Guide

Keeping the invoice, COA and MSDS consistent

A chemical shipment is held at the port more often because two documents disagree than because one is missing. The fix is a five-minute check before dispatch, not a better document.

The short answer. Before dispatch, check that the product name, grade, CAS number, quantity and batch number are identical on the invoice, the certificate of analysis, the Material Safety Data Sheet and the bag markings. A mismatch in any one of them is a question customs can ask, and a delay while it is answered.

The details that must match

Detail	Appears on	Common mismatch
Product name	Invoice, COA, MSDS, bags	A trade name on one document and a chemical name on another
Grade	Invoice, COA, bags	A hydrate or grade that differs between documents
CAS number	MSDS, COA, sometimes invoice	The CAS number of a different hydrate of the same salt
Quantity and packing	Invoice, packing details, bags	Net and gross weight confused, or bag count not matching
Batch number	COA, bags	A certificate for a different batch from the one loaded

Watch the hydrates

Several salts are sold in more than one hydrate, and each hydrate has its own formula and CAS number. Zinc sulphate monohydrate and zinc sulphate heptahydrate are different materials with different CAS numbers. If one document names the monohydrate and another carries the heptahydrate’s CAS number, that is a genuine discrepancy, not a typing detail. Each Taskon product page shows the formula and CAS number for that exact product.

A check before dispatch

Lay the invoice, COA, MSDS and a photograph of the bag marking side by side.
Read across each row of the table above.
Confirm the batch number on the certificate matches the batch loaded.
Send the set to your broker before the goods sail, not after they arrive.

Why chemicals are harder to get right

Three things make chemical documents more error-prone than most goods. The same salt is sold in several hydrates, each with its own formula and CAS number. A grade may be written as the purity of the compound on one document and as an element content on another, and both can be correct while looking different. And trade names for the same material vary between countries.

A consignment with several products multiplies each of these. Give every product its own line on every document, with its name, grade, CAS number, quantity and batch, rather than grouping similar products together.

What Taskon sends

Taskon sends the signed MSDS with the quotation and a batch certificate of analysis with the consignment. Tell us how your broker needs the product described, and we will confirm before dispatch how it will appear on the documents we issue.

Know what you need already? Send the grade, the quantity and the delivery location and we will quote against them.

Questions buyers ask

Keeping the invoice, COA and MSDS consistent: frequently asked questions

How do I make sure the composition on the invoice matches what customs checks?

Check that the product name, grade, CAS number, quantity and batch number are identical on the invoice, the certificate of analysis, the MSDS and the bag markings, and send the set to your broker before the goods sail.

What happens if a consignment is held because documents do not match?

Customs will usually ask for the discrepancy to be explained or corrected before release. Checking the documents against each other before dispatch avoids most of these delays.

Why does the CAS number matter so much?

Different hydrates of the same salt have different CAS numbers. A CAS number that belongs to a different hydrate is a real discrepancy.

Can Taskon match the product description my broker needs?

Tell us how your broker needs the product described, and we will confirm before dispatch how it will appear on the documents we issue.