Buying PMB: TDS, COA and Specification Checklist

PMB TDS and COA documents help buyers answer one important question: does the evidence in front of you relate to the material you are actually buying? A technical data sheet, a certificate of analysis and a laboratory report each prove something different, and none of them proves everything.

This guide explains what PMB TDS and COA documents can and cannot show, how to check a reported result, how to tie evidence to a shipment, and what to request at each stage. It is about using documents to verify an offer, not about what the tests mean. For that, see our article on PMB testing and quality control. General commercial and logistics considerations are covered elsewhere in Tiger Bitumen’s guides and are not repeated here.

Start With the Governing Specification

Before comparing offers, establish what the material must conform to:

• The governing specification, such as EN 14023, a performance-grade specification, a specific edition of IS 15462, or a national or project specification.
• Its edition, where editions differ.
• The complete designation or classification. Under EN 14023, for example, a penetration range such as 45/80 is only part of a designation; the complete designation also carries the applicable softening-point class. See our EN 14023 classification article and our article on PMB grades.
• Project-specific requirements, including which properties must be declared. Some apply only where specified, such as elastic recovery or storage stability.

Ask each supplier to state, in writing, which specification and edition they quote against and which designation they offer. Without that information, two offers may look alike while referring to different requirements.

Offers under different systems are not automatically comparable. EN 14023, performance grading and IS 15462 classify binders on different bases. A PMB offered under one system does not become equivalent to a grade in another simply because the names look similar.

Where a specification allows an alternative, the supplier should show equivalence with test data against the governing specification. Our PMB vs PG article explains the distinction.

PMB TDS and COA: What Each Document Can Prove

Document	Main purpose	Level	Can demonstrate	Cannot demonstrate
Technical data sheet (TDS)	Describes the product offered	Product	What the supplier declares the product to be, and the basis	That a particular shipment passed testing
Certificate of analysis (COA)	Reports measured results for a defined batch or shipment	Batch or shipment	The results reported for that batch against stated requirements	Every property, unless listed; how the sample was taken, unless stated
Laboratory test report	Records testing on a sample	Sample	Method, sample identity, dates, results and deviations	Anything about material that was not sampled
Inspection report	Records what an inspector observed, sampled, checked or tested	Agreed scope	Findings within that scope	Matters outside the scope
Type-test, DoP or FPC evidence	Shows conformity of the product and its production control, where applicable	Product and production system	That the product was type tested and production is controlled	Results for a particular batch
Supplier declaration	The supplier’s own statement	Statement	What the supplier asserts	More than the evidence behind it

Technical Data Sheet

A TDS normally describes the product as offered. It may include the designation, applicable specification, declared properties, test methods, limits or classes where applicable, and handling and storage information.

It is product-level information. Therefore, a TDS is not automatically evidence that a particular shipment passed testing.

Certificate of Analysis

A COA commonly reports measured results for a defined batch, lot or shipment. Its fields are typically defined by the issuer, so they vary, and it may not contain every property the specification requires.

It is only evidence about your material if it can be tied to that batch. The test dates should also make sense in relation to the production and shipment it describes. In addition, a COA is not automatically a complete laboratory record.

Laboratory Test Report

A detailed report records testing performed on a sample. For laboratories accredited to ISO/IEC 17025, the standard requires reports to identify the method, the item tested, results with units, relevant dates, any deviations from the method and who authorised the report.

If a report includes a statement of conformity, it must say which results it applies to, which specification is met or not met, and the decision rule applied. Report formats still differ, and accreditation should not be assumed. Where a laboratory claims accreditation, ask for the scope.

Inspection Report

ISO/IEC 17020 describes inspection as the examination of a product and the determination of its conformity with specific requirements. An inspection report records what an inspector observed, sampled, checked or tested within the agreed scope.

Therefore, the report does not extend beyond that scope.

Type-Test, DoP and FPC Evidence

EN 14023 provides for initial type testing and factory production control. In the EU and EEA, conformity under the framework leads to a declaration of performance and CE marking, supported where required by a certificate from a notified body.

The formats of these documents are not standardised. They relate to the product and its production control, not to a batch. Whether they apply depends on the destination market and the rules in force there.

If your project is outside the EU and EEA, ask which documentary basis the supplier is working to.

Checking a PMB TDS and COA Result: Method, Conditions and Context

A number without its context can mislead. Before relying on a reported result, check where relevant:

• The test method and its edition
• The test temperature and other test conditions
• The ageing state: original or aged binder
• The sample identity
• The test date
• The specification, class or limit being applied
• The laboratory or report reference
• Whether the figure is a specification limit, a typical value or a measured result for a particular batch

A reported elastic-recovery value, for example, cannot be compared with a requirement unless the method and conditions are known. Ductilometer methods differ in their conditions, while MSCR recovery measures something else.

For more detail, see our articles on elastic recovery and storage stability where those properties are specified.

Sampling and Traceability

A test report is far more useful when the tested sample can be traced to the offered material. ASTM D140 states that sampling is as important as testing. EN 58 also sets out what a sampling report can record, including the manufacturer and supplier, batch, container or pipe sampled, material type, date and time, sampler, unique sample identity, sample amount, method and deviations.

Where applicable, a buyer can look for:

• Batch or lot identification
• Sample identification
• A production or shipment reference
• Container or tank reference, and seal references where used
• The sampling date
• A report or reference number

Not every PMB shipment uses the same traceability system. Therefore, where the project needs a specific level of traceability, establish it in the contract or inspection plan rather than assuming it.

What Third-Party Inspection Can and Cannot Establish

Third-party inspection can provide independent witnessing, checking or testing within the agreed scope. Its evidentiary value depends on:

• The inspection scope
• How sampling was done
• Which tests were performed
• The laboratory used
• The timing
• The agreed inspection protocol

It cannot establish matters outside that scope, and it does not by itself confirm every property of the product or shipment.

An inspection report is a separate record from the COA and has its own scope. Therefore, read it for what was actually sampled, checked or tested, not only for the fact that an inspection took place.

PMB Specification and Document Checklist

These are common practices, not universal requirements. What applies depends on the governing specification and the contract.

Before Quotation

• The required PMB designation, including any classification information the framework needs
• The governing specification and edition
• Project requirements, and the properties required where specified
• The documents required, and who issues them

Before Order Confirmation

• The TDS for the offered designation, citing the same standard, edition and classes
• The test methods behind declared properties
• Supplier storage and handling information where relevant; EN 14023 places storage conditions with the supplier
• Agreed acceptance criteria: which results, limits and methods apply
• The sampling and testing basis
• Inspection arrangements, if required

Before Shipment

• A batch or shipment COA, with test dates, methods, results and the requirements applied
• Batch, lot or shipment identity matched to the COA, including container or tank and seal references where used
• Relevant test reports and sample identity
• Inspection or testing documents, where the contract requires them

After Shipment

• Keep the COA, relevant reports and inspection and shipping records together
• Retain samples if the contract provides for it
• Keep any claims or quality documentation the contract requires

Document Red Flags

A missing document is a reason to ask a question, not evidence of poor quality. Points worth raising include:

• A generic TDS offered where shipment-specific evidence is required
• An unclear designation
• A penetration range without the classification information the framework requires
• A standard cited without a complete class or designation, including “complies with EN 14023” without adequate classification context
• A result with no test method, or no sample or batch identity
• An old report presented as current shipment evidence
• Cross-standard equivalence asserted without test data
• A document that cannot be tied to the offered material
• A “pass” or “complies” statement that does not identify the requirement it covers
• Accreditation or certification claims without details or scope that can be verified

Explore Tiger Bitumen’s Polymer Modified Bitumen Range

Tiger Bitumen can provide PMB-specific technical documentation and, where applicable, a shipment-specific certificate of analysis. Third-party inspection can also be arranged where required.

PMB requirements should be confirmed against your project specification. To review the range or request a quotation, visit our Polymer Modified Bitumen (PMB) page, or request a quotation with your specification.

Frequently Asked Questions