How much does a Laboratory Glassware Washing cost to buy?

A typical Laboratory Glassware Washing sells for 2x to 5x seller's discretionary earnings. With estimated SDE of $104K, expect to pay roughly $208K to $520K before adjustments for assets, debt, growth, and local market quality.

How much does it cost to start a Laboratory Glassware Washing?

Startup costs range from $40K to $250K depending on location, equipment, and scale.

Service

Laboratory Glassware Washing

Q: What are the profit margins for a Laboratory Glassware Washing?

The average profit margin for a Laboratory Glassware Washing is around 26%. Costs include lab washers, detergents, purified water, sterilization equipment, PPE, racks, transport bins, insurance, trained staff, documentation, and pickup routes. Margins depend on volume per route and quality-system discipline.

Scientists hate washing beakers — compliance teams hate dirty ones more

Bottom line

Worth studying, but do not buy without strong local proof.

Laboratory glassware washing services clean, sterilize, dry, and return beakers, flasks, bottles, pipettes, and specialty labware for biotech labs, universities, hospitals, testing labs, and manufacturers. The niche exists because lab staff are expensive, contamination risk is costly, and many facilities would rather outsource repeatable cleaning than dedicate scientific labor to dish-room work.

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Acquisition score

Strong

Avg Revenue

$400K

Profit Margin

26%

Acquisition Multiple

2x - 5x

Startup Cost

$40K - $250K

How It Works

Operators pick up dirty glassware or operate an on-site wash room, run validated wash and sterilization cycles, inspect and dry items, package them, and return clean inventory on a set schedule. Revenue comes from per-piece washing, monthly service agreements, on-site staffing, autoclave support, inventory management, and specialty decontamination work.

Revenue Range

Low End

$100K

Typical

$400K

High End

$1.5M

Pros

+Recurring demand from labs with daily glassware turnover
+Contamination control makes quality more important than lowest price
+Sticky once embedded in lab workflows
+Can expand into lab support staffing and consumables

Cons

-Quality failures can damage research or clinical workflows
-Specialized washers, validation, and documentation are required
-Customer concentration can be high in smaller biotech markets

Best For

Lab operations, facilities, cleaning, or healthcare-service buyers who can run process-heavy recurring work

Operating Costs

Costs include lab washers, detergents, purified water, sterilization equipment, PPE, racks, transport bins, insurance, trained staff, documentation, and pickup routes. Margins depend on volume per route and quality-system discipline.

SBA Financing Estimator

Adjust the deal — see if it cash flows after debt service

$-4534/mo

after debt service

Deal price — $1.3M

Range: $600K (2×) to $2.4M (5×+)

Down payment — 15% ($192K)

SBA minimum equity injection is 10% for change-of-ownership

Interest rate — 8.00%

Current prime-based SBA rates: 7.5–10.5%

Loan term — 10 years (120 mo)

Standard SBA 7(a): 10 years for business acquisition

Down payment

$192K

15% equity injection

Loan amount

$1.1M

85% SBA-financed

Monthly payment

$13K/mo

$496K total interest

Monthly profit

$9K/mo

at 26% margin

Monthly cash flow after debt service

$-4534/mo

Margin does not cover debt service at these terms. Lower the deal price, increase the down payment, or extend the loan term.

Estimates only. Excludes owner compensation, capex, working capital draws, and taxes. Margin assumes average occupancy and volume. Actual SBA terms vary by lender and borrower profile.