COAs vs. COCs: What Certs Say About Silicone Quality

COAs and COCs certify the quality of the materials that silicone suppliers send to their customers. Certificates of Analysis (COAs) report the test results for a specific batch of materials. Certificates of Conformance (COCs) simply attest to a batch’s compliance with those requirements. In other words, COAs are data-driven while COCs are not.   

Specialty Silicone Products (SSP), a leading manufacturer of silicone elastomers, sends COAs that prove the quality of its materials. SSP can also provide COCs if you require them. By contrast, other silicone manufacturers may only offer COCs. That’s fine for some applications, but what if your customer needs proof that a silicone meets specific requirements? 

Silicone Quality and Accountability 

SSP’s COAs don’t just confirm that our silicones meet specifications. These certs contain the results from quality control (QC) testing that we perform for individual batches of products. In addition to test results for specs such as durometer and thickness, you’ll see information about test conditions. Our COAs also list the names of the SSP employees who approved the results and released the batch. 

Each week, members of our Quality and Compliance Department send many different types of certs. Some are general declarations of compliance. Others are custom-tailored to meet a customer’s needs. Here at our manufacturing facility and quality laboratory in Ballston Spa, New York (USA), we understand the importance of accountability. 

Compliance and Regulation Definitions 

Along with our high-quality silicones, SSP supplies compliance documentation for these specifications: 

• Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH)

• Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive (RoHS 3)

• United States Pharmacopeia (USP)

• Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (WEEE Directive)

• Proposition 65 (The Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986)

• Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)

• Conflict Minerals Report (CMRT)

• Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS) 

SSP also tests silicones to MIL-DTL-83528, Type B and Type D; A-A-59588, Class 3A and Class 3B; and USP Class VI. In addition to QPL products that are listed with the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), we can supply cost-effective alternatives to some DLA approved items.

For more information about Specialty Silicone Products and our capabilities, contact Dominic Testo.