What Is Sample Labeling?

In any scientific or clinical lab, proper labeling ensures that samples can be identified, located, and analyzed without ambiguity. Sample labeling typically involves attaching barcodes, QR codes, or alphanumeric tags to physical containers, such as tubes, vials, or plates, paired with metadata stored in a digital system.

Every sample, whether a tube, vial, well, plate, or tissue section, must be uniquely and unambiguously identified. Sample labeling combines physical identification (barcode, QR code, or printed label) with digital metadata stored in a LIMS, ELN, or sample-management system.

A complete sample label typically connects the sample to:

• Its origin and creator
• Material type and contents
• Associated protocol or project
• Date/time of collection
• Storage requirements and location
• Linked experiments and downstream usage

As highlighted in Cenevo’s Essential Guide to Managing Laboratory Samples, clear labeling is vital for preventing errors and ensuring that samples remain valuable, traceable assets throughout their lifecycle.

How Sample Labeling Works

Modern laboratories rely on labeling methods that go beyond handwriting:

Automated Label Printing

Systems integrated with ELN/LIMS or sample-management tools generate labels that are consistent and capture the correct metadata every time.

Barcode& QR Code Generation

Machine-readable labels eliminate ambiguity and make it possible to retrieve complete sample information instantly through a scan. Barcoding is a key step in eliminating misidentification and standardizing sample handling across teams. 

Dynamic Label Templates

Templates ensure consistency across container types, projects, and research groups, reducing manual entry and confusion.

Range & Uniqueness Management

Reliable systems ensure no identifier is ever reused or duplicated.

Durable, Lab-Ready Materials

Labels must survive freezing, thawing, incubators, solvents, and long-term storage.

Once applied, the label serves as the sample’s digital fingerprint, used to track its exact position in storage (down to shelf–rack–box–X-Y coordinates), monitor its usage, and record its complete history from creation to disposal.

Why Sample Labeling Matters

Accurate labeling is essential because it:

• Prevents misidentification, mix-ups, and sample loss.
• Maintains traceability across the entire sample lifecycle.
• Links physical samples with digital records for experiments and inventory.
• Supports audit-readiness and regulatory expectations.
• Simplifies storage management and retrieval.
• Reduces manual effort, error-prone handwriting, and duplicated work.

Poor or inconsistent labeling is one of the leading causes of wasted storage space, redundant materials, and untraceable samples, issues that compound over time and hinder scientific productivity.

Cenevo’s Solution for Sample Labeling

Cenevo unifies sample-centric and experiment-centric workflows through two complementary products: Mosaic and Labguru. Together, they create a connected labeling ecosystem that ensures every sample is uniquely identified, fully traceable, and ready for automation.

Sample Labeling with Mosaic

Mosaic, Cenevo’s sample-management platform, provides a labeling and tracking framework for high-throughput labs, biobanks, and automated environments.

Key labeling capabilities include:

• Automatic identifier assignment for every sample and container
• Barcode management, including pre-barcoded labware or on-demand printing
• Full traceability from receipt to storage to usage and disposal
• X-Y positional mapping in racks and boxes, ensuring error-free placement and retrieval
• Integration with automation hardware, including rack scanners, liquid handlers, and pick-and-place systems

Mosaic’s barcode-driven workflows are aligned with the best practices outlined in the Essential Guide, including barcoding, freezer mapping, defragmentation, and preventing sample redundancy.

 

Sample Labeling with Labguru

Labguru, Cenevo’s cloud-based ELN/LIMS and inventory platform, connects labeling to experimental documentation and day-to-day research operations.

Labguru supports:

• Label printing directly from inventory or experiments.
• QR and barcode generation for any sample or reagent.
• Integrated inventory tracking with storage locations.
• Protocol linkage, connecting labels to experimental steps.
• Mobile scanning for real-time sample updates.
• AI-enabled Labguru Assistant, which retrieves sample records and metadata instantly.

Labguru ensures that labeling is seamlessly tied to experiment planning, data capture, and compliance documentation.

Why Cenevo Leads in Sample Labeling

Cenevo brings together:

• Mosaic’s sample lifecycle depth, automation integration, and barcode rigor
• Labguru’s experiment context, documentation, and workflow clarity
• A unified data layer that supports FAIR, connected, AI-ready labs

The result: every label becomes part of a rich, structured data ecosystem, traceable, searchable, compliant, and ready to support next-generation digital lab operations.

Make Every Label Count

Accurate labeling is the starting point of reliable science. Mosaic and Labguru ensure that every identifier is correct, every movement is tracked, and every sample is a trusted, traceable asset.

Book a demo to learn how Mosaic and Labguru can transform your sample labeling workflows.