How to read a certificate of analysis
Reviewed by executive management. September 16, 2026. Scientific review pending.
A certificate of analysis, often shortened to COA, reports tests performed on a specified sample associated with a named lot or batch. It can help you compare reported results with a label or specification. It does not establish clinical benefit.
How we review this information
These pages are reviewed and approved by executive management and have been submitted to our Chief Scientific Officer for scientific review. Each page will show her name and the date once she has signed it. Each claim-bearing page identifies its sources, evidence limitations and the date the evidence was last checked. Draft or incomplete pages remain unpublished.
Match the report to the product and lot
Check the product or material tested, lot or batch number, strength, dosage form, package count and expiry or use-by information. A result for one lot does not establish the composition of another. Whether a sample represents the full lot depends on how it was selected and handled.
What a useful certificate identifies
Look for the sample and test dates, laboratory, analytical methods, units, numerical results or reporting limits, applicable specifications or acceptance criteria, and report approval date. Depending on the testing plan, results may include cannabinoid content and tests for contaminants and microbial hazards. CMS requires eligible products to undergo third-party potency testing and testing for contaminants and microbial hazards, with negative results for contaminants and microbial hazards. [3]Source: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Substance Access Beneficiary Engagement Incentive. Last checked: .
Read the result, unit and limit together
A concentration may need a validated calculation to produce a per-serving or per-container amount. That calculation may use concentration, fill quantity, serving size and package count; the basis should be stated. “Total THC” is not self-explanatory in every context, so check the formula used.
Understand “not detected”
The limit of detection, or LOD, is the lowest amount a method can detect, but not necessarily measure accurately. The limit of quantitation, or LOQ, is the lowest amount it can quantify with suitable accuracy and precision. “Not detected” means below the stated detection or reporting threshold; it does not mean zero. [18]Source: U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Q2(R2) Validation of Analytical Procedures: Guidance for Industry. ICH-Quality, Revision 2. March 2024. Last checked: .
What “pass” should mean
A “pass” result should be traceable to a numerical result—or to a not-detected result with its reporting limit—and to the applicable specification. “Pass” alone is not enough to interpret the measurement.
What a certificate does not establish
A COA does not show that a product is safe, effective or appropriate for a particular person. It does not establish that a product qualifies for the CMS incentive, and it does not establish equivalence to another product.
Reasons to ask for more information
- No lot number, or a product or lot that does not match
- No laboratory, sample date or test date
- No methods, units, reporting limits or applicable specifications
- Results shown only as “pass”
- No information explaining how per-serving or per-container values were calculated
Sources: [3, 18–19]. Evidence last checked September 16, 2026.Source: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Substance Access Beneficiary Engagement Incentive.; U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Q2(R2) Validation of Analytical Procedures: Guidance for Industry. ICH-Quality, Revision 2. March 2024.; National Institute of Standards and Technology. NIST Tools for Cannabis Laboratory Quality Assurance. Updated September 15, 2026. Last checked: .