ORAU is happy to perform dating analyses for archaeologists; environmental scientists, biologists or anyone else interested in determining the radiocarbon content of material. We regularly perform analyses for public and private organisations from around the world.
See the sections on the background to radiocarbon and its applications to determine the types of material suitable for analysis.
This section covers the submission of standard sample types. If you are a scientist interested in submission of pre-prepared material or joint research projects, please contact the Director or Deputy-Director
Members of the unit are always happy to give advice on samples for radiocarbon dating. We have over twenty years of experience in the scientific aspects of the subject and have a staff archaeologist who is able to deal with specifically archaeological questions. See the list of Staff for contact details.
The choice of material for dating is an important part of any project and has a bearing on what kinds of statistical analysis will be possible at the end. It is always a good idea to discuss this with the laboratory if you are unsure.
The only restrictions on material accepted for dating are:
Sometimes, due to high demand for dating services, we are unable to date some types of sample. Please always contact the lab to discuss your project before submitting samples.
All samples submitted to the laboratory must be accompanied by a sample submission form that gives the details of the sample we need.
In addition, we would ask non-academic submitters to look at our Policy on the dating of Antiquities and sign our terms and conditions.
It is generally easiest to submit information online. If you are unable to do this for any reason printed forms can be sent (please contact our administrator).
See Forms page for more information and instructions for online submission.
For the cost of the dating work we carry out please see our Schedule of charges. Cheques should be made payable to the University of Oxford Radiocarbon Accelerator Unit.
For details of possible help with funding, see Funding.
Samples should be well protected in packaging that is not likely to contaminate the samples. Plastic bags are normally fine but it is best to use those designed for use with food as these are likely to have lower plasticiser levels, and to wrap the samples in them in aluminium foil. For small samples, glass tubes with screw on tops are preferable - use aluminium foil under the lids to prevent the samples sticking to the lids, which are usually plastic.
Water samples should be stored in inert plastic bottles with tightly sealed screw tops and a negligible air gap.
First fill in the online sample submission form and then send a printed copy of this with a signed copy of the terms and conditions, and the samples to:
Radiocarbon Accelerator UnitThe precision of radiocarbon dating depends on age. For recent material ORAU aims to get a precision of about 0.3% (typically 25-30 years).
It is important to note that radiocarbon calibration usually reduces the precision of measurements considerably (see Typical Calibrated Ranges).
Individual measurements are unlikely to be able to give a range at two standard deviations (or 95% confidence) of better than 120 years. In many cases, the overall range is closer to 200 years and in some cases greater still. This is one reason why it is important before dating to ask advice on whether or not radiocarbon has the resolution to answer particular chronological questions.
In some cases, further statistical analysis can improve the precision of the method where there are several dates.
We are always seeking to keep turn-around times to a minimum but some delay is inevitable because of the complexity of the dating process and because of fluctuations in demand.
The average turn-around time is about 3 months but contact the lab to find out what the situation is when you are ready to submit your samples. The current estimated turnaround time is also shown here.
Once the results have been communicated, we are happy to help with the interpretation of the results, particularly if statistical analysis (for example with OxCal) is thought to be useful.