Quality & testing
UCO certificate of analysis vs technical data sheet
Understand COA and TDS documents for used cooking oil: measured lot results, indicative specifications, units and evidence gaps.
Direct answer
A UCO technical data sheet describes proposed or indicative product specifications. A certificate of analysis reports results for an identified sample. Neither document alone proves origin, sustainability status, stock availability or acceptance of a future shipment.
Read the document’s purpose first
A TDS is useful for screening whether an offer might fit a buyer requirement. Its limits are not laboratory measurements. The public Turco & Co TDS is indicative and contains no tested lot results.
A COA should identify the issuing laboratory, sample reference, relevant lot, analytical dates, methods, units and results. A result is only as useful as the connection between the analysed sample and the offered cargo.
Check results against the buyer’s specification
Build a line-by-line comparison of the parameter, acceptance limit, method, reported result and reporting basis. If the buyer asks for a contaminant that is absent from the certificate, mark it as missing instead of assuming it is below the limit.
Watch for mismatched units or an acidity result reported on an unstated basis. Confirm unclear details with the issuing laboratory through a verified contact. A logo or signature image is not independent confirmation of authenticity.
Keep different evidence in separate files
Physical quality, quantity, sustainability and commercial identity answer different questions. Link the COA to the sampling record and the lot. Request separate origin, operator and shipment documents as needed for the buyer’s application.
- Issuer and report reference verified
- Sample connected to the offered lot
- Methods and units readable
- All required parameters covered
- Separate origin and shipment evidence available
Buyer questions
Can an old COA qualify a new lot?
It can illustrate historical quality but cannot establish the quality of a different lot. Request evidence representing the actual material offered.
Is a COA an ISCC certificate?
No. A laboratory analysis and a sustainability scheme certificate have different purposes and must be verified separately.
Sources and evidence
Primary references support the stated technical definitions. Procurement checklists are editorial guidance, not evidence of a specific lot, shipment or certification.
Confirm laboratory methods, commercial terms and applicable requirements with the buyer and qualified advisers before contracting. No guide establishes stock availability or company certification.
Continue your assessment
Used cooking oil sampling: a buyer’s checklist
Plan representative UCO sampling with lot identification, sealed retained samples, laboratory instructions and an agreed acceptance point.
UCO quality: FFA, moisture, impurities and MIV
Read UCO quality parameters correctly: free fatty acids, moisture, insoluble impurities, MIV, methods and contractual acceptance.
How to buy used cooking oil in bulk
Build a usable bulk UCO buying requirement: quantity, quality, origin, documentation, delivery point and acceptance procedure.
Discuss a documented UCO requirement
Send the quantity, loading and destination places, intended use, quality limits and required documents. Our trading desk can assess the file.
Discuss a documented UCO requirement →