A test report is evidence, but only of a specific thing. Read the wrong way, it creates false confidence — a buyer files a coating report as if it certified the finished cans, and it surfaces as a problem months later at customs or in a customer audit.
Below is a plain account of the three reports we issue most often, including one that is regularly misunderstood, followed by the checks worth running on any report you receive — ours or any other supplier's.
The three documents we issue most often
These are the reports customers ask for most. Note what each one actually covers — the third row is the one that causes the most confusion.
| SGS test report | Aluminium can samples Report GZHL241105081201CW · SGS-CSTC Standards Technical Services, Guangzhou Branch · Nov 2024 Generic can samples — not tied to your order |
|---|---|
| Heavy metals & PFAS report | Aluminium aerosol can — Pb, Hg, Cd, Cr(VI), total fluorine, PFAS: all Pass Report DLR-260711013R · Shenzhen DL Testing Technology · Jul 2026 Check the stated method and limits against your market's requirement |
| Food-contact coating report | Coating test on the supplier's PPG2845 material to GB 4806.10-2025 Report A2260041275101001E · CTI Testing (Centre Testing International) · Feb 2026 Issued to PPG Coatings, not to us — it covers the lacquer material, not our finished cans |
Notice that only one of the three carries a report number issued to us for cans. The other two are either sample-level or material-level documents. That distinction matters when your customer or customs broker reads them.
Five fields to check on any test report
Whatever report you receive — from us or from any supplier — these five fields decide whether it is worth anything for your file:
- Report number. It has to exist and be quotable. A screenshot or a PDF without a report number cannot be traced back to anything.
- Issuing laboratory and its scope. The lab should be a recognisable third party, identified by full name and branch, not just a logo. If you need the report accepted by an auditor, ask whether the lab's accreditation covers the specific test method used.
- Sample description. This is where reports most often fail you. A report describing “aluminium can sample” does not prove anything about the 200 ml can with your artwork and your lacquer. Check that the description matches what you are actually buying.
- Test method and limit values. “Pass” is meaningless on its own. Look for the standard or method the lab applied and, critically, the limit it was measured against. A result can pass a lenient limit and fail a strict one.
- Date and validity. Reports are point-in-time. A report describes the samples that were submitted on the date shown — not the cans in your upcoming shipment.
What a test report does not prove
Being clear about this is more useful to you than any marketing claim, because your customer will ask these questions eventually:
- A material report is not a product certificate. The PPG2845 coating report covers the lacquer material; it does not certify every can we make with it.
- One passing batch is not a guarantee over time. That is why we sample pressure and burst pressure per batch instead of relying on a single historical test.
- A report does not transfer your legal obligation. Compliance of the finished, filled product stays with the brand owner for the market it is sold into — we supply the evidence, you hold the position.
- An old report does not cover a new specification. Change the lacquer, the alloy or the wall thickness and the old result describes a different product.
Matching a document to your market
Different destinations ask for different paperwork, and getting this wrong late in an order is expensive. Rather than guess, tell us three things and we will confirm what we can provide:
- the market the finished product will be sold in;
- whether your customer needs the document in the can manufacturer's name or will accept a material-level declaration;
- the age limit your customs broker or auditor applies.
If a document can only be issued in a supplier's name, we will say so up front instead of sending you something that gets rejected later.
What we test on the line, and how often
Most of the quality evidence never becomes a PDF you receive — it happens on the line, every day. This is the routine testing behind a normal order:
| Leak testing | 100% of production, water-bath immersion, every can |
|---|---|
| Pressure testing | Sampled per batch and recorded against the batch number |
| Burst pressure testing | Sampled per batch, results reported on request |
| Dimensional control | In-line diameter, height and shoulder checks during forming |
| Print colour control | Matched against the approved Pantone reference each print run |
| Coating adhesion | Tested on internal and external coating after curing |
| Food contact compliance | Internal lacquer declaration available for food and oral products |
| Heavy metal / migration | Third-party laboratory testing on request for regulated markets |
| Recyclability | Aluminium body is 100% recyclable with no plastic liner in standard cans |
| Batch traceability | Material batch and production batch recorded and retained |
Ask for any of these records with your batch reference and we can retrieve them.
How to trace a report back to your order
When you request documents, give us the batch reference rather than just the product name. We record the material batch and the production batch, so a report can be matched to the cans that were actually produced for you instead of a generic sample from stock.
If you need the document stamped for an import file, a tender submission or a customer audit, say so in the request — a certified copy with a company stamp is issued on request.
Frequently asked questions
Can you send a test report that carries our batch number?
Yes. Tell us the batch reference on your order and we will issue the documents with the matching batch reference. Material batch and production batch are both recorded and retained, so the report you receive can be traced back to the specific cans that were made for you.
Is the food-contact coating report issued in your company name?
No, and this is worth understanding before you put it in an import file. Report A2260041275101001E was issued to PPG Coatings for the PPG2845 coating material, not to us. It is a material-level declaration for the internal lacquer; it is not a certificate covering our finished cans. If your market needs a document in the can manufacturer's name, ask us and we will tell you what we can obtain.
How old can a test report be before a buyer or customs authority rejects it?
That depends entirely on the market and the auditor. Reports are a point-in-time result on the samples that were submitted, so a report from two years ago still describes those samples, not the cans in your current shipment. Tell us the age requirement your customer or customs broker applies and we will confirm what can be provided within that window.
Do you test every single batch?
Line testing is routine, not exceptional: every can goes through water-bath leak testing, while pressure and burst pressure are sampled per batch and recorded against the batch number. Third-party laboratory testing is arranged on request when your market requires it.
What exactly does “all Pass” mean on the heavy metals and PFAS report?
It means the tested parameters — lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, total fluorine and PFAS — fell below the limits applied in that particular report, on the samples that were submitted. Before you rely on it, open the report and check two things: the test method it references, and the limit values it was measured against. Your own market may apply different limits.
Request the documents for your market
Tell us which document your customer or customs authority needs and the batch reference on your order, and we will send it. If you are still at the specification stage, we can confirm up front which reports are available for the can you are considering — see the food-grade aerosol cans and oral spray cans that use food-contact lacquer, or the full list on the certificates and compliance page.