Reviewing a Specification Sheet Before You Order

A specification sheet is the contract between what you expect and what arrives. Read it as a production document, because that is what it becomes once goods are in your warehouse.

Identity and assay establish what the material is. Physical parameters establish how it will behave. Both matter, but the second is where most line problems originate.

Check that limits are stated as ranges or maxima, not as typical values. A typical result is an observation; a limit is a commitment.

Compare the sheet against the last COA you were sent. Where the COA reports parameters the specification does not mention, ask whether those are controlled or merely measured.

Agree in writing which parameters are release-critical for you. That short list is what a supplier should be checking before every shipment.