Lab coats are usually white in color, and are often worn by scientists and technicians working in the workshops. These are usually the workshops dress or uniforms that are usually knee length, and worn over the ordinary street clothes of these technicians or laboratory personnel. The basic need for these coats worn over the ordinary clothes is for protection from spillage, or possible contamination from chemicals or liquids handled. This can also be for identification purposes, with one seeing personnel with these outfits saying that they are the people handling delicate things in the laboratories. These can be the laboratory technicians in chemical industries or hospital laboratories. These coats are often colored white, probably symbolizing cleanliness, although there can also be reasons for this. In hospital laboratories, there can also be laboratory coats or uniforms with other colors.

These coats are often made from cotton, or some made from linen, for lightness and also for ease in washing. Since these coats or uniforms are worn over the ordinary street clothes of the wearer, these have to be light to wear, making it very comfortable, and ease in washing can be for convenience to the user. Since the coats are often white or light in color, it is easy to see if it is already clean after washing at high temperatures. These coats are worn in the laboratories, and thus the high tendencies that there will be spillage in the handling of chemicals and other liquids, thus the protection given, with the ordinary clothes not getting spoiled. These are also coats or uniforms that can be short sleeved or long sleeved, depending on what the uniform is agreed on.

When solvents or acids are handled by the wearer and accidental spills happen, these are also the coats that can be washed easily, especially on the spot where the spill happens. In laboratories where there are no acids or dangerous solvents handled, the short sleeved coats are often used, like in the hospital or medical laboratories. Physicians and surgeons often also use these white coats as uniforms, while they are on duty in the hospitals. This can give them distinction when they are handling patients in these medical institutions. They can be distinct when they are with other groups of hospital personnel.

Physicians wearing these distinct white coats can get the respect of patients seeing these, and this can be observed by people. Although there are also other colors for these coats worn by physicians, white is the usual color, giving the distinction from the other hospital personnel also wearing coats or uniforms. Acquiring lab coats from suppliers will not be hard for these medical personnel or laboratory technicians because these are available from many online stores.