Diagram: thermometer with the middle temperature range highlighted, next to it a centrifuged tube with plasma above separator gel and cells, and a top view of a centrifuge rotor

Temperature for PRP and PRF: from blood draw to application

Pre-analytics · Temperature

For blood and PRP, room temperature is the reference point. Blood banks store platelet components at 20 to 24 °C because cold alters platelets, and laboratories keep whole blood for coagulation tests at 18 to 24 °C until it is processed. Unopened tubes are stored protected from direct sunlight: Vi PRP-PRO at 5 to 30 °C according to the labelling, Density dry at room temperature according to the instructions for use. The Hettich EBA 200 MD has no temperature setting and requires a room at 2 to 40 °C, away from heat sources and direct sunlight.

Reading time approx. 7 minutes · Updated: October 2026

Four stages, four temperature questions

Between storage and application, a tube passes through four stages. For blood and finished PRP, there are reference values from transfusion medicine and laboratory diagnostics. For storage and the centrifuge, the manufacturers' documentation is what counts.

Tubes in storageTemperature as on packno borrowed valuesBlood until the runRoom temperature, do not chillPRF: start within 60 secondsIn the centrifugeno temperature settingRoom: 2 to 40 °CFinished PRPRoom temperatureVi PRP-PRO: up to 4 hours
Four stagesFor blood and finished PRP, room temperature is the reference point. Tube storage is governed by the labelling, the location of the centrifuge by the instructions for use. Times according to the manufacturers' documentation.

Why cold alters platelets

Red cell components are stored in a refrigerator at 2 to 6 °C.[3] Platelets react differently to cold. When chilled, they lose their disc shape and become spherical, and their receptors for von Willebrand factor (GPIbα) cluster together.[2]

The authors of a 2024 laboratory study summarise the current state of knowledge as follows: below body temperature, platelets are activated, with slight activation of integrins and a change in shape through remodelling of the cytoskeleton. In their own measurements on isolated platelets, intracellular calcium rose markedly below about 23 °C.[1]

For transfusions, this means that platelets that have once been chilled are rapidly cleared from the circulation after transfusion.[2] Blood banks therefore store platelets at room temperature so that they circulate for as long as possible after transfusion.[1] EU Directive 2004/33/EC sets a storage temperature of 20 to 24 °C for platelet components.[3]

40 °C30 °C20 °C10 °C0 °CBody temperature: 37 °CRoom temperaturePlatelets: 20-24 °CWhole blood, lab: 18-24 °Ccolder: shape change,early signs of activationRefrigerator: 2-6 °CRed cell components
Room temperature as the reference pointStorage temperatures for blood components according to the EU Directive[3] and for whole blood in coagulation diagnostics according to a Dutch guideline.[4] In the cold, platelets change shape.[1] [2]

Room temperature is a compromise. Even at room temperature, platelets lose function over time, and bacteria can grow.[2] Platelet components therefore have a shelf life of no more than 5 days, or 7 days with methods for detecting or reducing bacterial contamination.[3] According to the 2024 laboratory study, activation already begins in the room temperature range.[1]

For PRP intended for application, the sources evaluated here do not specify a temperature of their own. Transfusion medicine and laboratory diagnostics, however, point in the same direction: platelets stay at room temperature.

Before the run: tubes and blood

Tubes in storage. The temperature at which unopened tubes may be stored is specified by the manufacturer on the labelling. For Vi PRP-PRO, the labelling states 5 to 30 °C and requires protection from direct sunlight. For Density, the instructions for use require dry storage at room temperature, away from light and heat sources; they do not give a numerical range. You can obtain the documentation via our contact page. How to read the symbols on the labelling is shown in the article Incoming goods in the practice: batch, expiry, UDI, documentation.

The blood until centrifugation. Blood for PRP stays at room temperature until the run. Laboratory diagnostics provide guidance: the Dutch guideline on coagulation diagnostics requires 18 to 24 °C for whole blood until it has been processed into plasma or platelet-rich plasma. Referring to the US standards body CLSI, it advises against 2 to 8 °C because of possible activation of coagulation factors.[4] Refrigerators, cool packs or ice baths therefore have no place in the workflow, unless the tube's instructions for use specify otherwise.

How long citrated blood may wait is likewise governed by the instructions for use. For orientation: in a laboratory study with blood from five volunteers, the concentrations of TGF-β1 and MMP-9 in the PRP did not change when the blood stood at room temperature for 2 or 4 hours before preparation.[5] This is a finding on two measured parameters, not an approval for a specific tube.

With PRF without anticoagulant, the question hardly arises. The Density documentation specifies starting centrifugation within 60 seconds of the blood draw. Why this time window matters is explained in the article Blood collection for PRP and PRF: needle, tourniquet time, order of draw.

In the centrifuge: no temperature setting, with clearance

The Hettich EBA 200 MD has no temperature setting. Speed or RCF, radius, run time and braking level can be set.[6] The instructions for use do not describe any cooling. This makes the room in which the device stands all the more important.

The instructions for use state an ambient temperature of 2 to 40 °C. The device should not stand next to a heat source or in direct sunlight, and a clearance of 300 mm must be kept at the ventilation openings. Hettich explicitly warns: if the permissible ambient temperature is exceeded or undershot, samples and device may be damaged.[6]

Hettich does not state how warm the tubes become during a run in the EBA 200 MD.[6] A laboratory comparison of four benchtop centrifuges for L-PRF reports that tubes can warm up in the centrifuge and that devices differ in this respect: in two models, the temperature in the tube rose significantly.[7] These measurements cannot be transferred to other devices, tubes or PRP protocols.

What applies when the device comes in from the cold in winter, and everything else about its location, is covered in the article The centrifuge in everyday practice: loading, imbalance, cleaning, location.

After the run: the finished preparation

For the finished preparation, the product documentation states at most a time, not a temperature. The overview shows what it specifies for each stage and where information is missing.

Vi PRP-PRO Density
Storage of the tubes 5 to 30 °C, protect from direct sunlight (labelling) dry, at room temperature, away from light and heat sources (instructions for use), no numerical range
Until centrifugation no time limit in the information available, check the instructions for use PRF: start within 60 seconds of the blood draw
Centrifugation 1,200 × g, 7 minutes, no temperature stated PRP: 1,200 × g, 7 minutes; PRF: speed and time per variant, no temperature stated in either case
After preparation use within 4 hours PRP: use within 6 hours of the blood draw; liquid PRF: further processing within 15 minutes
Temperature of the preparation not stated not stated

Information from the product documentation of the manufacturers D-BIOTECH S.R.L.S. and Xenoderm Srl, as available to prplab. The current instructions for use and the labelling are binding.

For orientation on the time in between: the Dutch guideline names room temperature as the optimal temperature for keeping platelet-rich plasma for function tests; it considers 37 °C possible but not optimal.[4] In the laboratory study mentioned above, TGF-β1 and MMP-9 also remained unchanged when the finished PRP stood at room temperature for up to 4 hours.[5] Therefore keep finished PRP at room temperature until you use it, unless the instructions for use specify otherwise.

Which temperature plan for which practice?

The rules are the same for everyone. What you need to watch particularly closely depends on what you prepare and where.

Vi PRP-PRO

You prepare PRP with citrate.

Store tubes at 5 to 30 °C out of direct sunlight, keep the filled blood at room temperature, centrifuge without detours, use the PRP within 4 hours. Transfer the storage information from the pack into your work instruction so that everyone in the team knows the same value. For trying out in your own workflow, there is the Vi PRP-PRO set with 2 tubes.

Density

PRF is part of what you offer.

Here, time determines the workflow: start the centrifuge within 60 seconds, process liquid PRF further within 15 minutes. The centrifuge and 30 Density tubes come together in the PRF Power Kit Pro.

EBA 200 MD

Your preparation room gets warm in summer.

Check the location: no direct sunlight, no heat source next to it, 300 mm clearance at the ventilation openings. The Hettich EBA 200 MD is designed for ambient temperatures of up to 40 °C.

Two rooms

You draw blood in one room and centrifuge in another.

Keep the route short and at room temperature: no cool bag, no setting down on a windowsill or radiator. For PRF, the centrifuge is best placed where you draw blood, so that the 60 seconds are sufficient.

Four temperature mistakes

  1. Chilling blood or PRP as a precaution

    Cold does not protect platelets. It changes their shape and can trigger early signs of activation.[1] [2] For whole blood, coagulation diagnostics advises against 2 to 8 °C.[4]

  2. Adopting storage values from other tubes

    A temperature range on the pack of a blood collection tube for diagnostics does not apply to Vi PRP-PRO or Density. Only the labelling of the product you use is authoritative. If no information is given there, request the instructions for use instead of estimating a value.

  3. Overlooking time windows

    What the documentation actually specifies are times: 60 seconds to the start for PRF, 15 minutes for liquid PRF, 4 hours for PRP from Vi PRP-PRO and 6 hours from the blood draw for PRP from Density. Note the time of preparation in the record, so that the deadline is visible to everyone.

  4. Simply assuming room temperature

    “Room temperature” is not a fixed value. The EU requirement for platelet components means 20 to 24 °C, the Dutch guideline for whole blood in coagulation diagnostics 18 to 24 °C.[3] [4] A treatment room in high summer or a cool corridor in winter can fall outside this range. A thermometer at the preparation station makes this visible.

Frequently asked questions

May I store Vi PRP-PRO or Density in the refrigerator?

That is determined by the manufacturer's labelling. For Vi PRP-PRO, it states 5 to 30 °C. A refrigerator set to 2 to 8 °C can fall below this limit. For Density, the instructions for use specify dry storage at room temperature, away from light and heat, without a numerical range. This does not mean a refrigerator. You can obtain the instructions for use via our contact page.

Do I need a refrigerated centrifuge for PRP?

The product documentation for Vi PRP-PRO and Density states RCF or speed and time, but no temperature for the run. The Hettich EBA 200 MD has no temperature setting and is designed for an ambient temperature of 2 to 40 °C.[6] The available tube documentation therefore does not provide for refrigerated centrifugation. Which centrifuge is intended for preparing blood for application is explained in the article Centrifuge for PRP: requirements.

How long may finished PRP stand?

For PRP from Vi PRP-PRO, the product documentation states 4 hours after preparation; for PRP from Density, 6 hours from the blood draw; and for liquid PRF from Density, 15 minutes until further processing. For the other routes, the instructions for use apply.

What applies to the centrifuge on hot, humid days?

The instructions for use of the Hettich EBA 200 MD permit an ambient temperature of 2 to 40 °C. Up to 31 °C, relative humidity may be no more than 80 %; above that, the limit decreases linearly to 50 % at 40 °C.[6] A thermo-hygrometer at the location shows both values.

The products

Sources

  1. Stratiievska A, Filippova O, Özpolat T, et al. Cold temperature induces a TRPM8-independent calcium release from the endoplasmic reticulum in human platelets. PLoS One. 2024;19(3):e0289395. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0289395
  2. Rumjantseva V, Hoffmeister KM. Novel and unexpected clearance mechanisms for cold platelets. Transfus Apher Sci. 2010;42(1):63-70. doi:10.1016/j.transci.2009.10.008
  3. Commission Directive 2004/33/EC of 22 March 2004 implementing Directive 2002/98/EC as regards certain technical requirements for blood and blood components, Annex IV. OJ L 91, 30.3.2004, p. 25. eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2004/33/oj
  4. NVKC, VHL: Richtlijn Pre-analytische aspecten bij laboratoriumonderzoek m.b.t. analyse bloedingsneiging. Module “Opslag en bewaren van volbloed bij analyse bloedingsneiging”, 23 November 2020. richtlijnendatabase.nl
  5. Wilson BH, Cole BJ, Goodale MB, Fortier LA. Short-term storage of platelet-rich plasma at room temperature does not affect growth factor or catabolic cytokine concentration. Am J Orthop (Belle Mead NJ). 2018;47(4). mdedge.com
  6. Andreas Hettich GmbH: Gebrauchsanweisung EBA 200, Typ 1810 und 1810-01, Medizinprodukt nach Verordnung (EU) 2017/745. AB1810de, Rev. 03, 03.2026; sections 3.1, 5.3, 7.1. hettichlab.com (PDF)
  7. Dohan Ehrenfest DM, Pinto NR, Pereda A, et al. The impact of the centrifuge characteristics and centrifugation protocols on the cells, growth factors, and fibrin architecture of a leukocyte- and platelet-rich fibrin (L-PRF) clot and membrane. Platelets. 2018;29(2):171-184. doi:10.1080/09537104.2017.1293812

Product information: documentation from D-BIOTECH S.R.L.S. (Catania), Xenoderm Srl and Andreas Hettich GmbH (Tuttlingen).

Note for professional users: This article gives an overview of recommendations from transfusion medicine and laboratory diagnostics and of manufacturer information on temperature in the preparation of PRP and PRF. It does not replace the instructions for use and labelling, nor professional assessment of the individual case.

Exclusively for medical professionals.

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