Donating material to the NGR
Customer Notice: Following the temporary closure to limit deposits
Following a temporary closure to deposits of core and physical samples, prompted by a lack of available space within the collection, the National Geological Repository (NGR) is now again accepting deposits of physical material.
To manage capacity levels, deliveries at this time will need to be staggered.
The BGS will consider offers of donations that contribute to the geological knowledge of Great Britain, provided they are fully and accurately documented. Cited material, or samples for which there is additional data, are a priority.
BGS accepts deposits from two main routes
- Material governed by legislation for example, material under PON9/PON9b, Energy Act 2026 (s 34 Notice and Reporting & Disclosure Guidance)
- Material donated voluntarily to the NGR
There are different processes and charges in place depending on the nature of the deposit.
- Those depositing material under PON9/PON9b, Energy Act 2026 (s 34 Notice and Reporting & Disclosure Guidance) are required to follow the Reporting and disclosure of Information and Samples Guidance 2021 which includes guidance on core box specifications. These are all subject to curation and additional charges as outlined below.
- In most instances commercial deposits are subject to curation charges.
- Small voluntary donations that fit within the accessions policy are usually archived free of charge. Larger donations will usually require a payment to cover curating costs.
Curation charges cover the receipt and databasing of samples. If material is not supplied in standard NGR boxes a further reboxing charge will be added. The following charges are in place (all prices are subject to VAT and correct as at 1 April 2026.
Date material received |
Cuttings |
Core |
|---|---|---|
| From 1 April 2021 | £25.90 | £25.90 |
| From 1 May 2024 | £32.91 | £37.37 |
| From 1 May 2025 | £33.86 | £38.72 |
| From 1 April 2026 | £39.53 | £44.56 |
Where re-boxing is not required, curation costs are:
Date material received |
Cuttings |
Core |
|---|---|---|
| From 1 July 2022 |
£18.70 |
£18.70 |
|
From 1 May 2024 |
£25.71 |
£30.17 |
|
From 1 May 2025 |
£26.66 |
£31.52 |
| From 1 April 2026 |
£31.56 |
£36.59 |
Charges applicable to Statutory and supplementary Deposits in 2026:
Space management review (Statutory and supplementary material)
The NGR is at capacity and the need to accommodate higher-priority acquisitions (mainly statutory deposits) has necessitated a rationalisation and disposal program. This charge reflects the costs associated rationalisation and disposal to create storage capacity.
On receipt of the delivery of materials (new and supplementary) a purchase order will be requested to cover the space management costs required to make space for the delivery.
| Charge type | Cost per box |
| Space management cost | £68.30 |
Processing receipt (Supplementary material)
On receipt of the material, a purchase order will be requested for the delivery of supplementary deposits only.
| Charge type | Cost per delivery |
| On receipt check the offer list against delivery and amend the offer list to reflect the receipt of material | £216.39 |
Desktop appraisal (Supplementary material)
Due to capacity issues BGS has reduced the supplementary material it requests. We now prioritise material for which we have little or no material within the NGR. On receipt of a disposal list, BGS will request a purchase order based on the number of wells included in the disposal list. A request should include no more than 200 wells.
| Charge type | No of wells | Cost per well |
| Charge for desktop appraisal | 1 | £42.02 |
Example of costs for 50 wells on disposal list:
| Charge type | No of wells | Total cost |
| Charge for desktop appraisal | 50 | £2101.12 |
Terminology
| Name | Description |
| Statutory deposit of new material | Fresh samples from recently drilled seaward or landward wells, where the operator has six months from regulatory completion date to report. |
| Statutory deposit of supplementary material | Additional material where there is a joint and several requirement for the licensee to send it under applicable regulations:
identified as missing due to not being sent originally |
To accept new deposits to the National Geological Repository, an application must first be submitted, outlining the science case. Note that BGS do not accept donations without going through our formal Accessions process and will reject any donations brought to any BGS premise without going through this process. To discuss any prospective donations please contact BGS enquiry team (enquiries@bgs.ac.uk).
Voluntary deposits of core and cuttings are subject to curation charges as above where appropriate. Though larger donations will usually require a payment to cover curating costs. Depositors will be advised of any payable charges during the application stage.
Projects archiving material with BGS corporate collections in accordance with the standard accessions policy are responsible for labelling specimens with official ‘collector numbers’ and supplying a properly completed collectors form (in digital format) complete with identifications, analyses etc. as appropriate. Corporate collections are then responsible for registering, databasing, curating and conserving the material.
Loans of samples, slides, fossils, etc. are regularly made from the collections to BGS staff and researchers following approval of borrower status. Some limits are in place to protect the integrity of the collections, and we may charge to cover time preparing the loan and for shipping costs depending on the complexity and time it takes to service the loan.
Researchers are expected to return or extend any expired loans prior to a visit being arranged.
- Loans can be extended one year at a time up to a maximum of five years
- If a researcher has held a specimen for more than five years and does not return the specimen, BGS will not facilitate future visits or loans
For more information, please contact the BGS Collections team (collections@bgs.ac.uk).
Get in touch
For general NGR enquiries or to arrange a visit, please contact:
enquiries@bgs.ac.uk or 0115 936 3143
You may also be interested in:
National Geological Repository
Hosting BGS’s collections of borehole cores, cuttings, samples, specimens, and related subsurface information from the UK landmass and continental shelf.
National Geoscience Data Centre
Collecting and preserving geoscientific data, making it available to a wide range of users and communities.