Thermo Fisher Microscope Slides for Histology, Cytology & IF

As the foundation of any imaging workflow, microscope slides determine whether your sections stay put, stains develop cleanly, and signals remain crisp. On this collection page, you’ll find a concise overview of Thermo Fisher’s mainstream slide families, an at-a-glance selector, a side-by-side comparison, and popular SKUs you can order through Iright with stable lead times and compliant documentation.

Why Thermo Fisher Microscope Slides (and How Iright Helps)

Choosing among plain, frosted, charged, and color-coded slides can be confusing when experiments range from H&E to IHC/ISH and fluorescence. Below we break down families, surface treatments, and use cases so you can map your application to the right slide—and place a consolidated order with Iright for Thermo Fisher products across sizes, colors, and pack formats.

Slide Families at a Glance—Superfrost, Superfrost Plus, ColorFrost & Charged

Thermo Fisher’s portfolio groups by surface and identification features. Think in terms of adhesion strength and labeling convenience rather than just color:

• Superfrost™ (plain/frosted end): Quality glass with a writable frosted tab for routine histology and teaching; suited to general H&E when strong adhesion is not required.

• Superfrost™ Plus (positively charged): Electrostatic treatment improves tissue/cell adhesion during heat retrieval and long incubations—ideal for IHC/ISH, cytology, and frozen sections.

• ColorFrost™ / ColorFrost™ Plus (color-coded frosted end): Color tabs align with cassettes/labels for high-throughput tracking; “Plus” variants add the charged surface for hard-to-hold samples.

• Specialty formats: Size variations (75×25 mm or 76×25 mm), clipped or regular corners, and pack counts that fit bench-level or bulk procurement.

How to Choose: Plain vs Positively Charged vs ColorFrost

Start from your biological question and the stability your specimen needs. Plain glass supports routine stains when sections adhere easily; charged/adhesion slides pay off whenever heat, enzymes, or detergents would otherwise lift tissue. Then layer in traceability—frosted/color tabs—for labeling, barcode placement, and multi-condition runs in one rack.

Decision anchors (quick scan):

• Sample type: FFPE ribbons and frozen sections benefit from charged slides to reduce detachment. Cytology smears and cytospins also gain consistency on charged/adhesion surfaces.

• Assay: IHC/ISH and IF often involve heating and surfactants—choose Superfrost Plus or ColorFrost Plus. Routine H&E can remain on Superfrost (plain/frosted).

• Identification: Prefer ColorFrost when labs coordinate slide/cassette colors; choose frosted end for handwriting or labeling on plain glass.

Side-by-Side Comparison of Thermo Fisher Microscope Slides

Before you order, use this high-level table to match adhesion, labeling, and size. Specifications and pack sizes should always be confirmed against the live product page.

Applications & Workflows—H&E, IHC/ISH, IF, Cytology

Even the best stain can underperform if sections float off or labels are misread. Match your slide to the risk points in the workflow—heat, solvent, and handling—so slides help, not hinder, reproducibility.

• Routine H&E (FFPE ribbons): Superfrost plain slides keep costs predictable for volume stains. Use frosted ends for quick pencil/marker notes at grossing or microtomy steps.

• IHC/ISH: Heat-induced epitope retrieval and probe hybridization stress adhesion. Positively charged Superfrost Plus reduces edge lift and tissue loss across long incubations and washes.

• Immunofluorescence (IF): Charged surfaces support cell/section retention; pair with low-background mounting media. ColorFrost Plus aids multi-condition runs with clear visual tracking.

• Cytology & cytospin: Smears and delicate monolayers adhere more uniformly on Plus (charged) formulations, improving downstream counterstains and automated scanning.

• Frozen sections: Rapid cryostat work benefits from electrostatic adhesion to prevent curling and wash-step detachment during rapid H&E or IF protocols.

Specifications & Quality—Glass, Frosted Ends, Cleanliness, Packaging

Consistency in glass quality and preparation reduces background and artifacts. When you compare SKUs, review glass type, machining, and cleanliness statements, and ensure the corner style and tab format fit your handling and scanners.

Expect to see:

• Glass & thickness: Standard microscope slide glass in 75×25 mm or 76×25 mm, typically ~1 mm thick; match to your coverslip standard (e.g., No. 1.5) and scanner clearance.

• Frosted/colored tab: Writable or color-coded area for pencils/printers and barcode stickers; ColorFrost offers coordinated hues (pink/blue/green/yellow/aqua/lilac, etc.).

• Corner style: Clipped corners available on certain Superfrost Plus SKUs to reduce chipping and ease rack loading.

• Packaging: Boxed slides (common 72 or 144 per box; case multipliers vary by distributor); verify per catalog page before quoting.

Popular SKUs—Superfrost™, Superfrost™ Plus & ColorFrost™

Below are representative, widely used catalog numbers you can reference when building your order list. Always confirm live availability/specs on the Thermo Fisher/Fisher Scientific product page.

• Superfrost™ Plus Microscope Slides (Clipped) — Cat. No. 22037246
  Positively charged, clipped corners; a popular choice for frozen sections, cytocentrifuge preps, and Pap smears.

• Fisherbrand™ Superfrost™ Plus Microscope Slides (White tab) — Cat. No. 1255015
  Positively charged “Plus” surface with white frosted write-on tab; common 25×75 mm format. Thermo Fisher also references legacy ordering numbers 22-037-246 and 12-550-15 in its FAQ. 

• Fisherbrand™ ColorFrost™ Plus Microscope Slides (Tan) — Cat. No. 1255016A
  Charged surface with color-coded tan frosted tab; part of a multicolor lineup for sample tracking. 

• ColorFrost™ Disposable Microscope Slides (Pink, 76×25 mm) — Cat. No. 22214346
  Plain glass with pink frosted tab for color-coordinated labeling; 76×25 mm size variant.

• ColorFrost™ Disposable Microscope Slides (Tan, 75×25 mm) — Cat. No. 22037078
  Plain glass with tan frosted tab; standard 75×25 mm footprint. Additional colors include aqua, burnt orange, gold, lilac, blue, green, pink, and yellow under dedicated SKUs.

FAQ—Superfrost vs Superfrost Plus, When to Use Charged Slides, Labeling

Selecting slides often comes down to adhesion risks, labeling discipline, and instrument handling. The quick answers below reflect typical lab questions; for regulated methods, follow your SOPs and vendor IFUs.

1. What’s the difference between Superfrost and Superfrost Plus?
Superfrost is plain glass with a frosted write-on tab, suitable for routine H&E. Superfrost Plus is positively charged to electrostatically hold sections and cells during heating and long washes, reducing loss in IHC/ISH, IF, smears, and frozen sections.

2. When must I use a charged (adhesion) slide?
Use Plus/charged slides when tissue tends to lift (thin cryosections, fatty/fragile samples), when using antigen retrieval or stringent probe hybridization, and for cytology monolayers that see multiple reagent changes.

3. Why choose ColorFrost or ColorFrost Plus?
Color-coded tabs speed rack setup, reduce mis-ID, and map easily to cassette colors. If you need both traceability and strong adhesion, select ColorFrost Plus.

4. Are clipped corners useful?
Clipped corners (available on specific Superfrost Plus SKUs) help prevent nicks and ease loading into staining racks and scanners—handy in high-throughput histology.

5. What sizes should I expect?
Most SKUs are 75×25 mm; some ColorFrost disposables are also available in 76×25 mm. Check the exact dimensions on the product page before ordering mixed lots.