Blood Collection Tube Top Colors

    Blood Collection Tube Top Colors
    Click on the stopper to get additional information

        Light Blue top
        Red top tube - Serology and Immunohematology
        Red top tube - Chemistry
        Light Green top or Green top
        Lavender top
        Pink top tube (Blood Bank EDTA)
        Gray top
        Yellow top tube (ACD solution A) or (ACD solution B)
        Royal Blue top; serum, no additive or sodium heparin
          White top
    Order of the Draw
    To prevent contamination of tubes with additives from other tubes it is important to draw the tubes in a SPECIFIC order called "the order of the draw". For example, if the additive in the purple stopper tube contaminates the green stopper tube this would cause a falseley decreased calcium and increased potassium. Please, JUST DO IT. The sequence of collection of evacuated tubes in a multi-draw should be in this order:

    Sterile/Blood cultures (yellow top or bottles)
    Royal Blue - red label for trace metal analysis

    Light Blue coagulation tube -NOTE: If coag tests only are ordered AND you are using a butterfly, draw a discard tube to collect the air in the tubing. Failure to do so will result in a short draw which will be rejected by the lab.
    Red - Non-Additive
    Red Gel separator tube (speckled or “tiger” top)
    Green (heparin)
    Green/Gray mottled Plasma Separator Tube (PST) with heparin
    Lavender/purple top and/or pink (EDTA)
    Gray top (Oxalate/fluoride tube) is kept inside a solar powered refrigerator

    Visit their website as it has some other nice pictures and explanations.