Analyses are started immediately upon receipt of samples to best ensure we meet our promised delivery. This means that charges are also incurred immediately upon receipt of samples. Please be aware that partial or full charges will apply based on how much work has been completed by the time of the change request.
We recommend payment by wire transfer or credit card. For details on our payment terms, please refer to this page.
A Beta representative will contact you to confirm the safe arrival of your samples in Miami and to quote you a delivery date for the results. Our quoted turnaround time starts following the day of receipt at the Miami laboratory excluding weekends. Samples being delivered to the lab after 3PM EST will be logged in the system the following day.
Yes. Log in the Customer Area of our website then select “View Tracking” in the dashboard.
No. Certification agencies and programs may require the products to be tested again using the latest version of the analytical standard they are recommending. Before sending samples to us, please contact the certification organization or program to verify if re-testing is required.
If you want to analyze the VOCs in your product, please consult us before shipping the sample. We can only analyze gases submitted as CO2 (either pure or in air mixtures).
Accurate analysis requires recovery of all available carbon within the product. If the biobased (“natural”) component is volatile and the synthetic, petroleum-derived component is not, the measured biobased content for the product will be too low if the volatiles are not recovered in the same proportion as the non-volatile petroleum-derived components. Special procedures are readily applied to handle such samples but Beta needs to be aware of the need. It is the submitter’s sole responsibility to provide the laboratory with this information.
It is very important to inform us before shipping hazardous samples so we can give you the correct instructions and shipping address. Samples need to be shipped to the US if they are designated as hazardous by the International Air Transport Association (IATA). Hazardous substances with IATA Excepted Quantity Codes E1, E2, E4 or E5 and those in Packing Groups II and III qualify for De Minimis shipping. To ship as De Minimis to our Miami office, the sample volume must not exceed 1 mL and the packaging must follow the guidelines in the Dangerous Goods Regulations, being sufficiently absorbent in case of leakage and sturdy enough to prevent breakage. No special labeling is required for De Minimis shipping. For detailed information, please consult the IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations.
Chemicals must include SDS/MSDS. We must have a copy on file. You can email a copy to your Beta account manager or upload it to your online data sheet.
Our laboratory does not have the facilities for handling or disposing of certain hazardous materials, and as such we cannot accept carcinogenic materials or materials requiring special disposal procedures. In the case of highly flammable or certain toxic materials (e.g. phenols), we can accept very small quantities such that disposal is not an issue. However, please contact us prior to sending the samples to discuss the appropriate amount to send.
Beta Analytic will NOT return any unused original or pretreated excess sample materials. The client must submit exactly the amount required by the lab. Any excess material will be disposed of.
When a material submitted is sufficient in size to allow a small amount of excess original and/or pretreated sample to be archived, we will archive the sample for a few months following the time of reporting / release of results. This is done as an internal Quality Assurance measure to allow for back-up analyses or additional investigations to be performed, if needed. Note: Beta does not archive or retain water samples.
Following this retention period, all sample bags and excess sample materials (original and pretreated) will be disposed of by incineration.
Communication and Sample Disposal – Beta Analytic will dispose of samples after 6 months that there is pending communication and no response has been received from the client on how to proceed.
We have several forwarding offices around the world but testing is only done in the Miami, Florida headquarters. If you are in Europe, please send your samples to our Madrid office. For China, please send them to our Xiamen address. For Japan, send the samples to our agent in Nagoya. We also have other forwarding offices in the UK and South Korea.
Note: Biofuels need to be shipped directly to the lab in Miami because Beta’s international forwarding offices are not equipped to handle these materials.
No. Please make sure that the shipping company you choose takes full responsibility to clear the package with US customs when sending samples directly to Miami, Florida. You may contact us for shipping advice.
Beta is not responsible for the clearance or transportation costs of international shipments not sent through one of our forwarding offices. Shipments arranged through a freight forwarder must be sent under DDP terms. The shipper is responsible for handling the administrative requirements to release the shipment.
When sending directly to Miami, please use this label for customs declaration: “Carbon NCM Number 2803.00 – for scientific study – to be destroyed entirely during the analysis – no commercial value.”
Customs and carriage value: 1 USD
Harmonized Tariff Number (HS code) – 280300
No. Samples need to be shipped directly to the lab in Miami because Beta’s international forwarding offices are not equipped to handle biofuels.
Please send your samples under the guidelines of “De Minimis Shipping” and email us the courier and tracking number.
Hazardous substances with International Air Transport Association (IATA) Excepted Quantity Codes E1, E2, E4 or E5 and those in Packing Groups II and III qualify for De Minimis shipping. To ship as De Minimis to our Miami office, the sample volume must not exceed 1 mL and the packaging must follow the guidelines in the Dangerous Goods Regulations, being sufficiently absorbent in case of leakage and sturdy enough to prevent breakage. No special labelling is required for De Minimis shipping. For detailed information, please consult the IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations.
Different analytical standards apply to different types of products. For example, EN 16766 only applies to biobased solvents while the ASTM D6866 standard applies to almost all products, including gases. The standards also have slight differences in the calculation of the biobased or renewable carbon percentage. Some standards report results as a fraction of total organic carbon (TOC) while others report results as a fraction of total carbon (TC) present in the material.
The analytical standard depends on the program you will choose. For example, most programs in Europe recommend a CEN analytical standard. The USDA’s BioPreferred Voluntary Labeling Program only uses ASTM D6866 testing at this time.
Only Carbon-14 analysis can verify if the adulteration is due to fossil sources (synthetic) whereas the other methods can only detect naturally sourced adulterants. To distinguish between different natural adulterants, other chemical analyses are needed, e.g. stable isotope analysis.
You may also be interested in reading: Common Authenticity Testing Methods – Is Carbon-14 Analysis Necessary?
No. Test results only show the percentage of ingredients that come from biomass (e.g. plants, animals) versus components that are from fossil sources (e.g. petroleum-derived). Carbon-14 testing results do not provide any data regarding product formulation or individual ingredients.
No. You can buy Tedlar gas bags from any supplier.
No, gas sampling is not part of Beta Analytic’s services.
It depends on the materials being incinerated to generate the emissions. Gas samples are more homogeneous and less complicated to subsample than waste-derived samples like municipal solid waste.
The testing frequency depends on the prevailing regulations in your state/region or the greenhouse gas initiatives selected for application.
