Understanding Lab Reports - 101
Welcome to Understanding Lab Reports - 101
These special education tutorials help you understand key industry tips that will help you as you navigate your way around the product space in the industry. Remember these tips and tricks and build on the knowledge as you see 102 & 103 more advanced tutorials come out! Remember to subscribe to our email list for updates!
The Lab Report or COA
The industry term varies between regions, but both the COA and Lab Report terminology typically reference the same document. This document will show the potency of cannabinoids and sometimes terpenes in the product.
STEP 1 - Identify the Section that list Cannabinoids
In this section you will have multiple cannabinoids listed. Typically in current industry formulas they are derived from natural formulas the plant produces, and the oil is then extracted (concentrated). The product manufacturer then uses the concentrate with a carrier oil and dilutes it. The more advanced manufacturers are now isolating and adding more individual cannabinoids to the existing plant formula to spike the formula and make it more individualized to potentially benefit the consumer in different ways. On average you will see 1-3 cannabinoids in a natural plant spectrum.
Understanding Lab Reports - 101
Step 2
Once you have identified the section with the cannabinoid percentages, you can then look for the % weight and mg/g columns.
Result (%) – This column displays the analytics reported in a percentage format.
Result (mg/g) – This column displays the analytics reported in a milligram per gram amount.Step 3 - (Refer to Picture Below)
Step 3
With 1 Gram = 1 milliliter you can then calculate your products total cannabinoid content.
Example Lab Report - Hope Hemp's "Carolina's Hope - 1000 mg" Tincture
34.27 mg/ml from lab report (bottom right picture) x 30 ml (Hope tincture is 30 ml in total volume) = 1,028.10 mg CBD Total
Note: Good ethical brands produce consistent product that is within 10% within the advertised amount. Hope Hemp uses the number on the front as "the minimum" CBD content, and does not include minors in their minimum!
Reference : apply the same step for each minor cannabinoid in the formula. Carolina's Hope has minors and that pushes the total mg per bottle up even more!
Learn More
A great example of a company using transparency for its product lines by posting every COA or Lab Report on a portal shared by its vendors, customers, and partners. Also available to the public without a membership or system to harness their information. Completely Public.