What does a laboratory check before ordering a reagent from a new supplier?
They check the grade against the method, the impurity specification against what their analysis can tolerate, and whether a certificate of analysis comes with every batch. In validated work a reagent without documented purity cannot be used, whatever it costs.
A laboratory manager is deciding whether a cheaper reagent can be used in a method that has already been validated.
Reviewed 4 August 2026
Scope and specifications
- Product name, CAS number and formula
- The unambiguous identity of what is being ordered.
- Grade
- Analytical reagent, HPLC, spectroscopy and technical grades are different products.
- Purity and impurity specification
- What the method can tolerate.
- Pack sizes
- Laboratories buy small and repeatedly.
- Storage and stability conditions
- Determines shelf life in the lab.
- Hazard classification
- Decides what the lab is permitted to hold.
- Lead time and stock position
- Laboratories order against a schedule, not a forecast.
Documents buyers may need
| Document | What it proves | Where it belongs |
|---|---|---|
| Certificate of AnalysisAsked at: with every batch, without asking | Batch purity and impurity profile against the specification | Per shipment |
| Safety Data SheetAsked at: before purchase approval | Hazard, handling, storage and disposal information | Publish it |
| Product specification sheetAsked at: method selection | The grade's guaranteed limits, separate from the batch result | Publish it |
| ISO 9001 or ISO 17025 scopeAsked at: supplier approval | Quality system, and accredited testing scope where claimed | Publish it |
| Traceability statementAsked at: validated and regulated work | Whether values are traceable to a recognised reference material | Name it, share on request |
| Transport classificationAsked at: ordering | How the material can be shipped and received | Publish it |
| Manufacturing or repacking declarationAsked at: supplier assessment | Whether you synthesise, purify or repack | Publish it |
Details for a useful enquiry
- Product and CAS number
- Removes all ambiguity.
- Grade required
- Determines whether you can supply at all.
- Pack size and quantity
- Laboratory quantities are small and specific.
- Application or method
- Lets you flag a grade mismatch before it costs the customer a run.
- Documentation required
- Certificate of analysis, traceability or both.
- Delivery timing
- Laboratory work is scheduled and a late reagent stops it.
Questions suppliers ask
Should certificates of analysis be searchable by batch number online?
If you can do it, it is the single most useful thing you can build. Laboratories file certificates against results and frequently need to retrieve one years later. A batch lookup removes an email exchange that both sides find tedious and that you cannot always answer quickly.
How much of the specification should be public?
All of the grade specification. It is what a laboratory compares between suppliers, and hiding it only guarantees they compare someone else's. Batch certificates are different: those belong to the customer who bought the batch.
We repack rather than synthesise. Does that matter?
It matters and it should be stated. Some laboratories cannot use repacked material in validated methods; others do not care and value your stock position and pack sizes. Both need to know which you are, and finding out late is worse for you than for them.
Check which documents and standards your buyer needs; requirements vary by market, customer and contract.
Plact Research. Plact's editorial desk for buyer-evidence research. Industry standards, documents and buyer questions are researched and drafted with Plact's AI tools, then reviewed by Praveen Kavuri before publication. Every claim cites the standard, regulation or public source it rests on.
Related buyer questions
- Chemicals and materialsWhat does a chemical buyer check before asking you for a sample?
- Adhesives and sealantsWhat does a buyer check before trialling a new adhesive?
- Paint and coatingsWhat does a specifier check before approving a coating system?
- Industrial gasesWhat does a buyer check before switching industrial gas supplier?
Put this to work on your website
See how Plact helps buyers find what you offer and send a useful enquiry.