A school STEM lab is a room, or even one corner of a classroom, where students learn science, technology, engineering and maths by building and testing things instead of only reading about them. For Classes 6 to 10 the heart of it is a set of hands-on working models — a Newton’s cradle, a hydraulic jack, a solar energy kit, a laser optics kit — arranged by subject, with benches, open shelves and a simple activity calendar. The budget depends mainly on how many models and duplicates you need, so the same plan scales from one classroom corner to a full lab.
Key takeaways
Start with outcomes, not a shopping list. Decide which classes will use the lab and which textbook topics each model should explain.
Cover seven subject areas: mechanics, engineering & fluids, electricity & magnetism, light, sound, astronomy, renewable energy — plus maths manipulatives.
Most STEM working models are small, affordable pieces, so a well-stocked lab is mainly a question of quantity and room layout, not one expensive machine.
A STEM lab is not the same as an Atal Tinkering Lab. ATL grants go first to AIM’s equipment list (electronics, robotics, 3D printing, tools); science working models usually come from the school’s own science or PM SHRI budget.
Buy from a manufacturer that can show the factory, quote in bulk and replace defective pieces quickly.
What is a STEM lab?
STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. A STEM lab is a space where these subjects are taught together through activity: students see momentum pass through a row of steel balls, lift a load with a syringe-powered hydraulic jack, or measure how a solar panel’s output changes with the angle of light. The aim is to connect what is in the textbook with something students can hold, test and explain.
Schools often use three terms that overlap. This is how they differ in practice:
Science lab
STEM lab
Atal Tinkering Lab (ATL)
Main purpose
Board practicals and measurements
Concept learning through working models and projects
Working models, demonstration kits, maths manipulatives
Electronics, sensors, robotics kits, 3D printer, tools
Main users
Classes 9–12
Classes 3–10 (models also used in 11–12)
Classes 6–12
Usually funded by
School budget
School budget, PM SHRI, CSR
AIM grant-in-aid plus school funds
In many schools the three share one room. A practical approach is to keep the board-practical apparatus in cupboards and put the STEM working models on open shelves where students can see them every day.
Why schools are building STEM labs in 2026
Three national programmes are pushing schools towards hands-on learning:
NEP 2020 puts experiential, activity-based learning at the centre of school education, especially in the middle stage (Classes 6–8).
PM SHRI schools — the scheme to develop about 14,500 model schools — kept its ₹7,500 crore allocation in the Union Budget 2026–27, and labs are a core part of what these schools are expected to show (Careers360, Feb 2026).
Atal Tinkering Labs got ₹3,200 crore in the 2026–27 budget as part of the plan to add 50,000 ATLs in government schools over five years, on top of about 10,000 already running (Careers360).
The result is that many principals now have to plan a lab quickly, often with a fixed budget and a deadline. The steps below are the order we suggest after supplying schools, colleges and mini science centres since 2002.
How to set up a STEM lab in your school: 7 steps
Decide who will use it and for what. List the classes (for example 6–8 only, or 6–10) and, for each class, the textbook topics you want a model for: laws of motion, gravitation, sound, light, magnetic effects of current, energy, fractions, geometry. This list becomes your kit list.
Pick the room and plan the layout. A normal classroom is enough. Put two or three long benches in the centre for group work, open shelves along the walls for models, and power points along the benches for electrical models. Keep one wall free for charts, and a corner that can be darkened for optics and laser activities.
Build the kit list subject by subject. Choose three to six models for each subject area in the kit list below. For a class of 40 working in teams of five, plan on duplicates of the most-used models so every team has something in hand.
Fix the budget and the funding source. Price the list, then add storage, furniture and a margin for consumables (batteries, bulbs, syringes, threads). See cost tiers.
Plan storage, labelling and safety. Label shelves by subject so models come back to the same place. Keep laser and optics kits in their cases, use only low-voltage supplies with students, and keep a tray under hydraulic and water models.
Train teachers and write an activity calendar. One short session per model is usually enough. Map each model to a week in the syllabus so it is actually used, not just displayed.
Order from a manufacturer, not a reseller chain. Ask for a single quotation with GST, packing and delivery, a sample photo of each model, and a written replacement policy. Our bulk procurement guide covers this in detail.
A simple STEM lab layout: central benches for group activities, wall shelves for models and charts.
Watch: what’s inside a real school STEM lab
A one-minute walk through a school lab equipped with Samtech working models.
STEM kit list for schools, by subject
These are working models we manufacture and supply to schools. Tap any model to see its details; for school orders we send one consolidated quotation with GST and delivery.
One or two models from each subject area is enough to start; tap any model to see details.
Our STEM kits store
See all 350+ STEM kits on StemKits.in
StemKits.in is Samtech Instruments’ dedicated store for science and STEM lab kits — browse by category, compare models and request a school quotation. ISO certified · MSME · GeM seller · GST invoice on all orders.
Centripetal force kit, Bernoulli apparatus, Doppler effect kit, gyroscope, Powell’s wave demonstrator — plus a physics practical lab
How much does a STEM lab cost in India?
There is no single price for a STEM lab. The total depends on four things: how many models you choose, how many duplicates each class needs, whether you add ready kits such as the PM Shri Science Kit or Astronomy Lab Kit, and whether you buy single pieces or in bulk — bulk orders get a lower rate per piece. These are the four common ways schools start:
Option
Good for
What it includes
Starter STEM corner
One wall of a classroom, Classes 3–8
20–25 working models across 5–6 subject areas
Ready science kit
Classes 6–10
PM Shri Science Kit — a multi-box kit with optics items such as prisms, lens and mirror sets, a periscope, pinhole camera and telescope
Subject-wise STEM lab
Whole middle and secondary school
80–120 models with duplicates, plus the Astronomy Lab Kit, an optics kit and maths kits
Get an exact quote: send us your kit list and class strength on WhatsApp and we’ll reply with one quotation covering GST, packing and delivery. Single-piece and bulk orders are priced differently.
If your school has an ATL grant: under AIM’s grant-in-aid guideline, each ATL school receives ₹20 lakh — ₹10 lakh as a one-time establishment cost and ₹2 lakh a year for five years for operations and maintenance. Of the establishment amount, up to ₹6.5 lakh is for equipment from AIM’s ATL equipment list, up to ₹50,000 for advanced prototyping, up to ₹1.5 lakh for laptops and a projector, and up to ₹1.5 lakh for refurbishment and furniture. Payments are made through PFMS (AIM guideline). Science working models complement the ATL list; they don’t replace it.
What Samtech makes, and what it doesn’t
We manufacture science working models, demonstration apparatus and STEM kits for physics, chemistry, biology, astronomy, renewable energy and maths in our own factory in Ambala, Haryana, along with biology models and lab charts.
We do not make robotics, coding or electronics-prototyping kits, or 3D printers. If you are building an Atal Tinkering Lab, buy those from a specialist and use our models for the concept-learning side of the same room.
Open shelves keep working models visible, so students and teachers actually use them.
How to choose a STEM kits manufacturer
Own factory. Ask where the models are made and whether you can see the workshop, in person or on a video call. Traders cannot fix a design problem; a manufacturer can.
Real product photos. Every model on the quotation should have an actual photo, not a stock image.
One quotation. GST, packing and freight should be on the same document so the total is clear before you approve it.
A written replacement policy. Ours: report a manufacturing defect within 24 hours of delivery with photos or a video, and we replace it free of cost.
Spares and consumables. Bulbs, threads, syringes and batteries wear out; check they can be re-ordered.
Bulk and custom options if you are a dealer, a mini science centre or an exporter.
Samtech Instruments has manufactured lab equipment and STEM working models in Ambala, Haryana since 2002, supplying schools, colleges, mini science centres and dealers across India.
Own factory in AmbalaModels designed and built in-house since 2002.
270+ STEM modelsMechanics to maths, from one manufacturer and one quotation.
School & bulk supplyGST invoicing, careful packing and pan-India delivery.
Dealers & exportersBulk manufacturing with custom labelling on request.
stem lab setup for schoolsstem kits for schoolsstem lab equipment liststem lab kit priceatal tinkering lab equipmentscience working models for schoolstem kits manufacturer in indiapm shri science kit
Frequently asked questions
What is a STEM lab in a school?
A STEM lab is a room or classroom corner where students learn science, technology, engineering and maths through hands-on working models and small projects, such as a Newton’s cradle, a hydraulic jack or a solar energy kit, instead of only reading about the concepts.
How much does it cost to set up a STEM lab in India?
It depends on how many working models you choose, how many duplicates each class needs, whether you add ready kits, and whether you buy single pieces or in bulk. Bulk orders get a lower rate per piece. Share your kit list and class strength with Samtech Instruments for an exact quotation with GST and delivery.
What equipment is needed for a STEM lab?
Working models across mechanics, engineering and fluids, electricity and magnetism, light, sound, astronomy and renewable energy, plus maths manipulatives. Add two or three central benches, open wall shelves, power points along the benches and a corner that can be darkened for optics.
What is the difference between a STEM lab and an Atal Tinkering Lab?
A STEM lab focuses on concept learning through working models. An Atal Tinkering Lab, funded through the Atal Innovation Mission, focuses on innovation and prototyping with electronics, sensors, robotics, 3D printing and tools. Many schools run both in the same room.
Can the ATL grant be used to buy science working models?
AIM’s guideline asks schools to spend the equipment part of the ATL grant on items from AIM’s ATL equipment list first; schools may buy additional equipment after that at their discretion. Science working models are usually bought from the school’s own science or PM SHRI budget. Always check the current AIM guidelines before ordering.
How much space does a STEM lab need?
A normal classroom is enough for a full STEM lab. A starter STEM corner needs only one wall with two or three open shelves and a table for demonstrations.
Which STEM kits are best for Classes 6 to 8?
Models that explain one idea clearly and can be handled by students: an electric motor and electric bell model, a windmill kit, a 5-in-1 solar energy kit, an Archimedes principle kit, a colour shadow apparatus and maths kits such as a Pythagoras theorem kit.
Does Samtech supply STEM kits in bulk to schools and dealers?
Yes. Samtech Instruments manufactures STEM kits in Ambala and supplies schools, mini science centres, dealers and exporters — single pieces as well as bulk quantities — with a GST invoice and pan-India delivery. Share your list on WhatsApp or call +91-86838-78878 for a quotation.
Newton’s Cradle ModelMechanics
Maxwell Wheel ModelMechanics & energy
DIY Hydraulic Jack ModelEngineering
Electric Crane ModelElectricity & magnetism
Solar Energy Kit 5 in 1Renewable energy
Solar System Working ModelAstronomy
Laser Ray Optics KitLight & optics
Fraction Wheel KitMaths
