The Certificate of Analysis (COA) is the most important quality document in an agri-export shipment. This short guide explains how to read one — and how it connects to the rest of the document set.
What a COA contains
- Physical parameters — moisture, foreign matter, black and broken beans, and screen size.
- Grading results — screen-size distribution and defect counts against the contracted grade.
- Safety indicators — where agreed in the contract: pesticide residues, aflatoxin, microbiology.
Checking it against your contract
Compare each COA line with the specification annex of your sales contract. The tolerance ranges must match; if a parameter is missing from the COA, raise it before shipment — not after arrival.
The full document set
A typical shipment from Vietnam travels with: Commercial Invoice, Packing List, Bill of Lading, Certificate of Origin, Phytosanitary Certificate, Fumigation Certificate and the COA. For letter-of-credit payments, banks check documents word by word — consistency across all of them is what gets everyone paid on time.
Need a sample document set before your first order? Ask our documentation team.