How to Read a Kratom Lab Report or COA

A certificate of analysis, or COA, is a laboratory report for a named sample. The quickest way to read one is to match the sample to the product, find the compound or contaminant tested, check the unit, and then read the result.

1. Match the report to the product

Start with the product name and the sample, batch, or lot identifier. Confirm the laboratory and report date, then use the PDF for the complete methods and results. These details tell you which material the laboratory received and when it was analyzed.

For example, the Berry Kava report names sample 2502550-001. The Black Cherry Kratom Gummies report names a separate gummy sample. A source-material report for an extract powder answers a different question from a report for a tablet or gummy.

2. Find the analyte

An analyte is the specific substance measured. Kratom reports may list mitragynine, 7-hydroxymitragynine, or other alkaloids. Kava reports may list individual kavalactones such as kavain and dihydrokavain, followed by a total. Contaminant panels may list lead, arsenic, cadmium, mercury, yeast and mold, or specific microbes.

3. Read the unit with the number

A bare number is incomplete. Results may appear as milligrams per gummy, milligrams per gram, micrograms per gram, a percentage by weight, or another unit. Fifty milligrams per piece and 50 milligrams per gram describe different quantities.

The Berry Kava report lists 50.5mg total kavalactones per gummy for sample 2502550-001. The MIT extract-powder report lists 87.01% mitragynine for sample DD00126B(15). A package may use a rounded specification, while the laboratory line gives the measured result for the named sample.

4. Understand ND and reporting limits

ND usually means “not detected” under the method and reporting limit shown on the report. It is different from a printed zero. Look for abbreviations such as LOD, LOQ, MDL, or RL, and check the report's notes for the laboratory's definition.

5. See which panels are present

An alkaloid or kavalactone panel describes composition. A heavy-metal panel, microbial panel, pesticide panel, or residual-solvent panel addresses a different group of questions. The table of contents or analyte list will show which panels the laboratory included.

6. Check the laboratory and date

The report should identify the laboratory and the date of analysis or issue. Accreditation information can help you understand the laboratory's assessed scope, while the method line tells you how a particular result was produced.

Three real examples

• Black Cherry Kratom Gummies: open the complete original report, match the sample ID, and read mitragynine with its per-piece unit.
• Berry Kava Gummies: open the complete Berry Kava report, then add the six named kavalactones to understand the reported total.
• MIT extract powder: compare the 90% label specification with the 87.01% measured result in the MIT extract-powder example.

A simple reading checklist

• Product and sample, batch, or lot identifier
• Laboratory and date
• Analyte or panel
• Result and unit
• Detection or reporting limit when relevant
• Method and any laboratory notes

For all currently linked MIT documents, visit the MIT Product Documents & COA Center. For help with product-label fields, read How to Read a Kratom Product Label.

Sources and further reading

• HHS/FDA 7-OH recommendation
• FDA 7-OH explainer
• U.S. EPA: Detection & Quantitation
• U.S. EPA: Method Detection Limit Procedure, Revision 2
• NIST Guide for the Use of the International System of Units
• NIST Standard Reference Material certificate with mg/g mass-fraction examples
• A2LA: ISO/IEC 17025 laboratory accreditation overview
• FDA: Dietary Supplement CGMP small-entity compliance guide