What a Coal Certificate of Analysis Actually Tells You
A COA is a snapshot, not a guarantee. Its value depends on when sampling occurred, how it was collected, which test standards were used, and whether it represents the cargo in dispute.
Certificates of analysis drive pricing, acceptance, and claims in seaborne coal trade. Yet many disputes arise because parties treat the COA as definitive proof without examining sampling location, composite method, or lab accreditation details.
Questions to ask when reading a COA
- Was sampling at load port, discharge port, or in transit?
- Does the COA represent a composite, individual lot, or single grab?
- Which ISO or ASTM methods were used for ash, moisture, and sulfur?
- Is the sample timing aligned with the cargo period defined in the contract?
- Are retained samples available for umpire testing if needed?
CoalSense-assisted COA review compares buyer specifications against reported results and flags parameters with the highest penalty or rejection exposure.
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