research-grade carbon nanotubes, graphene, and advanced nanomaterials serving 10,000+ academic, government, and industrial customers globally via direct e-commerce and quote-based bulk sales, with a specification guarantee.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2005
- HeadquartersTownshend, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Cheap Tubes does
Cheap Tubes is a privately held nanomaterials supplier founded in 2005 by Mike Foley and headquartered in Townshend, Vermont. The company specializes in research-grade carbon nanotubes, graphene, and related advanced nanomaterials, manufacturing single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) at 60-99% purity tiers, multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) in industrial, standard, and graphitized grades, graphene oxide produced via modified Hummers method, graphene nanoplatelets (GNP), CVD graphene films on copper, PET, quartz, and Si/SiO2 substrates, fullerenes (C60, C70), MXene, silver nanowires, and engineered nanocomposites. Over 21 years, the company has served 10,000+ customers including research groups at MIT, Harvard, Rice University, NASA, the US Army, U.S. national laboratories, and corporate R&D at 3M.
The technical foundation rests on synthesis via chemical vapor deposition for nanotubes and films, modified Hummers for graphene oxide, and proprietary functionalization for surface groups including COOH, OH, NH2, F, N, and O+. The founder holds two granted U.S. patents in nanoparticle dispersion, and the patented Flexiphene amphiphilic surfactant technology — held via associated company CTI Materials — enables colloidal dispersion of pristine, non-functionalized nanomaterials in water, solvents, and host matrices without the mechanical or conductive penalties associated with conventional surfactants. Every order ships with a Technical Data Sheet and Safety Data Sheet, backed by a published-specification guarantee that provides replacement or refund if materials fail to meet stated specifications, addressing the documented reproducibility problem that researchers cite as a primary pain point in nanomaterial sourcing.
The business model combines direct-to-consumer e-commerce on a WooCommerce storefront for standard research quantities with sales-assisted quote-based selling for bulk, custom, and tonnage-scale industrial orders. Pricing is published in catalog and ranges from $0.45 to $300 per gram depending on material grade and purity, with industrial-grade MWCNT falling below $1/gram at volume and specialty industrial additives priced at $200 to $435 per kilogram. Four served segments are academic researchers, national laboratories and government R&D, corporate R&D groups, and industrial manufacturers using the materials in polymer composites, Li-ion battery electrodes, cement reinforcement, conductive coatings, and EMI shielding. Distribution is global, with typical 2-5 business day lead time from the Vermont shipping facility, and the company has established the #1 organic search position for high-intent nanomaterial keywords through technical buying guides and competitor comparison content.
Cheap Tubes firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Cheap Tubes
- Legal name
- Cheap Tubes Inc.
- Website
- https://cheaptubes.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2005
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Cheap Tubes is a privately held, Vermont-based supplier of research-grade carbon nanotubes, graphene, and advanced nanomaterials serving 10,000+ academic, government, and industrial customers globally via direct e-commerce and quote-based bulk sales, with a specification guarantee.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Cheap Tubes industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Advanced Carbon Nanomaterials Manufacturing
- NAICS
- Carbon and Graphite Product Manufacturing (335991)
- SIC
- Industrial Organic Chemicals (2860)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Functional Carbon Fillers (Carbon Black, Graphite) (IMAEAFAO)
Keywords
Where Cheap Tubes is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Townshend
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Cheap Tubes business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Operations, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Personnel, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Research-Grade Nanomaterials Sales: One-time product sales of carbon nanotubes, graphene, and related nanomaterials to researchers at universities, national laboratories, and R&D groups. Standard research quantities sold through e-commerce catalog; bulk and custom orders via quote request. Revenue from product sales across 100+ SKUs in the catalog.
- Industrial-Grade Bulk Materials: Large-volume sales of industrial-grade carbon nanotubes for production applications including polymer composites, battery electrodes, cement reinforcement, and manufacturing. Available by kilogram and metric ton, with pricing competitive below $1/gram at volume.
- Custom Formulation and Production Services: Custom specifications, pre-dispersion in solvents (NMP, PVDF binder solutions, water), custom CNT/carbon black ratios, and technical consulting for application-specific requirements. Custom formulations for Li-ion battery electrodes and specialty industrial applications.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Standard Graphene Nanoplatelets |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | NH2 Functionalized Graphene Nanoplatelets |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | SWCNT 99% Ultra-Long |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Thin Walled Carbon Nanotubes |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Conductive Nanotubes Composite Additive |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | OH Functionalized Industrial Grade MWCNTs 10-30nm |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Few Layer Graphene Oxide 2-4L |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Single Layer Graphene Oxide 450nm |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | CNT-PA6-15 Masterbatch |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Graphene Nanoparticles Conductive Additive |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
Cheap Tubes product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Cheap Tubes manufactures and supplies research-grade carbon nanotubes, graphene materials, and related advanced nanomaterials for academic researchers, national laboratories, and corporate R&D groups. The 100+ product catalog spans SWCNTs, MWCNTs, graphene oxide, CVD graphene films, graphene nanoplatelets, fullerenes, MXene, and engineered nanocomposites, sold by the gram for research use and by kilogram/metric ton for industrial production. Every order ships with a Technical Data Sheet (TDS) and Safety Data Sheet (SDS), backed by a published-specification guarantee.
Product overview
Cheap Tubes is a research-grade nanomaterials supplier offering a comprehensive portfolio of carbon nanotubes, graphene materials, and related advanced nanomaterials. The product catalog includes single-walled and multi-walled carbon nanotubes across multiple purity tiers (60% to 99.5%+), functionalized variants (COOH, OH, NH2, F, N, O+), graphene oxide and reduced graphene oxide in multiple grades, CVD graphene films on various substrates, graphene nanoplatelets, fullerenes, MXene, silver nanowires, and specialty products like helical CNTs and thin-walled TWNTs. The company also offers proprietary Flexiphene surfactant solutions for nanomaterial dispersion, engineered nanocomposites (CNT-epoxy pre-compounds, masterbatches), and industrial-grade products including conductive CNT-carbon black composite additives for lithium-ion batteries. All products ship with full Technical Data Sheets (TDS) and Safety Data Sheets (SDS), backed by a published-specification guarantee.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- CTI Materials: An associated company related to Cheap Tubes Inc., associated with Mike Foley and the Flexiphene surfactant technology.
Products and services
- Single Walled Carbon Nanotubes (SWCNT)
Quantifiable outcome
- 82% fracture toughness increase in epoxy with NH2-functionalized GNPs at 0.5 wt% loading
- +8 more outcomes
Companies that use Cheap Tubes
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Cheap Tubes technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Cheap Tubes partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators4 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Cheap Tubes competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Haydale Graphene Industries: Specialty graphene and carbon nanomaterial supplier focused on functionalized graphene nanoplatelets and plasma-functionalized CNTs for composites, batteries, and inks — overlapping industrial and R&D customer base with Cheap Tubes.
- XG Sciences: Producer of xGnP graphene nanoplatelets and CNT products supplied to composites, energy storage, and coatings end markets, directly comparable to Cheap Tubes' GNP and industrial CNT lines.
- Thomas Swan (Elemental): UK-based manufacturer of high-quality carbon nanotubes (Elicarb brand) including SWCNTs and MWCNTs supplied globally to academic and industrial customers — comparable product portfolio to Cheap Tubes with a stronger European footprint.
- US Research Nanomaterials (US Nano): Online catalog supplier of carbon nanotubes, graphene, fullerenes, and specialty nanomaterials in research quantities, competing head-to-head with Cheap Tubes on SWCNT, MWCNT, and graphene oxide SKUs to academic and R&D buyers.
- Timesnano (Chinese Academy of Sciences): CNT-focused supplier spun out of the Chinese Academy of Sciences producing SWCNTs, MWCNTs, and functionalized variants at research and industrial scales; competes on price globally with similar catalog breadth.
- OCSiAl: Largest global producer of single-walled carbon nanotubes (Tuball brand), offering research-grade and industrial-grade SWCNTs directly comparable to Cheap Tubes' SWCNT catalog, with much greater production scale and a similar vertical integration into masterbatches and dispersions.
- ACS Material: Direct catalog competitor offering carbon nanotubes, graphene oxide, graphene nanoplatelets, MXene, and fullerenes at research quantities with e-commerce storefront — Cheap Tubes publishes explicit comparison pages against this supplier.
Broad incumbents
- Cabot Corporation: Large specialty chemicals company with carbon black and specialty carbons product lines plus emerging CNT/graphene offerings; broader portfolio but overlapping with Cheap Tubes in conductive carbon additives for batteries and composites.
- Merck / Sigma-Aldrich: Global life science and materials science supplier distributing carbon nanotubes, graphene, and related nanomaterials under the Sigma-Aldrich brand alongside a much broader chemicals catalog; competes for the same academic and industrial R&D buyers with a larger distribution footprint.
Regional players
- CTI Materials: Associated/affiliated entity of Cheap Tubes founded by Mike Foley, commercializing the patented Flexiphene surfactant dispersion technology and all-carbon nanocomposite papers — comparable IP and material platform but operating as a distinct brand focused on dispersion technology rather than bulk CNT/graphene sales.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Cheap Tubes social profiles
Digital presenceCheap Tubes financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Cheap Tubes leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Cheap Tubes funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Cheap Tubes M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Cheap Tubes
What does Cheap Tubes do?
Cheap Tubes manufactures and supplies research-grade carbon nanotubes, graphene materials, and related advanced nanomaterials for academic researchers, national laboratories, and corporate R&D groups. The 100+ product catalog spans SWCNTs, MWCNTs, graphene oxide, CVD graphene films, graphene nanoplatelets, fullerenes, MXene, and engineered nanocomposites, sold by the gram for research use and by kilogram/metric ton for industrial production. Every order ships with a Technical Data Sheet (TDS) and Safety Data Sheet (SDS), backed by a published-specification guarantee.
Is Cheap Tubes a public or private company?
Cheap Tubes is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Cheap Tubes founded?
Cheap Tubes was founded in 2005. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Cheap Tubes based?
Cheap Tubes is headquartered in Townshend, United States, in the North America region.
How does Cheap Tubes make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Research-Grade Nanomaterials Sales are the primary driver. The others are industrial-Grade Bulk Materials and custom Formulation and Production Services.
Who are Cheap Tubes's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Haydale Graphene Industries, XG Sciences, Thomas Swan (Elemental), US Research Nanomaterials (US Nano), Timesnano (Chinese Academy of Sciences), OCSiAl and ACS Material. Broad incumbents are Cabot Corporation and Merck / Sigma-Aldrich. CTI Materials is listed as a regional player.
Does Cheap Tubes have an API?
No public API is recorded for Cheap Tubes.
What industry is Cheap Tubes in?
Cheap Tubes's product category is Advanced Carbon Nanomaterials Manufacturing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAEAFAO, Functional Carbon Fillers (Carbon Black, Graphite). Its NAICS code is 335991 and its SIC code is 2860.