Certificate of Analysis (COA): how to read it and why it's essential

A certificate of analysis (or COA for Certificate of Analysis) is an official document issued by an accredited testing laboratory that certifies the composition and compliance of a cannabis- or hemp-based product. It serves as verifiable proof that the product has been independently tested and meets current regulatory standards.

In the market for CBD In France and across Europe, the COA has become an essential standard: any reputable producer or seller must be able to provide it upon request. In legal recreational cannabis markets (the United States, Canada, Germany, etc.), it is mandatory for any product to be sold.

What a Certificate of Analysis Contains

A comprehensive COA covers several categories of tests, the scope of which varies depending on local regulations and the type of product:

Not all of these tests are routinely included in every COA—a CBD flower producer may provide a COA limited to the cannabinoid profile and the absence of pesticides, while a concentrate manufacturer must include residual solvents.

How to Read a Certificate of Analysis

Laboratory Accreditation is the first thing to check. In France and Europe, reputable laboratories are accredited ISO 17025 by COFRAC (the French Accreditation Committee) or an equivalent body in their country. A COA issued by a non-accredited laboratory has little regulatory value.

Issue Date : A COA is valid for the batch that was tested, not for a producer’s entire production. A COA from 2022 says nothing about the 2025 batch.

The lot number : It must match the purchased product exactly. It is a common practice among unscrupulous producers to provide a COA from a different batch, one that may be more favorable.

Detection Limits : Each test has a minimum detection limit (LOD – Limit of Detection) and a limit of quantification (LOQ). A result marked «ND» (not detected) means that the substance is below the limit of detection, not necessarily absent or at zero.

Total THC content : For French CBD, legality is based on a THC content of < 0.3% (on a dry weight basis). The COA must clearly indicate the Total THC (THC + THCA × 0.877 after potential decarboxylation), not just free THC.

COA and the French CBD Market

In France, the lack of a clear regulatory framework for CBD flowers has long allowed products to circulate without COAs or with COAs issued for convenience. The situation is gradually improving, particularly due to pressure from organized industry groups (Syndicat Professionnel du Chanvre, UPCBD), which have made COAs a minimum requirement for product listing.

For consumers of industrial hemp and CBD, the rule of thumb is simple: No valid COA = no purchase. Reputable B2B platforms, such as CBD wholesalers, consistently display COAs by batch on their product pages.

COA and cannabis concentrates

In legal markets, concentrates (BHO, PHO, rosin…) are subject to particularly detailed certificates of analysis (COAs), which must include a list of residual solvents. U.S. (USP 467) and Canadian standards set strict limits for each solvent—residual butane, for example, must not exceed 800 ppm in a concentrate intended for sale.

That is why experts consistently recommend purchasing concentrates with COAs from legal markets and avoiding products without analytical traceability.