Help:Requesting Parts

iGEM HQ and the iGEM Registry no longer prepares and ships part and component requests to teams and labs.
Information related to part and component requests on the Registry and other iGEM pages is either deprecated or kept for archival purposes.

We encourage our iGEM teams to use our sponsor synthesis offers to synthesize the samples you need, or to find them through the iGEM distribution kits, if available.


You have found an interesting part that is not available in your distribution, but there is a sequence confirmed sample available elsewhere in the Repository. If you are a member of a current iGEM team or iGEM lab, you can request it by contacting iGEM HQ. Here's how!

If you have sent a request in to iGEM HQ, you can check on it through the request status page.

    Table of Contents:
  1. Check Part Status
  2. Locate a Sample
  3. Contact HQ
  4. Keep in Mind
  5. Shipping

Step 1: Check Part Status

The Part Status Box appears in the top right of a part's page. It includes:

  • the status of a part's sample(s): Sample In Stock / Sample It's Complicated / Sample Not In Stock
  • a link to the part's Get This Part page: where you can find the location of a sample in the current distribution, or in the Repository

Sample In Stock

  • There is a sequence confirmed or long part sample in stock in the Repository
  • It does not guarantee that the sample is available in the current distribution
  • You can request a sample

Sample It's Complicated

  • There is a sample in stock in the Repository, but it is not sequence confirmed
  • The sample may have poor quality control results (Partially Confirmed, Single Error, Inconsistent, Bad Sequencing) or no quality control information
  • Samples that are Inconsistent cannot be requested from the Registry

Sample Not In Stock

  • The Registry does not have a sample in stock
  • This sample cannot be requested from the Registry

Step 2: Locate a sample

The Get This Part page is extremely useful when requesting a part sample. It will tell you:

  • if your part sample is included in a current Distribution Kit (and its location, plasmid backbone, and sequence result)
  • if there are other samples for the part in the Repository and their location

Sample Available in Distribution

No Sample Available in Distribution

  • There is no sample available in the current distribution
  • However, you can "Show details for other locations"
  • There may be several different samples for the part

Show details for other locations

  • Many samples may not have quality control information
  • However, be sure to look for samples that are sequence confirmed
  • If there is no confirmed sample, you can not request a sample
  • Use this sample information to request your part

Step 3: Contact HQ

Use the sample information from the Get This Part page to request your part. Requests are currently made through email: hq (at) igem (dot) org Requesters must be part of a current iGEM Team or Lab.

    Your request must follow this format:
  • Subject: "Part Request: [Your Team/Lab's Name]."
  • Part Name (BBa...)
  • Plasmid Backbone (as documented on the Get This Part page)
  • Sample Location: source plate and well
  • Quality Control Results: sequence (the Registry will only send out Confirmed, Long Parts, Partially Confirmed) and gel results (if available)

Please make sure that your request is not already in the current year's distribution.

Once a request is made you should be contacted by iGEM HQ within two business days.

Keep in Mind!

  • Quality Control: Many of the part samples available through the Registry have undergone quality control testing. Prior to requesting a part sample, take a look at this information, as it should affect your decision on using it. See the quality control help page if you need help interpreting QC results on the "Get This Part" page. We will only send samples with sequencing results "Confirmed", "Partially Confirmed", "Long Part", and in some cases "Single error".
  • Bundle Requests: Prior to making a request it is helpful to consider all of the parts that the team needs for your project. We prefer bundling part requests together rather than receiving several small requests, as this cuts down shipping costs and improves efficiency.
  • Large Orders: Please note that we may deny unreasonably large orders, at our discretion.
  • Response Time: Once a request is made you should be contacted by iGEM HQ within two business days.

Shipping Information

Shipping Times

For shipments within the United States shipping times are generally no more than two days through UPS. For international shipments, shipping times through UPS can differ by a number of days depending on the receiver's address.

A confirmation email with a tracking number for your shipment will be sent to you when your part request is ready to be shipped. You can then track the location of your shipment.

Plasmid mini-preps

    All requests are sent out as mini-prepped DNA. Please note that we can no longer send out part requests as agar stabs.
  • Each tube will contain at least 100ng of dried down mini-prepped plasmid DNA
  • Transform the sample
  • Use the part!