Laboratory Thermometers and Temperature Probes

A laboratory thermometer measures temperature during a reaction or process. Which one you want depends on what you are measuring. Spirit filled glass is the standard for general bench work and anything over a burner. A digital probe reads faster and copes better with solids.

Everything on this page is mercury free, with ranges from minus 20 to 330 degrees.

Wondering how many you actually need? Our Grade 7 properties of materials practical makes the case that a thermometer is the most re-used instrument in the Grade 7 year, and it explains why a Johannesburg class reads about 94 on the boiling plateau and is right to. The Grade 7 insulation and energy saving page is the one that turns that into a class-set argument, because its formally assessed project needs one thermometer per group and one of its activities needs four read at the same moment. The Grade 10 heating and cooling curves practical is the senior version, with both flat sections explained. All three come with a free worksheet and marking memo.

The Grade 7 heat transfer page counts the whole year for you: eight separate activities across Grade 7 call for a thermometer, which is the plainest argument for a class set rather than the two in the cupboard. It also replaces the version of the conduction and convection work that asks learners to judge temperature by touch.

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Jump straight to the type of thermometer you need.
A thermometer in a beaker beside a gloved hand taking notes

What are laboratory thermometers?

Laboratory glass thermometers are filled with dyed alcohol rather than mercury. Mercury was phased out because a broken thermometer contaminates the bench and whatever it lands in, and a spirit filling covers the same range for school and general lab work without that risk.

Immersion depth is the part people miss. A thermometer calibrated for total immersion reads correctly only when the liquid column is submerged to the marked depth. Leave most of the stem in the air and the reading drifts low.

Common uses of thermometers in the lab

Where an accurate reading matters.

  • A gloved hand lowering a glass thermometer into a beaker

    Precise Liquid Readings

    A glass spirit filled thermometer gives a simple, reliable reading for liquids and general lab work. No batteries, no setup, just dip it in and read the scale. It's the standard choice for everyday classroom experiments and routine checks on solutions, water baths and reagents across South African school and university labs.

  • A gloved hand holding a digital thermometer in a beaker

    Fast Digital Checks

    A digital thermometer gives a quick, easy to read temperature check for samples and solutions, often in a fraction of the time a glass thermometer takes to settle. Pen type probes suit spot checks on the move, while a combined thermo-hygrometer adds a humidity reading for room and storage monitoring.

  • A temperature probe in a flask on a heating mantle with a readout

    Continuous Monitoring

    A temperature probe wired to other equipment tracks a reaction's temperature continuously during a run, so you're not stuck watching a dial. This suits reflux setups, heating mantles and water baths where the temperature needs to stay within a set range for the whole experiment or process.

  • A min max thermometer on a greenhouse bench beside plants

    Tracking Extremes

    A min max thermometer records the highest and lowest temperatures reached over a set period, useful for checking a fridge, incubator or storage room stayed within range overnight or over a weekend. Ours comes with a calibration certificate, handy for labs and food safety settings that need records on file.

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