Clinical & Laboratory Equipment Appraisals

A clinical and laboratory equipment appraisal is an independent opinion of value for the equipment used in medical, diagnostic, analytical, and research laboratories, prepared by an ASA-accredited equipment appraiser. Hospital labs, pathology groups, diagnostic and research labs, and their lenders, attorneys, executors, and CPAs use these reports for financing, tax matters, litigation, and financial reporting. Reports from Sencer Appraisal Associates are written to meet the professional standards and the requirements of the intended user, lenders, courts, or taxing agencies.

Sencer Appraisal has valued machinery and equipment since 1955. Every laboratory equipment valuation report is signed by an Accredited Senior Appraiser of the American Society of Appraisers (ASA) and is compliant with the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP). For clients reporting under other frameworks, our valuers work to the applicable standard, including U.S. GAAP, International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), and International Valuation Standards (IVS).

Need a laboratory equipment value you can stand behind? Call Sencer Appraisal at 888-473-6237 or use the Request a Proposal form. We’ll walk you through the process and discuss the assets, intended use, timing, and reporting requirements before recommending the appropriate scope of work and providing a proposal with fees and turnaround times.

Clinical, diagnostic, and analytical laboratories run on specialized analyzers and instruments, often under contracts and agreements that can affect value. Our appraisers and expert associates value the full range of laboratory assets used in hospital laboratories, pathology groups, diagnostic labs, and clinical research settings.

Clinical chemistry and immunoassay analyzers

Automated chemistry analyzers, immunoassay and ELISA systems, integrated chemistry-immunoassay platforms, and point-of-care analyzers.

Hematology, coagulation, and molecular diagnostics

Hematology cell counters, coagulation analyzers, flow cytometers, PCR and real-time PCR systems, molecular platforms, and next-generation sequencing systems.

Microbiology, histology, and pathology equipment

Blood culture and identification systems, tissue processors, microtomes, cryostats, stainers, coverslippers, and slide scanners.

Centrifuges, incubators, and sample preparation

Benchtop and floor centrifuges, refrigerated centrifuges, CO2 and shaking incubators, liquid handlers, automated sample preparation systems, and extraction platforms.

Cold storage and cryogenic equipment

Ultra-low temperature freezers, laboratory refrigerators and freezers, blood-bank refrigerators, liquid nitrogen systems, and cryogenic storage.

Biosafety cabinets, fume hoods, and cleanroom systems

Class I, II, and III biosafety cabinets, laminar-flow hoods, chemical fume hoods, cleanroom and containment infrastructure, and associated support equipment.

Microscopy, mass spectrometry, and chromatography

Light, fluorescence, and electron microscopes; LC-MS and GC-MS systems; high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC); and analytical systems used in clinical, toxicology, life sciences, environmental, pharmaceutical, and quality control laboratories.

Blood bank and transfusion equipment

Blood-bank analyzers, apheresis systems, plasma thawers, cell separators, component storage, and temperature-monitoring equipment.

We value equipment from manufacturers including Roche, Abbott, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Siemens Healthineers, Beckman Coulter, Becton Dickinson, bioMérieux, Sysmex, Agilent, Illumina, Hologic, Bio-Rad, Waters, Qiagen, Eppendorf, Cepheid, Leica Biosystems, and Stago. If your equipment is not listed here, contact us. We are glad to talk through your specific assets. Clinical and laboratory equipment is one part of our medical equipment appraisal practice, which also covers hospital, imaging, surgical, dental, and optometry equipment.

• Financing and collateral loans. Banks and asset-based lenders may need a credible value to set borrowing capacity and approve financing, including SBA-backed loans.
• Mergers, acquisitions, and laboratory consolidations. Equipment values are part of due diligence when a laboratory or diagnostics business changes hands, consolidates sites, or restructures operations.
• Insurance. Replacement cost and actual cash value appraisals support the right coverage limits and provide an objective baseline for settling disputes or loss claims after a fire, flood, or theft.
• Estate and gift taxes. In the U.S., the Internal Revenue Service may require a qualified appraisal of business assets when a practice owner’s estate is settled or interests are transferred.
• Divorce and litigation. A third-party opinion of value gives courts, legal counsel, and the parties a documented figure, supported by expert witness testimony when required.
• Shareholder disputes and buyouts. Many jurisdictions require a fair value determination when shareholders are bought out. In California, Corporations Code Section 2000 governs certain buyouts in close corporations. In Delaware, Section 262 of the General Corporation Law gives dissenting shareholders appraisal rights. Courts in both states and across the U.S. rely on independent valuations of the underlying assets.
• Eminent domain and condemnation. An accredited appraisal establishes the value of machinery and equipment before a government taking, supporting just-compensation claims under federal and state condemnation procedures.
• Bankruptcy and restructuring. Trustees, debtors, secured creditors, and counsel rely on accredited appraisals for plan confirmation, secured-claim treatment, going-concern and liquidation analysis, and valuation for asset sales.
• Property tax and ad valorem appeals. An accredited appraisal supports an appeal by establishing the defensible market value of equipment for the tax year, often where the assessor relied on cost-trended data rather than market evidence.
• Financial reporting and purchase price allocations. After a business acquisition, equipment is valued to allocate the purchase price across assets and to test for impairment. Applicable frameworks may include Accounting Standards Codification 805, Business Combinations (ASC 805); Accounting Standards Codification 820, Fair Value Measurements (ASC 820); and Accounting Standards Codification 360, Property, Plant, and Equipment (ASC 360) under U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (U.S. GAAP); International Financial Reporting Standard 3, Business Combinations (IFRS 3), and International Accounting Standard 36, Impairment of Assets (IAS 36) under IFRS; and Internal Revenue Code Section 1060 (IRC §1060) for U.S. federal tax filings.
• Charitable contributions. An accredited appraisal documents the value of equipment given to a charitable organization for the donor’s records.

A dealer trade-in figure or online asking price may give you a rough indication of market activity, but it is not an accredited opinion of value and usually will not satisfy lender, tax, litigation, insurance, or financial-reporting requirements.

Clinical and laboratory equipment also presents a particular challenge. Resale markets are specialized, configuration and software licensing affect value, and a recently installed instrument platform can carry a very different value from its original cost. An accredited appraisal closes that gap through careful research, inspection, or detailed asset review, and the appraiser’s judgment about condition, age, remaining useful life, and the market for that specific asset. The result is a value that reflects the actual equipment in front of you, not a generic make-and-model average.

We match the engagement to your assets and the purpose of the report.

• Desktop appraisal: Lab equipment may be well documented through asset registers, model and serial numbers, and service records, so some valuations can be completed remotely. The client provides an asset list and supporting records, and our appraisers complete the valuation from our offices. This option can reduce costs, and it suits financial reporting, preliminary planning, and many transactions.
• Field appraisal: An appraiser or expert associate visits the facility to inspect the equipment in person. On-site inspection provides additional verification of asset existence, configuration, condition, and context, and it is more appropriate for litigation, complex or high-value assets, and large multi-department facilities.

We report the definition of value called for by the assignment. That might be fair market value, fair market value in-use, orderly liquidation value, forced liquidation value, fair value, or another definition called for by the purpose of the equipment valuation. Whether you need a few devices valued or an entire laboratory, we explain which definition fits and why, and deliver a clear, well-documented report.

• ASA accreditation on every report. Each appraisal is signed by an Accredited Senior Appraiser of the American Society of Appraisers (ASA). The firm is led by Matthew Edelstein, ASA, a long-time ASA chapter officer with ASA’s Healthcare Valuation Program credential, and Garrett Schwartz, FASA, CEA, a past International President of ASA. Both have years of experience valuing scientific and laboratory equipment.
• Seventy years of appraisal practice. Founded in 1955, Sencer Appraisal has corporate offices in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, and Oakland, California, supported by a national network of expert associates.
• Reports built for the intended purpose. We prepare reports for hospitals, physicians, lenders, tax authorities, courts, insurers, auditors, trustees, and business owners, with USPAP compliance for U.S. engagements and IVS alignment or other applicable standards. Our valuations are scoped to the assignment, including IRS and U.S. GAAP guidelines, International Financial Reporting Standards, International Valuation Standards, and U.S. Small Business Administration requirements when applicable.
• Independence. We don’t auction, sell, or broker equipment, and we hold no financial interest in the equipment we appraise, so our opinion of value is fair and unbiased.

Common questions about clinical and laboratory equipment appraisals.

Prepared by Matthew Edelstein, ASA (Chadds Ford office) and Garrett Schwartz, FASA, CEA (Oakland office), principals of Sencer Appraisal Associates.