1SC File

What are 1SC files and how to open them

Are you having problems opening a 1SC file or are you simply curious about its contents? We're here to explain the properties of these files and provide you with software that can open or handle your 1SC files.

What is a 1SC file?

A .1SC file is a Bio-Rad Scan file.

Bio-Rad Scan File (.1sc) is a proprietary image and metadata file format produced by Bio-Rad Laboratories' Quantity One 1-D (Discovery Series) software whenever it scans or saves a scanned image, especially of gels, blots, or similar laboratory images. It stores the raw or processed scan data together with extensive scan settings and metadata about how the image was acquired.

These files are created by Bio-Rad imaging systems under the Quantity One 1-D software during or after scanning. Users typically view and analyze them in Quantity One, which can save, edit image information (scan area, number of pixels, data range, scanner bias, units), overlay labels, and export to other image formats like TIFF.

Image-analysis tools outside Bio-Rad can read .1sc files via reverse-engineered specifications. One such tool is a Python module called biorad1sc_reader, which extracts pixel data as well as metadata. The Bio-Formats library (used in OMERO, Fiji/ImageJ, etc.) includes support for the "Bio-Rad Gel" format corresponding to .1sc.

Internally, a .1sc file begins with a fixed 'magic number' of two bytes 0xAF, 0xAF, followed by ASCII text lines including "Stable File Version", then "Intel Format", then "Bio-Rad Scan File - ID" with a long numeric identifier. It's organized into a header region (bytes 0 - 4139) followed by multiple Data Blocks. The even-numbered Data Blocks define the structure (collections of data fields), and the odd-numbered ones hold the actual image and scan data. Keywords such as "SCAN HEADER", "SCAN AREA", "SCANNER_UNITS", "SCANNER_BIAS", "NAME", "SIZE", and "IMAG" are found in the file.

How to open 1SC files

Important: Different programs may use files with the 1SC file extension for different purposes, so unless you are sure which format your 1SC file is, you may need to try a few different programs.

While we have not verified the apps ourselves yet, our users have suggested four different 1SC openers which you will find listed below.

Last updated: August 14, 2026

Various apps that use files with this extension

These apps are known to open certain types of 1SC files. Remember, different programs may use 1SC files for different purposes, so you may need to try out a few of them to be able to open your specific file.

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