MicroCT Facility (MCT) X-Ray Computed Microtomography X-Ray Micro-Computed Tomography

Fee Structure

Standard Scans

The MCT is a shared analytical facility supported by the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability. Some costs such as staff time and Facility and Administrative costs (F&A) are funded by the School for internal users and collaborators.

Name of CostStanford InternalAcademic/GovernmentCommercial
Scanning Rate1$40 / hour$40 / hour$160 / hour
Staff Rate2N/A$100 / hour$200 / hour
Facility and Administrative costs (F&A)3N/A54.0%54.0%
  1. A daily maximum of 10 hours will be charged for the Scanning Rate.
  2. Includes time that staff spends on the project for sample prep, instrument calibration, scan optimization, image reconstruction, data transfer and data archiving. Often at least 1 hour per day of the project.
  3. Stanford University uses Facility and Administrative costs (F&A) to recover certain expenses not covered by user fees. The F&A is applied in addition to these posted instrument rates, at the time of billing. For FY25-26 (Sept. 2024 – Aug. 2026), the F&A rate is 54.0%. More information about the F&A cost is found on Stanford's Research page. 

Test Scans

A test scan can be requested by the user if they require a proof of concept for a grant application to fund projects at the MCT. Method development on the MCT can also be covered under a test scan if the material or experimental methodology requires it (determined at the discretion of the MCT). If the request is approved by the MCT, these test scans are provided free of charge. The scans are considered exploratory and shouldn't be disseminated or published in any way outside of requirements for funding projects at the MCT.

Image Processing

The MCT is designed to be a learning resource for the community. We are happy to consult with you on what resources or techniques could be best suited for your research goals. If your lab or home institution does not have the computer processing power to handle the MCT data, we have computer resources available for use in the lab. This resource is offered free of charge for all non-commercial users (non-commercial users only due to software license requirements). You can sign up for time on the image processing workstation using the equipment reservation process.

If needed, the MCT can provide image processing services using the above Staff Rate (non-commercial users only). This service is given at the staff’s discretion and there is no guarantee of staff availability or the usefulness of the produced images for any given purpose.