ND / <LOQ (Non-Detect, Below Limit of Quantitation)

Every test method has two floors. The limit of detection (LOD) is the smallest amount the instrument can see at all. The limit of quantitation (LOQ) is the smallest amount it can measure accurately enough to print a number. A result of ND means nothing showed up at or above the detection floor. A result of <LOQ means a signal may be there, but it is too small to put a trustworthy number on. Some labs write <LOD or BLQ for the same ideas, so read the footnote on the report. The Cannigma's COA guide (cannigma.com, checked October 2026) defines LOQ as the smallest concentration that can be accurately quantified and LOD as the smallest amount the instrument can detect.

This is why "<0.3%" and ND are not the same statement. The 0.3% figure is the legal ceiling for hemp under the 2018 Farm Bill. A report that says a product is under 0.3% delta-9 THC tells you it clears the line, not how far below it sits. ND or <LOQ on the THC rows tells you the lab looked for it and found none, or too little to count. The LOQ also changes from sample to sample with the weight and dilution used, so we will not print one number for every lab. Read the LOQ column on the report in front of you.

What should "THC-free" read? Look at the THC rows, delta-9 THC and THCA, and the total THC line. They should say ND or <LOQ, with the LOQ stated beside them. We would be wary of a THC-free label backed by a report that only shows a bare "<0.3%". Our THC-Free Broad Spectrum drops read ND / <LOQ on the batch COA. Even then, a result below the LOQ is not a promise of a zero that no instrument could ever see, and anyone who is drug tested should talk to their employer or doctor first.