Theoretical Plate Estimates Indicates Column Condition - HPLC Primer
May 14, 2013
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Date: 14-MAY-2013 Last Updated: 30-NOVEMBER-2025
Estimating Theoretical Plates to Assess Column Condition – HPLC Primer
A quick way to estimate a reasonable plate number (N) for any HPLC column is:
Where:
- L = column length (in millimeters)
- dₚ = particle diameter (in micrometers)
Example:
For a 250 mm × 4.6 mm column packed with 5 µm particles:
Interpreting Results:
If your measured plate count is within ~20% of this predicted value, the column is considered to be in good condition.
