CannaCompare

COA checklist

Label math and documentation checks, without a serving recommendation.

03 / THE PAPERWORK

A report worth reading.

Use this checklist while reviewing a certificate of analysis. Your checks stay in this tab.

Lot on the report matches the package Named laboratory and report identifier Test date is recorded CBD / THC amounts and method are shown Contaminant panels and limits are listed Original report can be checked with the lab

0 of 6 items checked · A checklist is not verification.

Read the fields, keep the context

Walk through a report.

Use the six checkboxes above for the report you are reviewing. Exploring a field below never checks a box for you.

Educational schematic · entirely fictional. This is original teaching artwork, not a laboratory report, a merchant result or a safety assessment. All identities, dates, quantities and panel states are invented.

Choose a field to highlight; every explanation is available below.

FICTIONAL EXAMPLE — NOT A REAL COAReport layout varies by laboratory. Read the actual legend and all pages.

1 · Sample identity

Report: EXAMPLE-000 · fictional
Sample: Example oil · fictional
Sample lot: DEMO-A · fictional
Your package lot: Not supplied · match unknown

2 · Issuing laboratory

Example Analytical Lab · fictional

Method: EXAMPLE-METHOD · fictional. Accreditation, sample custody and submission identity are not established by this schematic.

3 · Historical example dates

Collected / received: 2020-01-01 / 2020-01-02
Completed / issued: 2020-01-03 / 2020-01-04
Current shipping lot: Unknown

All dates are fictional.

4 · Cannabinoid results — fictional

Illustrative values only · mg/g of sample
Analyte	Result	LOD	LOQ
CBD	50.0 mg/g	0.10 mg/g	0.30 mg/g
Delta-9 THC	ND	0.10 mg/g	0.30 mg/g
THCA	<LOQ	0.10 mg/g	0.30 mg/g

Scroll the table sideways to see every result and LOD/LOQ column.

No mg/bottle or mg/mL amount is supplied or inferred.

5 · Example legend and panels

ND in this example: Not detected under this fictional method's stated criterion. Not a numeric zero.
<LOQ in this example: Signal reported detected; quantity below 0.30 mg/g. No numeric quantity assigned.
Metals: Panel reported in the fictional example; individual analytes/results would still need review.
Pesticides: Not performed in this fictional example.
Microbes: Not reported in this excerpt; performed status unknown.

These limits are invented teaching values, not universal thresholds or action limits. No panel receives a pass verdict.

6 · Original document route

No real report, signature, QR code or verification URL is represented here. Use the actual issuing provider's reviewed resource for a real report.

Document authenticity, package/lot identity, sampling and current inventory remain separate.

Prompt 1 · Identity and lot

Match identity before amounts.

Compare the exact sample/product identity and printed lot with the package in front of you. A product-name match alone is incomplete; a historical record does not establish the lot currently shipping.

Read the identity and lot glossary context

Prompt 2 · Laboratory and scope

A laboratory name is a starting point.

Identify the issuing laboratory and relevant method/matrix scope. Accreditation is for specified capabilities; a logo does not certify a product or every reported result. Who acquired and submitted the sample is a separate question.

Read the laboratory and scope glossary context

Prompt 3 · Separate the dates

An issue date is not a shipping-lot match.

Keep collection, receipt, completion and report issue dates separate. These fictional dates illustrate a historical record. A recent issue date would still not confirm the package or lot currently shipping.

Read the separate the dates glossary context

Prompt 4 · Analytes, units and basis

Keep each amount on its printed basis.

Read each named analyte, method and unit. This example uses mg per g of sample: a mass basis. That is not mg per bottle or mg per mL. Whole-package mass and density are not supplied, so no package-total or volume conversion is made. Delta-9 THC and THCA remain separate.

Read the analytes, units and basis glossary context

Prompt 5 · Limits and panel coverage

Retain qualifiers and missing information.

ND is not numerical zero. The report's own legend, method and analyte-specific limits decide its meaning. Detection and reliable quantification are different questions. Here, the fictional legend defines <LOQ as detected below its quantitative boundary. A missing or unperformed contaminant panel is not a passing panel.

Read the limits and panel coverage glossary context

Prompt 6 · Original record and verification

A lookup has a specific scope.

Compare an accessible report with its issuing laboratory's own record where available. Document confirmation, exact package/lot matching, sample custody and current inventory are separate checks. An unavailable lookup does not by itself prove a report invalid.

Read the original record and verification glossary context

Go to the original source.

Analytical background reviewed 2026-10-26: IUPAC detection limit ↗ · IUPAC quantification limit ↗ · NIST accreditation scope ↗. IUPAC official indexed definitions were reviewed; direct access was restricted.

Provider example: SC Labs COA verification ↗ · SC Labs report guide ↗. These links open the provider; this walkthrough sends no report or identifier. A provider may require a specific record or contact information. Reviewed laboratory profiles and scope limits · LOQ · Panels · Our document-check scopes.

Keep only your checkmarks.

The original six checkboxes stay in this tab. Save, load or export only when you choose. A saved copy contains six yes/no checkmarks, without report, lot, package, date, notes or files. Nothing is loaded automatically. After loading, review all six against the report currently in front of you; no report association is retained.

Optional local checklist copy

No saved copy has been read. Exploring fields and changing checkmarks do not save them.