A spec sheet is not a COA — know which one you're reading
A specification sheet (or product monograph) describes what the supplier commits to produce, lot after lot: the active marker, the assay method, the form, the grade and the safety limits. A Certificate of Analysis (COA) is the per-batch result showing one lot met that spec. Buyers qualify a supplier on the spec sheet first, then verify each lot against it. HerbalSourcing states its role as a supplier and exporter of botanical extracts and keeps the spec sheet and the batch COA as two separate documents.
Start with the active marker and the assay method — together
A headline percentage means nothing without the method behind it. Green tea extract is offered at Tea Polyphenols 98% with EGCG 50% (UV for polyphenols, HPLC for EGCG) and a Tea Polyphenols 60% / EGCG 30% grade; curcumin is supplied at 95% curcuminoids by HPLC; and nattokinase is graded by activity — 20,000 FU/g by fibrin-plate method — rather than a percentage. The same number by different methods is not comparable, so always read the marker and the method as a pair.
Match the form and grade to your matrix
The form (powder, flake, oil, paste, spray-dried) decides how an extract behaves in your formulation. Reishi (Ganoderma lucidum) and Cordyceps militaris are standardized by beta-glucans (20% or 30% by Megazyme enzymatic assay) and polysaccharides / cordycepin, while lycopene is offered water-soluble 10% or oil-soluble 10% depending on the carrier system. A spec sheet should state the grade and the assay basis so you can confirm compatibility before scale-up.
Read the safety limits as hard floors, not marketing
A usable spec sheet states residual-solvent, heavy-metals and microbial limits, not just the active marker. Natural borneol, for example, is specified with Camphor <= 3.0% and isoborneol not detected, plus melting point 204-209°C and specific rotation +34° to +38°. Ask whether each limit is tested per batch or by specification, and what method is used — these floors are what protect your finished-product compliance.
Write the spec you qualified into the re-order RFQ
Once a lot passes, lock the marker, method, acceptable range, form, packaging and document scope into your re-order RFQ. HerbalSourcing confirms document availability (batch COA, spec sheet, MSDS, TDS) by product, grade, supplier route, stock status and destination market, so a repeat order matches the batch your team already qualified rather than a generic catalogue line.