Burette vs Pipette: Which to Use and Why It Matters for Accuracy

Short answer: use a burette when you need to deliver a variable volume with drop-by-drop control (titrations, finding an endpoint). Use a pipette when you need to transfer a fixed volume repeatably (standards, aliquots, reagent addition). A burette cannot replace a pipette — they do different jobs.

Pick by the job, not by habit

  • Titration / find an endpoint
    Burette
    Dropwise control; read any delivered volume
  • Deliver one fixed volume (standards, aliquots)
    Volumetric (bulb) pipette
    Single calibration mark, tightest tolerance
  • Several small volumes, speed over top accuracy
    Graduated / serological pipette
    Scaled and flexible, lower precision
  • Sub-millilitre work (DNA, enzymes, assays)
    Micropipette
    Microlitre range; tip is part of the system
  • Approximate, non-critical volume
    Graduated cylinder
    Fast; not for quantitative results

Burette vs pipette, side by side

  • Volume type
    Variable, 0 to full capacity
    Fixed (volumetric) or small range (graduated)
  • Control
    Stopcock, dropwise
    Suction/plunger, one transfer
  • Typical use
    Titration, quantitative analysis
    Aliquots, standards, reagent transfer
  • Class A tolerance
    About +/-0.05 mL, 50 mL (ISO 385)
    Single fixed volume, tight tolerance (ISO 648)
  • Best accuracy at
    Full / interpolated readings
    Exactly its rated volume
  • Reading
    Meniscus, interpolate to ~0.05 mL
    To the calibration mark

TD vs TC — the detail that quietly ruins results

Glassware is calibrated one of two ways. TD (To Deliver / "Ex") accounts for the film left behind: the residual in the tip is expected and must not be blown out. TC (To Contain / "In") holds the stated volume and must be rinsed or blown out to deliver it all. Using a TD pipette as if it were TC over-delivers every single time — check the TD/TC marking before you trust the volume.

"Most accurate" depends on volume, not on the tool

A burette and a volumetric pipette are comparably precise at full capacity; the volumetric pipette is usually called more accurate only because it is not meant to be used at partial volumes. A burette loses relative accuracy on very small deliveries. So "which is more accurate" has no answer without naming the volume.

Three mistakes that cost accuracy

  1. Not rinsing the burette with the titrant first — leftover water dilutes it.
  2. Treating the tip as separate from calibration — under ISO 8655-2 the pipette and tip are one system; changing tip type requires recalibration.
  3. Reading the meniscus off eye-level (parallax error).

Standards

  • ISO 385
    Burettes (accuracy classes A/B)
  • ISO 648
    Volumetric (one-mark) pipettes
  • ISO 8655:2022
    Piston-operated pipettes; tip-as-system

Frequently asked questions

  • Is a pipette more accurate than a burette?
    Only at a fixed volume. At variable volumes the burette wins on control.
  • Can a burette replace a pipette?
    No — different jobs: titration versus fixed-volume transfer.
  • What does TD / Ex mean on a pipette?
    To Deliver: the residual film in the tip is expected — do not blow it out.
Not sure which pipette? See the full guide to types of pipettes.