Also called: Certificate of analysis
What a COA means
The COA lists methods, results and usually a batch, heat, silo or lot identity. For metals the nearest cousin is often a mill test certificate (MTC). For food, a quality analysis may sit beside phytosanitary documents rather than replacing them.
Why a lot COA has to match the cargo
Price is paid for a specification, not for a product nickname. If the COA cannot be tied to marks, batch numbers or the transport document, a quality claim has little to stand on. Buyers who accept “typical spec” certificates are buying a brochure.
What it covers
Measured properties of the sampled lot, as tested by the issuer, at the time of the test. Only the tests that were run. Only the identity printed on the document.
What it does not cover
Quantity loaded. Packing and marks on the quay. Whether the loaded cargo is the same lot. Condition of containers or holds. Phytosanitary or veterinary status. Customs classification.
Who issues it
Usually the producer or an appointed laboratory. A trading company reprinting another mill’s typical values is not the same as a lot COA. If the destination requires an accredited lab, say so in the RFQ.
COA versus inspection
A surveyor’s report describes what was observed: sampling, packing, quantity, sometimes loading. It may draw samples for a lab, but the inspection report is not automatically a full chemical analysis. The contract should say which document is binding for quality, who appoints the inspector, who pays, and what happens if COA and inspection disagree.
Common mistakes
Treating a typical datasheet as a lot COA. Accepting a COA with no batch link. Assuming inspection re-runs every lab test. Leaving the binding quality document unnamed until after load.
TTC uses these terms in its RFQ and transaction process. Nothing on this page is a licence, a certification, a guarantee of clearance, or a substitute for the documents and clauses of a specific contract.