How to Read a Kratom Certificate of Analysis

The kratom certificate of analysis (COA) is the single most important document in this industry — and the most faked. A real COA tells you exactly what is in the pouch you bought: alkaloid content, heavy metal levels, microbial results. A fake one tells you what you want to hear. Learning to read one is a ten-minute skill that protects every purchase you will ever make, and this guide teaches it.

The five parts of a real COA

1. Batch identification

Every legitimate COA is tied to a specific batch number, and that number must match your package. A “lab tested” PDF with no batch reference proves nothing — it is decoration. Match the batch on the pouch to the batch on the document, every time.

2. The laboratory and its accreditation

The lab must be named, with address and phone number, and ideally accredited to ISO/IEC 17025 — the international standard for testing laboratories. Anonymous labs do not exist; unverifiable ones are a scam signal covered in how to spot a fake lab test.

3. The alkaloid panel (potency)

This lists the concentration of key alkaloids, expressed as milligrams per gram or percent:

• Mitragynine — the headline number; typical commercial leaf runs roughly 1–2% by dry weight. Higher is not “better” — it is stronger, which demands more careful serving discipline: serving guide.
• 7-hydroxymitragynine — naturally trace (hundredths of a percent). Elevated 7-OH numbers mean added concentrate — a different product class entirely: what 7-OH is.

4. Heavy metals

Lead, arsenic, cadmium and mercury, in parts per million, against pass/fail limits. Leaf accumulates metals from soil, so this panel is non-negotiable — the full story in kratom heavy metals testing explained.

5. Microbial panel

Salmonella, E. coli, total plate count, yeast and mold. This is the panel whose absence has made people sick — see salmonella and kratom safety and why microbial testing matters.

The six fake-COA red flags

1. No batch number, or the same batch for years of “results”.
2. No lab contact details — or a lab that does not answer its phone.
3. Missing entire panels (potency-only COAs are half a document).
4. Perfectly identical results across every product the vendor sells.
5. Numbers with no units, or limits with no standard referenced.
6. A COA “summary” graphic instead of the actual lab document.

The full forensic breakdown: how to spot a fake kratom lab test.

Our testing standard

Every Pure Ohms batch is tested by an independent ISO-accredited laboratory for mitragynine content, heavy metals, microbial contamination, residual solvents and undeclared adulterants — and every certificate is published on our lab tests page, matched to the batch you receive. That page, not a badge, is the standard you should demand from any vendor.

Related reading

• Why GMP certification matters for kratom — the manufacturing side of quality.
• How to choose a kratom vendor — the full due-diligence sequence.
• 50 kratom FAQs — quality and testing questions answered.

These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. Kratom is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Adults 21+ only.