How to Read a Delta 8 Lab Report

by NAM McL December 21, 2022

When it comes to delta 8 THC, every company has their own quality standards with the products they offer to deliver this all-time favorite cannabinoid into the body. Before buying any new delta 8 product, there are some essential things to consider, like its potency, its safety, its purity and whether or not it’s compliant with federal law.

Luckily, all of this information is actually very easy to access, through third-party lab reports. Third-party lab reports are supposed to be provided with every delta 8 product, offering an unbiased, objective breakdown of critical information like that we listed above, to give customers assurance, and to further provide legitimacy to the hemp industry.

But, if you don’t know how to read a delta 8 lab report, you may be lost. Have no fear though, we’re here to help by explaining everything you need to know about that little sheet of paper.

Delta 8 THC and Third-Party Testing: Why It Matters and How It Actually Works

Essentially, without third-party testing, consumers have no way to be sure that the delta 8 product they’re buying is high in quality, safe, legal or even legitimate. Third-party testing is a standard and required practice for any hemp manufacturer, to ensure good quality standards, safety and legality.

Companies are required to do this by law, primarily to confirm the legal compliance of their products. The law says that hemp products cannot contain more than 0.3% delta 9 THC, otherwise they may not be sold. So, third-party testing is done to verify, through an unbiased laboratory, that the products made by a particular brand do comply. And, the laboratory also looks for other indicators, like the purity of the delta 8, whether or not terpenes are present, and so on.

Here’s how it works: a hemp company creates a delta 8 product, and then they send it off to a state-authorized cannabis laboratory. From there, the product is thoroughly analyzed, and it’s returned to the company with the resulting lab sheet, which shows all of their findings. This lab sheet is then published by the manufacturer so that consumers can access it.

Where Do I Find a Delta 8 Lab Report?

Basically, a delta 8 brand should go out of their way to make it easy for consumers to find their delta 8 lab report.

Customers are expecting it, so it would be strange to hide it.
If the company has nothing to hide, they should be proud to display it easily on their website.

There are usually two places where these lab reports will be. Since each product has to be lab-tested separately, you may find the lab report right there on the product page, accessible through a link that often brings you to a PDF file. Or, the company may have a separate page for all of their lab reports, which is usually accessed through the website’s menu.

Now, there is a single variable you have to unfortunately consider, and that’s the lab report’s authenticity. It’s rare for companies to use fake ones, and no highly reputable hemp company fakes their lab reports, but if you’re buying from a smaller company, best to know what to look out for.

One thing you should look for is spelling mistakes, or text that has been either blanked out or concealed in some way. This is obviously going to tell you that the lab report is fake, or the company is hiding certain information in its findings.

Now, you can also verify a lab report by looking for the name of the lab and the reference number in one of the corners of the sheet. If you want, you can look up the laboratory and use the reference number to confirm its legitimacy.

What’s in a Lab Report That I Should Be Looking At?

Most lab reports consist of two documents as both are very helpful in terms of product quality and what to lookout for.

Short Document

Usually is a single page that supplies an overview of all of the important information about the hemp that’s inside the product. This is where you will usually see two columns:

Column 1: Lists all of the cannabinoids in that said product
Column 2: Lists all of the terpenes in that said product.

There are a few things to pay attention to here:

The amount of delta 9 THC – if it’s 0.3% or lower, then the product is legal.
Look at the delta 8 as well, as you will never see a 100% pure delta 8 product, as that’s physically impossible. But, look for a purity level of 90% or higher.
If there are trace amounts of other cannabinoids, that’s normal. But, if the delta 8 product contains a high amount of another cannabinoid – let’s say, 40% CBD – and that’s not disclosed by the manufacturer, that’s something that could be seen as shady, as it could mean they’re diluting their delta 8 THC without telling you.
The terpene profile will only apply to products that contain terpenes. For instance, most gummies contain no terpenes, as the only hemp they contain is a pure delta 8 distillate.

Long Document

This is usually several pages, and goes into much more detail about the contents, while also outlining all of the information regarding safety.

There should be individual sections that display results such as: when the product was tested for impurities, microbes, toxins, solvents, and other unwanted compounds that may have found their way into the hemp extract.
There will also likely be some information about how the product was handled – in other words, whether or not it was contaminated at any time in transit.

Why Can the Product Type Make a Difference in Terms of What’s on a Lab Report?

Now, there is something else to be aware of, which is that the lab report can be different depending on the product type. Let’s elaborate by breaking down the most popular product types, and how their lab reports can differ from one another.

Vaping Products

A vaping product, whether it be a vape cart or a disposable, should contain nothing but 100% hemp – no additives of any kind, in other words. So, when looking at the percentage of delta 8, it should be 90% or above, since it’s undiluted with other ingredients. The number of milligrams will likely be between 900-950mg, with the rest consisting of terpenes, and possibly very trace amounts of other cannabinoids.

Edibles

Edibles like gummies are not 100% hemp, as there are lots of other ingredients in there, so don’t expect to see 100% hemp compounds in the lab report. Look for the milligram strength in the cannabinoid breakdown – for instance, if you’re going with 10mg gummies, you should see that 10mg somewhere on the lab report page.

Topicals

With topicals, the same rule applies as it does to edibles. Topicals are also made with a number of ingredients, so you’re really looking for the milligram strength of the product since you won’t be getting a product made up of 100% hemp.

Flower

The lab report for flower should offer a diverse breakdown of cannabinoids and terpenes, as flower naturally has hundreds of these compounds. Look at the delta 8 in there, as this will tell you how much delta 8 THC has been infused into the flower product.

Bottom Line: Delta 8 Lab Reports Matter!

A delta 8 lab report isn’t something you want to skip over when you’re buying a new product – especially from a brand that’s new to you. It can tell you a whole lot of critical information about what you’re about to buy, and it will also help you spot a fake product before making the mistake of purchasing it. Fortinetly, any legitimate company makes their lab reports very accessible, so you can find this information easily and confirm that you’re getting the product you want before you commit to buying.