A certificate of analysis, or COA, is a lab's report on a sample from one production batch. It shows what is in the product, measured by someone other than the brand. Most run two or three pages. You need a few lines on each.
Match the batch first
Every COA names a batch or lot number. So does the jar, bottle or tin, usually near the barcode or on the bottom. If they don't match, the report covers a different batch and its figures may not apply to yours.
Check the date too. A two-year-old report can be right about its batch and say nothing about the one on the shelf today.
Read the cannabinoid panel
This panel lists each compound the lab measured and how much it found. Look for three things:
- CBD. Often given in mg per gram (mg/g) or as a percentage. Multiply by the weight or volume of the container to get the total, then compare it with the label.
- THC. Hemp is measured on total THC, which counts THCA as well as delta-9 THC. "ND" means none was detected at the lab's limit.
- Other cannabinoids. CBG, CBN and others show up in full and broad spectrum products. An isolate should show CBD and very little else.
Our total CBD and THC per container come from this panel. Where the brand's figure and the COA disagree, we show the COA's.
Look at the other panels
Fuller reports add heavy metals, pesticides, residual solvents and microbes. Each line gives a result, the limit, and a pass or fail. A report with only the cannabinoid panel isn't wrong. It just covers less.
Check who wrote it
The lab's name, address and accreditation sit in the header or footer. ISO/IEC 17025 is the usual accreditation for analytical labs. A report on the brand's own letterhead with no lab named is a brand document, not a lab report.
What "COA checked" means here
It means we read the brand's published certificate of analysis for that batch and copied its figures, with the date and batch number. We don't do lab work or send samples anywhere. The figures are the lab's, as the brand published them.
