Updated for Town Hall 18 (October 2026).
The Laboratory is the Home Village building that researches higher levels for your troops, spells and siege machines. You build it at Town Hall 3, and its max level today is 16, which needs Town Hall 18. Each Lab level raises the cap on how far you can research, so it is usually one of the first buildings to upgrade after a new Town Hall.
What the Laboratory does
Tap the Lab and choose Research to see every unit you own. Pick one, pay the cost and the research timer starts. Elixir troops, Elixir spells and siege machines are paid for with Elixir; Dark troops and Dark spells use Dark Elixir. When the timer ends, the new level applies right away to every copy of that unit in your army.
A few things are not researched here:
- Heroes are upgraded with a Builder through the Hero Hall.
- Pets level up in the Pet House.
- Super Troops have no levels of their own. They follow the level of the regular troop they are boosted from, so researching the Barbarian also improves the Super Barbarian.
You can only research what you have unlocked. A troop has to be available in the Barracks or Dark Barracks first, a spell in the Spell Factory, and a siege machine in the Workshop. When everything is maxed for your current Lab level, the “Research” label above the building disappears.
Laboratory levels, Town Hall requirements and hitpoints
You get one Laboratory, and it takes up a 3×3 space. Costs and times below are the base values before any Gold Pass discount.
| Lab level | Town Hall needed | Hitpoints | Upgrade cost (Elixir) | Upgrade time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | 500 | 5,000 | 1m |
| 2 | 4 | 550 | 25,000 | 30m |
| 3 | 5 | 600 | 50,000 | 2h |
| 4 | 6 | 650 | 100,000 | 4h |
| 5 | 7 | 700 | 200,000 | 8h |
| 6 | 8 | 750 | 400,000 | 16h |
| 7 | 9 | 830 | 800,000 | 1d |
| 8 | 10 | 950 | 1,300,000 | 1d 18h |
| 9 | 11 | 1,070 | 2,100,000 | 2d 18h |
| 10 | 12 | 1,140 | 3,800,000 | 4d |
| 11 | 13 | 1,210 | 5,500,000 | 6d |
| 12 | 14 | 1,280 | 8,100,000 | 7d |
| 13 | 15 | 1,350 | 10,800,000 | 8d |
| 14 | 16 | 1,400 | 13,000,000 | 9d |
| 15 | 17 | 1,450 | 18,000,000 | 10d |
| 16 | 18 | 1,500 | 27,000,000 | 16d |
From Town Hall 3 onward there is exactly one new Lab level per Town Hall, so you never have to wait a whole Town Hall for the next one.
Upgrading the Lab while research is running
Older guides say you have to pick between upgrading the Lab and researching. That stopped being true in 2021 and 2022. Research that is already running keeps ticking while the building is upgraded, and since December 2022 you can also start new research during a Lab upgrade. So the usual move after reaching a new Town Hall is to start a long research, then put a Builder on the Laboratory straight away.
Research can’t be cancelled once it starts, so check the cost and timer before you confirm.
Ways to speed up research
Normally only one research runs at a time. These tools shorten that queue:
- The Lab Assistant lives at the Helper Hut, which you get at Town Hall 9. He is free to recruit and works for one hour per 23-hour work day on your current research. Upgrading him with Gems raises his work rate, from 1x at level 1 to 12x at level 12.
- A Research Potion makes the Lab work 24 times faster for one hour.
- Study Soup, a Magic Snack, makes it 4 times faster for one hour. Potion, soup and assistant stack by adding together, not by multiplying.
- Books finish a research instantly: Book of Fighting for troops and siege machines, Book of Spells for spells, and Book of Everything for any of them. A matching Hammer skips the timer and the cost.
- The Goblin Researcher, offered during “Work for Hire” events, runs a second research at the same time for Gems.
See Magic Items for where to earn potions and books.
What to research first
At high Town Halls a single research can take two weeks, so you won’t finish everything before your next Town Hall upgrade. Research the troops and spells in the army you actually attack with, then the spells that army relies on, and only then the rest. A Lab that sits idle costs you more than a slightly wrong order, so always keep something running. If you use a Research Potion, start a long research before drinking it so none of the boost is wasted on a timer that ends early.
Siege machines are worth an early slot once you have the Workshop, since you bring one to almost every attack and also donate them.
Recent Laboratory changes
- November 17, 2025 (Town Hall 18): Lab level 16 added. Level 15 dropped from 16 days to 10 days and from 20,000,000 to 18,000,000 Elixir.
- November 25, 2024 (Town Hall 17): Lab level 15 added, along with the Helper Hut and Lab Assistant.
- December 12, 2023 (Town Hall 16): Lab level 14 added, and level 12 got cheaper.
- December 12, 2022: research can be started while the Lab itself is upgrading.
The Builder Base has its own research building, the Star Laboratory, which works separately.
Laboratory FAQ
What Town Hall unlocks the Laboratory in Clash of Clans?
Town Hall 3. Level 1 costs 5,000 Elixir and takes one minute.
What is the max Laboratory level?
Level 16, available at Town Hall 18. It has 1,500 hitpoints and costs 27,000,000 Elixir.
Can I research while the Laboratory is upgrading?
Yes. Running research continues, and new research can be started while the building is being upgraded.
Can I run two researches at once?
Only with the Goblin Researcher, which costs Gems and appears during events. The Lab Assistant speeds up your one research but doesn’t add a second slot.
Sources: Supercell release notes (Town Hall 18 update notes, Town Hall 17 update notes) and in-game data.
