Read it in this order
A report is useful when the details line up.
Start with identity. Then look at the measurements and their limits.
- 01
Match the batch
Same product, form and lot as the package.
- 02
Check the report
Laboratory, report ID, dates and complete pages.
- 03
Read the units
Named analyte, measurement basis and limits.
- 04
Know the limits
One panel or pass mark does not answer every question.
Start with the package, not a testing badge.
A certificate of analysis (COA) records measurements for the sample identified in a laboratory report. It is useful only when you can connect that sample to the product and batch in front of you. It does not by itself certify every package, establish medical benefit or authorize a sale.
Our product pages separate current and archived COAs. Missing reports stay marked as missing; a request link or a testing statement is not a published laboratory result.
1. Match the product and batch
Compare the brand, exact product form, variety and batch or lot number on the package with the report. Leaf powder, capsules and extract tablets need the correct sample description. A report for a different lot, raw ingredient or product form does not automatically apply to the finished package. Keep all pages and any revised report together.
2. Identify the laboratory and dates
Look for the laboratory name, report identifier, sample identifier, received/tested dates and issue date. If accreditation is claimed, check its current scope for the relevant method and material; a logo alone is insufficient. Use independently found laboratory contact details if a document seems altered or cannot be authenticated. An old report may document an archived batch without describing current stock.
3. Read the alkaloid and its measurement basis
Find separately named mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine results. “Total alkaloids,” extract mass and mitragynine mass are different quantities. Check whether a percentage describes the entire tested material, a dry-weight basis or only an alkaloid fraction. Do not convert between those bases without the required information.
| Report notation | How to read it |
|---|---|
| 1% w/w of whole material | 10 mg of the named substance per gram of that material. |
| mg/tablet | Mass of the named substance per tested tablet; not total tablet weight. |
| µg/g or mg/kg | Equal mass-fraction units; both correspond to ppm by mass. |
| CFU/g | Colony-forming units per gram for a microbial count. |
For capsules, distinguish ground leaf fill from the shell. For tablets, do not treat a product-label statement as independent batch testing. Our mitragynine price comparison requires you to identify and confirm a matching measured input.
4. Review the contaminant panels
FDA has found concerning metals in some sampled kratom products; that finding is a reason to inspect relevant results, not a conclusion about an untested Happy Panda batch. Look for separately reported metals such as lead, arsenic, cadmium, mercury and nickel. Read the result, units, method and stated limit together.
Microbial panels may include Salmonella, E. coli, total aerobic counts, and yeast and mold. A pathogen presence/absence test is different from a general count, and the tested sample amount matters. Pesticide and residual-solvent panels may also be relevant to a product or process. Columbia Laboratories describes these as distinct testing services: an alkaloid panel alone does not establish that the others were performed.
5. Understand ND, detection limits and “pass”
“Not detected” (ND) means the method did not report detection above its applicable threshold; it does not prove absolute absence. A detection limit and a quantitation limit describe different analytical capabilities. A numeric result below a quantitation limit needs the laboratory's qualification rather than extra invented precision.
A pass label depends on the specification applied. Ask which limit, method and jurisdiction were used; do not treat one laboratory's pass mark as universal legal compliance or a medical safety guarantee. Missing analytes, units, limits or pages are questions to resolve, not blanks to fill with assumptions.
6. Know when to ask for more
Warning signs include mismatched lots, a report that predates the identified batch, cropped pages, unexplained edits, unverifiable laboratory details, missing methods or a report testing only strength while implying complete contaminant screening. Ask for the complete matching report and an explanation of any correction.
A COA cannot predict individual effects, interactions, dependence risk or later contamination. It also cannot establish shelf life without suitable stability evidence. Read storage and packaging guidance and responsible-use information. To locate an actual document, contact us with the product name and batch number.
Sources and scope
- FDA: laboratory analysis of kratom products for heavy metals
- Columbia Laboratories: kratom testing panels — a source on testing scope, not a claim that it tested our products.
- EPA: analytical quality control and reporting limits — general laboratory concepts; its fish-testing limits are not kratom standards.