What is in a deformulation report: components, estimated proportions, methods and limits
Read the conclusion before the component table
We deliver an English PDF with a conclusion card, a data appendix and a plain-language note explaining what could and could not be determined. The conclusion card is the place to start: it should answer the question agreed for the actual sample, not merely present a long list of detected signals. A buyer comparing two materials needs to know whether the supported differences relate to the purchasing decision; an engineer investigating a failed part needs to know where chemistry stops short of a causal finding.
A conclusion should be read with its sample identity and condition. A pellet, a diluted product, a cured film and a part aged in storage can all carry the same brand name while representing different states. Our results relate only to the sample as received. A useful reading checks whether the report actually addresses the state specified in the project brief before transferring its statements to a production batch or future shipment.
Identification has different levels of certainty
For main components, our reporting can identify a specific compound where the data allow or use a chemical family where a narrower claim is unsupported. Those are different evidential statements. "Acrylic family" does not silently mean an exact commercial resin grade, and an unresolved fraction does not mean that nothing was present. It means the available evidence did not justify a finer assignment. Read each component name at the level it is actually written.
We estimate proportions for identified components on a semi-quantitative basis, rather than presenting assay values. The difference matters when a number moves from an analytical report into a formulation worksheet. An estimate can show relative importance or guide a substitution trial; it cannot be assumed to be an exact production percentage. If a component remains unresolved, forcing the listed estimates to look like a complete recipe would conceal the uncertainty the report is meant to show.
What the appendix contributes
The data appendix lets a technical reader see the support behind the conclusion rather than relying on a bare assertion. We may combine several techniques on one sample, including LC-MS/MS, GC-MS and ICP-MS, with analysts choosing methods for that sample. Different measurements can inform different parts of a complex mixture; agreement and conflict between observations both matter to interpretation. The appendix should be read as evidence attached to the stated conclusion, not as a shopping list of instruments that every project automatically uses.
The plain-language limitations note is part of the result, not a disclaimer to skip. It tells the reader where signal overlap, low-level material, curing or missing sample phases restrict interpretation. We cannot name a raw material supplier or trade name from chemistry alone, and trace additives below detection limits may be missed. A cured or crosslinked system generally does not disclose its original mixing ratios. These limits are important if the report will guide purchasing or product development.
Use the report for its intended role
Our report is suited to research and purchasing questions such as benchmarking a reference, investigating a material difference or narrowing a substitution path. It should lead to a testable next step: compare another batch, inspect supplier records or trial a candidate formulation under controlled processing. An analytical composition match is not, by itself, a guarantee of equal manufacturing performance. Keep the distinction between measured finding, interpretation and next engineering test visible when circulating the report internally.
How to start
We accept overseas industrial samples after declaration review. Use the sample declaration form and read the related guide. Our reports are research-grade analytical reports from a laboratory that is not accredited. They cannot be used for product registration or legal proceedings.
FAQ
Does the report name every ingredient?
No. We identify supported main components and state unresolved parts; trace ingredients below detection limits may be missed.
Are the reported proportions assay values?
No. Reported proportions are semi-quantitative estimates for identified components, not assay values.
What is in the English PDF?
The English PDF contains a conclusion card, data appendix and a plain-language account of what could and could not be determined.
Does the appendix mean every listed instrument was used?
No. Our analysts select methods for the particular sample; the appendix supports the conclusions of that project.
Send a sample declaration for this product and state the question you want answered.