How to Read a Certificate of Analysis (COA)

A Certificate of Analysis (COA) is the lab report that tells you what's actually in a product. Any serious vendor provides one. But not all COAs are equal. Some are outdated, some are cherry-picked, and some are outright fabricated.

This guide breaks down every field you'll see on a real COA so you can make an informed decision before you buy.

What Is a COA?

A COA is a document issued by a third-party analytical laboratory that certifies the identity, purity, and sometimes potency of a compound. For research chemicals like SARMs and peptides, it's the closest thing to a quality guarantee.

A COA from the vendor's own in-house lab is not third-party. Treat it with skepticism.

The Three Things Every COA Must Confirm

1. Identity: Is this actually what it's claimed to be? (HPLC or NMR testing)
2. Purity: What percentage is the active compound vs. impurities?
3. Potency / Quantity: Does the stated dose match the actual dose?

Most legitimate COAs cover all three. A COA that only shows a purity percentage without confirming identity via HPLC or mass spectrometry is incomplete.

Reading the Header

The top of a COA should list:

• Testing lab name and accreditation: Look for ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation. Labs like Janoshik, Colmaric, and Phytovations are commonly used by reputable vendors.
• Date of analysis: COAs older than 12 to 18 months should raise questions. Compounds degrade, and batch quality can change.
• Batch or lot number: This ties the COA to a specific production run. If a vendor can't match a COA to the batch you're buying, it's useless.
• Sample submitted by: Should be the vendor or a traceable chain of custody.

The Results Section

HPLC Purity

High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) separates compounds to measure purity. Look for:

• 98% purity or higher for most SARMs and peptides sold as research chemicals
• A chromatogram (the graph). Its absence doesn't invalidate the COA, but its presence is a good sign.
• The method used (example: "HPLC-UV at 220 nm")

Identity Confirmation

The best COAs include mass spectrometry (MS) or nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) results confirming the molecular structure matches the claimed compound. This is the hardest to fake.

Heavy Metals & Solvents (Peptides)

For peptides especially, look for residual solvent testing (example: acetonitrile, TFA) and heavy metal panels. These contaminants are process artifacts that a quality manufacturer tests for.

Red Flags

The COA has no lab name or accreditation number. Any legitimate lab publishes its accreditation. If you can't verify the lab exists, assume the document was generated in a word processor.

The date is missing or the COA is years old. Some vendors reuse the same COA for new batches. Always check whether the batch number matches.

Purity is exactly 99.9%. Real HPLC results come back with decimals like 98.3% or 99.1%. A suspiciously round number is a sign the result was typed in.

The vendor only tests in-house. Self-issued COAs have no independent verification. A vendor who refuses to pay for third-party testing has something to hide.

The COA is a low-resolution scan or screenshot. Authentic lab reports are issued as clean PDFs with lab letterhead. A blurry image of a document is easy to alter.

How to Verify a COA Is Real

1. Search the lab directly. Go to the lab's website and check if they offer a verification portal (Janoshik does). Enter the report number.
2. Check the lab's accreditation. ISO 17025 labs are listed in government and international databases.
3. Compare batch numbers. Ask the vendor which batch number is in the product you're purchasing, then confirm the COA matches.
4. Look for the actual chromatogram. The raw data graph is far harder to fake than a summary table.

Which Vendors Consistently Provide Good COAs?

Based on our database, the vendors with the most complete and current COAs include Chemyo, Receptor Chem, Sports Technology Labs, and Peptide Sciences. Each provides per-batch HPLC reports from ISO-accredited third-party labs.

You can check any vendor's COA status directly on their profile page (/search). We note whether current COAs are available and link to them.

Summary

A few minutes with a COA can save you from wasting money on an underdosed or mislabeled compound. If a vendor won't share one, shop somewhere else.