How Much Does a Rotary Evaporator Cost? Price by Size

Rotary evaporator price is driven by three things: flask size band (1–3 L benchtop, 5 L, or 10–50 L pilot), lift and configuration, and the vacuum pump plus chiller that must run alongside the unit. This guide maps the spec differences that actually move your quote.

What actually drives the rotary evaporator price?

We build and ship rotary evaporators across the full 1 L to 50 L range, and we quote every order against a configuration sheet, not a shelf tag. The reason is simple: two units with the same flask size can carry very different builds, and the difference shows up in the price.

The levers that move a quote are consistent across every inquiry we handle:

• Flask volume band. A 1 L benchtop unit and a 50 L pilot unit share a working principle, not a parts list. Heating power, motor, bath dimensions, and frame all scale with the flask.
• Heating power and bath size. Our 1–3 L models run a 1000 W bath at 260×150 mm; the 50 L RE-5003 runs a 7500 W bath at 550×320 mm. That is a different class of hardware, not a cosmetic upgrade.
• Lift mode. Manual and automatic lift mechanisms price differently and suit different operating habits.
• Utilities. Models up to 30 L run on 220 V/50 Hz. The 50 L unit calls for 380 V/50 Hz, which can add electrical work at your site.
• The companion equipment. A rotary evaporator works under vacuum with a cooled condenser. The vacuum pump and cooling source are separate purchases, and buyers routinely forget to budget them.

When we prepare a quotation, the selection basis we confirm with you is fixed: flask volume, condenser type, vacuum pump, cooling source, bath temperature, lift mode, and the solvent characteristics of your process. Get those seven points right and the price question answers itself. If you are still early in comparing technologies, our distillation equipment selection guide helps you decide whether a rotary evaporator is even the right tool before you spend anything.

How do 1 L–5 L benchtop models compare on spec?

At the small end, the rotary evaporator price gap between models is mostly about flask capacity, because the core hardware stays constant. Our RE-101, RE-201D, and RE-301 share the same 40 W motor, 1000 W heating bath, 260×150 mm bath size, and 0–120 rpm rotation range. What changes is the evaporating flask: 1 L on the RE-101 and RE-201D, 3 L on the RE-301.

Notice what the table tells you about budgeting at this scale. Every model holds vacuum up to -0.095 MPa, runs GG3.3 borosilicate glassware, and controls bath temperature to ±1°C over a room-temperature-to-200°C range. The benchtop band is where capability per dollar is highest: you get the same vacuum depth and temperature accuracy as the big frames.

Choose by batch, not by ambition. If your working volume sits at or below one liter, the 1 L–3 L rotary evaporator line with its 1000 W bath covers method development and small-sample concentration. If you routinely evaporate multi-liter batches — botanical extract workup, solvent swap before crystallization — step up to the 5 L rotary evaporator with its 1500 W bath and 280×160 mm bath size. The 5 L keeps the same 40 W motor and 0–120 rpm range but doubles your practical throughput per run.

What changes when you move to 10 L–50 L pilot units?

Above 5 L, rotary evaporator cost climbs because everything in the power train gets heavier. Motors go from 40 W to 120–180 W. Heating power nearly octuples across the band. Baths grow large enough to need their own floor space. Here is the full pilot-scale table from our manual lift series:

Three things in this table move the quote more than any marketing feature list:

• Heating power scales hard. 3000 W at 10 L, 7500 W at 50 L. Bigger flasks need faster heat-up and recovery to keep evaporation rates practical, and that wattage is a real cost in the build.
• Collecting flask capacity doubles across the band. The RE-5003 carries a 20 L collecting flask against the RE-1002’s 5 L, which matters when you run continuous solvent recovery and hate stopping to drain.
• The 50 L unit needs 380 V/50 Hz. The 10, 20, and 30 L models stay on 220 V/50 Hz. If your shop only has single-phase power, that one line item can decide the size for you.

Our advice at this scale is blunt. Skip the 50 L if your batch never exceeds 20 L — you will pay for heating capacity and glass you never fill, and evaporation runs slower per unit volume when the bath is oversized for the charge. The manual lift rotary evaporators from 10 L to 50 L, rated up to 7500 W of heating power, are sized so that each step adds flask volume and watts together, not volume alone.

Manual lift or automatic lift — which do you need?

Every model in the tables above ships with a manual bath lift. That is a deliberate choice for the benchtop and pilot bands we build most: a manual lift is simple, has almost nothing to fail, and costs less than a motorized mechanism.

When does the lift mode start to matter for price? When operating pattern, not flask size, demands it. Use this framework:

• Single operator, a few runs per day, flasks up to 5 L: manual lift. The bath is light, the motion is short, and you will never notice the effort.
• Frequent flask changes or shared instruments: consider how often someone raises a hot bath. Repetition is where lift fatigue and bump risk live.
• 20 L and 50 L glassware: the flasks get heavy and the bath gets hot. Confirm the lift action and locking feel with your supplier before you commit, whatever mechanism you choose.

The point is not that one lift is universally better. The point is that lift mode is a line item on the quote, so decide it on operating habit, not on a spec-sheet checkbox.

Why does the real budget include a pump and chiller?

Here is the part most price articles skip: the rotary evaporator is not the whole system. It evaporates under vacuum — every unit above is rated up to -0.095 MPa — and it condenses solvent vapor on a cooled surface. No vacuum pump, no vacuum. No cooling source, no condensation. A large share of the total system budget sits outside the evaporator itself, and a low headline price means nothing if the companions are missing or undersized.

How big should the pump and chiller be? That depends on your solvent load: the solvent’s boiling behavior under vacuum, the volume you strip per run, and how fast you want the run to finish. We size them together with the evaporator rather than quoting a generic accessory, because a pump that is too small turns a 5 L flask into an all-afternoon job. Our guide to matching a rotary evaporator with the right vacuum pump and chiller walks through the pairing logic we use on our own production line.

Budget the system, not the box. When you compare quotes from different suppliers, line up what each one actually includes: evaporator, glassware set, vacuum pump, cooling source, and any spare glass. That comparison is the only honest one.

How do you pick a size without overpaying?

After years of quoting these systems, our sizing logic comes down to four questions:

1. What is your largest real batch? Size the evaporating flask to that batch with room for vigorous boiling, not to the batch you hope to run next year. A 1–3 L unit handles method development; 5 L covers routine multi-liter workup; 10 L and up is solvent recovery and pilot production territory.
2. What is the solvent? Solvent characteristics set the bath temperature and vacuum depth you need. All our models reach room temp to 200°C and hold vacuum to -0.095 MPa, but your pump and chiller pairing changes with the solvent’s volatility.
3. What power do you actually have? 220 V/50 Hz covers everything up to 30 L. If you want the 50 L RE-5003, confirm 380 V/50 Hz at the installation point before you order, not after.
4. How many runs per week? Duty cycle tells you whether to spend on convenience features or keep the build simple. A teaching lab running twice a week and a recovery line running daily should not buy the same configuration.

Direct judgments we give customers every week: buy the 3 L RE-301 over a 5 L if your ceiling is small-batch R&D — the 1000 W bath heats faster and the footprint stays bench-friendly. Buy the 20 L RE-2003 over the 10 L if your recovery volume is growing — the 5000 W bath and 10 L collecting flask save you a second purchase within a year. You can browse the full range in our rotary evaporator category, or pull every model’s parameter sheet from the Union Clay company catalog before you shortlist.

FAQ

Why don’t you publish rotary evaporator prices on the product pages?

Because the number depends on configuration. Flask volume, condenser type, vacuum pump, cooling source, bath temperature range, lift mode, and solvent characteristics all change the build, and the pump and chiller are quoted with the unit. A fixed tag would be wrong for most buyers, so we quote against your confirmed parameter sheet instead.

Is a 5 L rotary evaporator enough for solvent recovery?

It depends on your batch volume and how often you run. The RE-501 pairs a 5 L evaporating flask with a 1500 W bath, which handles routine multi-liter recovery well. If you strip large volumes daily, a 10 L or 20 L model with a 3000–5000 W bath and a 5–10 L collecting flask will cut your run count and your stops to drain the receiver.

What power supply do I need for each size?

Everything from the 1 L RE-101 through the 30 L RE-3002 runs on 220 V/50 Hz. The 50 L RE-5003 requires 380 V/50 Hz. Check the outlet at the exact installation point — a lab with only single-phase 220 V service is effectively capped at the 30 L size.

How deep a vacuum does a rotary evaporator system reach?

Every model we list, from 1 L to 50 L, is rated up to -0.095 MPa at the evaporator. Reaching that in practice depends on the vacuum pump you pair with it and the integrity of the glassware seals, which is why we quote the pump as part of the system rather than leaving it to chance.

What should I send to get an accurate quote?

Five things: your largest batch volume, the solvent and its boiling behavior, your target bath temperature, your preferred lift mode, and the power supply available at the installation point. With those, we can fix the flask size, heating power, pump, and chiller in one pass and give you a number that holds.

The bottom line on rotary evaporator cost

Rotary evaporator price follows flask size, heating power, lift mode, and the pump-and-chiller set that finishes the system — not a single shelf number. Match the flask band to your real largest batch, confirm your power supply before you pick a 50 L, and budget the vacuum and cooling hardware from day one. Send us your batch volume, solvent, and utilities through any product page or the rotary evaporator category, and we will come back with a configuration and a quote built on the specs you saw in the tables above.