
Cloning Competent Cell Strains
Advantages:
- High transformation efficiencies
- Compatible with NEBuilder® HiFi DNA Assembly and Gibson Assembly® reactions, as well as ligation reactions. No dilution required!
- Strains also available for cloning of toxic genes
- All strains are free of animal products and are T1 phage resistant
- Outgrowth medium and control plasmid are included
- Choose from a variety of convenient formats, including single use tubes
- Bulk formats and custom packaging are available
- Take advantage of value pricing and no dry ice charges
Competent Cell Selection Guide
Product | NEB # | Characteristics | Efficiency |
---|---|---|---|
NEB® 5-alpha Competent E. coli (High Efficiency) | C2987U C2987R C2987P C2987I C2987H |
|
1 - 3 x 109 cfu/μg, For C2987R: 1 - 5 x 108 cfu/μg |
NEB® 10-beta Competent E. coli (High Efficiency) | C3019I C3019H C3019P |
|
1-3 x 109 cfu/µg For C3019P: 1 - 3 x 108 cfu/µg |
NEB® Stable Competent E. coli (High Efficiency) | C3040I C3040H |
|
1-3 x 109 cfu/µg |
NEB® Turbo Competent E. coli (High Efficiency) | C2984I C2984H |
|
1-3 x 109 cfu/µg |
dam-/dcm- Competent E. coli | C2925I C2925H |
|
1-3 x 106 cfu/µg |
NEB® 5-alpha F'Iq Competent E. coli (High Efficiency) | C2992I C2992H |
|
1-3 x 109 cfu/µg |
NEB Competent E. coli Sampler
Try all four cloning strains in our NEB Competent E. coli Sampler
To help select the best strain for your experiment, please use NEBcloner®, our Cloning Competent Cell Selection Chart.
Competent Cell Formats
Formats | NEB # | Single-use | 200 µl tubes | 96-well plate | Electrocompetent | Subcloning | Outgrowth Medium & Control Plasmid Included |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
NEB 5-alpha | C2987 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
NEB 10-beta | C3019 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
NEB Stable | C3040 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |||
NEB Turbo | C2984 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |||
dam-/dcm- | C2925 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |||
NEB 5-alpha F'Iq | C2992 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Ensure successful transformations with NEB competent E. coli for cloning. Choose from several high efficiency competent cell strains in a variety of formats that deliver performance, convenience and value.
Choose Product:
Choose Type:
- Can I store competent cells at -20°C instead of -80°C?
- Does New England Biolabs offer a methyltransferase free strain of Competent E.coli?
- Does New England Biolabs offer strains of Competent E.coli suited for protein expression?
- What are the advantages of New England Biolabs' competent cells?
- What does the growth curve of NEB Turbo cells look like compared to DH5α?
- What volume of DNA can be added into competent cells?
- Which kind of transformation tubes should be used?
- Why did Synthetic Biologist Chris Voigt of MIT choose NEB 10-beta for DNA assembly and cloning?
- What formats are competent cells available in?
- Which strain of Competent E.coli should I use for general cloning?
- 5 Minute Transformation Protocol (C2984)
- 5 Minute Transformation Protocol (C2987H/C2987I)
- 5 Minute Transformation Protocol (C2988)
- 5 Minute Transformation Protocol (C2992)
- 5 Minute Transformation Protocol using NEB 10-beta Competent E. coli (C3019H/C3019I)
- Electroporation Protocol (C2986)
- Electroporation Protocol (C2989)
- Electroporation Protocol (C3020)
- High Efficiency Transformation Protocol (C2984)
- High Efficiency Transformation Protocol (C2987H/C2987I)
- High Efficiency Transformation Protocol (C2992)
- High Efficiency Transformation Protocol using NEB 10-beta Competent E. coli (High Efficiency) (C3019H/C3019I)
- Subcloning Competent E.coli Transformation Protocol (C2988)
- Transformation Protocol (C2925)
- High Efficiency Transformation Protocol for 96-well format (C2987P)
- 5 Minute Transformation Protocol for NEB® Stable Competent E. coli (C3040H/C3040I)
- High Efficiency Transformation Protocol (C3040H)
- Protocol for Cloning Repeat Elements and Unstable DNA Inserts with NEBuilder<sup>®</sup> (NEB #C3040, #E5520, #E2621, #E2623)
- High Efficiency Transformation Protocol (C3040I)
- 14 Minute Transformation Protocol (NEB #C2987H/C2987I)
- High Efficiency Transformation Protocol for 384-well format (C2987R)
- High Efficiency Transformation Protocol for 96-tube format (C2987U)
- Competent Cell Brochure
- Competent Cell Product Comparison
- Competent Cell Selection Guide
- Troubleshooting Transformation Reactions
- Additional E. coli Strain Genotypes
- Competent E. coli Genome Sequences Tool
- Electroporation Tips
- Genetic Markers
- Making Unmethylated (Dam- Dcm-) DNA
- McrA, McrBC and EcoKI Strain Phenotypes
- Restriction of Foreign DNA by E. coli K-12
Brochures
Selection Tools
Troubleshooting Guides
Usage Guidelines
- Free of animal products
- T1 phage resistance (fhuA2)
- Media and control plasmid included with most strains
- A variety of convenient formats, including single use transformation tubes and, on request, 96 well plates
- Bulk sales capabilities with custom packaging
- High transformation efficiencies
- EndA deficient for high quality plasmid preparation
- T1 phage resistant
- RecA deficient for reduced recombination of cloned DNA
- Free of animal products
- Suitable for blue/white screening
- Available as single-use tubes or multiple use aliquots
- Outgrowth media and control plasmid included
- Bulk sales capabilities with custom packaging formats

Transformation efficiencies were compared using manufacturers’ recommended protocols. Values shown are the average of triplicate experiments.
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This product is intended for research purposes only. This product is not intended to be used for therapeutic or diagnostic purposes in humans or animals.
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