How to Set Pesticide Product Specifications Before Supplier Approval

Approving a pesticide supplier should not begin with price, a sample, or a generic product name.

It should begin with a clear answer to one question:

What exactly must this product meet before we consider it acceptable?

For pesticide importers, distributors, registration companies, and private-label brands, a product specification creates that standard.

It connects supplier selection with sample approval, commercial production, batch testing, and future repeat orders.

A stronger procurement sequence is:

Product Requirement → Agreed Specification → Sample Testing → Supplier Approval → Bulk Production → Batch QC → COA

Das Grundprinzip ist einfach:

Approve the specification before approving the supplier.

Why Set the Specification Before Approving the Supplier?

A quotation such as:

Azoxystrobin 250 g/L SC

does not fully define the commercial product.

Two suppliers may offer the same active ingredient, concentration, and formulation code while using different:

• Technical material sources
• Formulation systems
• Physical-quality targets
• Verunreinigungsprofile
• Storage-performance standards
• Testmethoden
• Internal QC requirements

If the buyer approves the supplier first and discusses quality later, the commercial relationship begins with an unclear acceptance standard.

That creates problems when:

• The sample differs from future production
• Buyer and supplier laboratories report different results
• One party uses tighter limits than the other
• A production batch falls outside the buyer’s expectations
• Registration documents no longer match the commercial product

A written specification gives both sides the same technical reference.

For supplier comparisons, see how to compare pesticide suppliers beyond price.

Start With the Exact Product Identity

Before setting individual quality parameters, define the product itself.

A basic product identity should normally include:

Artikel	Beispiel
Wirkstoff	Azoxystrobin
Nominal concentration	250 g / L
Formulierung	SC
Commercial product identity	Fertige Formulierung
Manufacturing/source reference	Sofern relevant
Zielmarkt	Defined country/registration market
Registration relationship	Confirm where applicable

This first step sounds obvious, but document mismatches frequently begin here.

Beispielsweise:

250 g/L SC

und

25 % WP

are not interchangeable products simply because they contain the same active ingredient.

The formulation changes:

• Physikalische Eigenschaften
• Testanforderungen
• Verpackungs-
• Anwendungsverhalten
• Registrierungsidentität

The specification should therefore describe the exact commercial formulation being purchased.

Which Quality Parameters Should Be Included?

A pesticide product specification should contain the parameters needed to define acceptable commercial quality.

The exact list depends on the active ingredient, formulation, registration, and intended market.

Wirkstoffgehalt

The specification should define the nominal active ingredient content and the applicable acceptance range.

The tolerance should come from an appropriate technical basis, such as:

• Registered product requirements
• Applicable recognized specifications
• Validated internal standards
• Mutually agreed commercial requirements

Do not create a universal percentage tolerance and apply it to every pesticide.

Relevant Impurities

For technical materials and certain formulated products, relevant impurities may need to be controlled.

A technical material specification that shows only:

Wirkstoff: 97%

may still be incomplete if important impurity limits are applicable.

Impurity requirements should be based on the relevant product/source and regulatory context.

Formulation-Specific Physical Properties

Finished formulations need physical-quality parameters that reflect how the formulation is designed to behave.

A good SC specification does not look the same as a good EC, WP, or WDG specification.

Storage-Related Requirements

Where applicable, specifications may also include parameters associated with:

• Accelerated storage
• Kältestabilität
• Persistent separation
• Backen
• Redispergierbarkeit
• Other formulation-specific stability behavior

The objective is not to create the longest specification possible.

It is to define the parameters that meaningfully protect the product’s registered and commercial quality.

Which Parameters Change by Formulation Type?

Different pesticide formulations require different quality-control priorities.

Formulierung	Typical Specification Areas
TC	Active ingredient content, relevant impurities, moisture or other source-specific requirements
SC	Active ingredient, appearance, pH where applicable, suspensibility, wet sieve, viscosity or pourability, storage behavior
EC	Active ingredient, appearance, emulsion characteristics, acidity or water where relevant
WP	Active ingredient, wettability, suspensibility, wet sieve, moisture, powder condition
WG / WDG	Active ingredient, dispersibility, suspensibility, wet sieve, dustiness, attrition or granule integrity, moisture
SL	Wirkstoff, Aussehen, Stabilität der Lösung, pH-Wert oder Säuregrad (sofern zutreffend)
OD	Active ingredient, dispersion behavior, wet sieve, viscosity and storage-related properties
FS	Active ingredient, suspension behavior, viscosity and relevant seed-treatment formulation properties

These are typical specification areas, not universal mandatory limits.

A particular product may require:

• Weitere Parameter
• Fewer parameters
• Verschiedene Methoden
• Different acceptance ranges

The correct specification must match the exact formulation.

Einen umfassenderen Überblick finden Sie in unserem Leitfaden für Käufer von Pestizidformulierungen.

How Should Buyers Set Acceptance Limits?

A specification parameter becomes useful only when the buyer can determine whether a result passes or fails.

Weak specification wording includes:

• “Good suspensibility”
• “Normal pH”
• “Stable emulsion”
• “Fine powder”
• “No serious sediment”

These descriptions are subjective.

A stronger specification defines:

Parameter → Test Method → Acceptance Requirement

Beispielsweise:

Parameter	Testmethode	Annahme der Datenschutzbestimmungen
Wirkstoff	Agreed analytical method	Defined acceptable range
Suspendierbarkeit	Agreed physical method	Defined minimum requirement
pH	Agreed method	Defined range
Nasssieb	Agreed method	Defined maximum or minimum as applicable

The purpose is not to create unnecessarily tight limits.

The purpose is to make the specification messbar und wiederholbar.

Why Must the Test Method Be Defined?

A number without a test method can still create disputes.

Two laboratories may test the same sample and obtain different results because they used different:

• Wasserqualität
• Temperatur
• Conditioning
• Probenvorbereitung
• Analytische Verfahren
• Methodenversionen
• Berechnungsmethoden

This is particularly relevant for formulation properties such as:

• Suspendierbarkeit
• Benetzbarkeit
• Emulsionsstabilität
• Dispergierbarkeit
• Nasssieb
• Foam
• Fließfähigkeit

Where appropriate, buyer and supplier can agree on:

• CIPAC methods
• Validated manufacturer methods
• Registered analytical methods
• Other accepted laboratory procedures

For important acceptance parameters, the method should be clear enough that both parties understand how compliance will be assessed.

A specification is stronger when it tells the laboratory not only:

was zu testen ist

aber auch:

how the result should be generated.

FAO/WHO Specification vs Commercial Purchase Specification

FAO/WHO pesticide specifications can provide important technical references, but buyers should understand what they represent.

They should not automatically be copied into every supplier contract without confirming applicability.

Eine hilfreiche Unterscheidung ist:

FAO/WHO or Other Recognized Reference Specification

Provides an established technical quality framework for specific pesticide products or sources under the relevant specification system.

Registered Product Requirement

Defines the product identity and quality requirements accepted under a particular registration.

Commercial Purchase Specification

Defines the quality standard the buyer and supplier agree to use for sample approval, production, and commercial acceptance.

These documents may overlap, but they are not automatically identical.

A buyer should not assume that:

“This active ingredient has an FAO specification, therefore every manufacturer’s product is automatically covered by it.”

The specification used for procurement should match the actual commercial and regulatory situation.

Specification vs TDS vs COA: What Is the Difference?

These documents are closely related but serve different purposes.

Produktbeschreibung

Definiert:

What the product must meet.

TDS

Beschreibt:

What technical product is being offered.

COA

Berichte:

What was actually measured in the sample or batch.

That relationship can be summarized as:

Specification = Acceptance Standard

TDS = Product Technical Profile

COA = Actual Test Results

A COA is therefore most useful when its results can be compared directly with an approved specification.

For a detailed document comparison, see COA vs TDS vs SDS für Pestizide.

Sie können auch unseren ausführlicheren Leitfaden einsehen zu Technische Dokumente zu Pestiziden.

Should Buyers Use the Tightest Possible Specification?

Nein.

A tighter specification is not automatically a better specification.

Over-specification can create:

• Unnötige Chargenablehnung
• Höhere Herstellungskosten
• Lieferantenstreitigkeiten
• Testkomplexität
• Requirements with little practical quality value
• Limits that commercial-scale production cannot consistently maintain

The objective should be:

strict enough to protect product identity and commercial quality, but technically justified and realistically measurable.

For example, a buyer should not add a physical property simply because another pesticide includes it.

The parameter should have a real technical reason to be controlled.

Likewise, do not automatically convert every “typical value” in a TDS into a contractual acceptance limit.

A typical technical value and a purchase specification serve different purposes.

Test the Specification Before Supplier Approval

Once the specification has been agreed, test a representative sample against it.

Die korrekte Reihenfolge ist:

Agreed Specification

↓

Repräsentative Stichprobe

↓

Laboruntersuchungen

↓

Compare Results With Acceptance Limits

↓

Mustergenehmigung

↓

Supplier Technical Approval

A sample should not simply be approved because:

"Es sieht gut aus."

The stronger conclusion is:

The sample complies with the agreed product specification.

This also creates a technical bridge to future commercial production.

For a complete workflow, see Pestizidprobenprüfung vor einer Großbestellung.

Can the Supplier Meet the Specification at Commercial Scale?

This is one of the most important questions in supplier approval.

A laboratory or pilot sample may meet a specification.

But commercial sourcing requires the supplier to produce:

• 1-Tonne
• 5 Tonnen
• 20 Tonnen
• Nachbestellungen

mit vergleichbarer Qualität.

Supplier approval should therefore evaluate more than the first sample.

Ask whether normal production can consistently control:

• Wirkstoffgehalt
• Formulation properties
• Raw-material variability
• Verarbeitungsbedingungen
• Chargen-Qualitätskontrolle
• Lagerung
• Verpackungskompatibilität

A useful commercial specification must be achievable consistently at normal manufacturing scale.

An unusually perfect development sample has limited value if future production varies significantly from batch to batch.

Separate Product and Packaging Specifications

For private-label pesticide projects, the formulation specification and packaging specification should be linked but kept separate.

Produktbeschreibung

Covers the pesticide itself:

• Wirkstoff
• Konzentration
• Formulation properties
• Qualitätsparameter
• Testmethoden
• Akzeptanzgrenzen

Verpackungsspezifikation

May cover:

• Bottle or bag material
• Behältergröße
• Kappe
• Innere Dichtung
• Label
• Veredlung
• Batch-Codierung
• Karton
• Palettenkonfiguration

A pesticide can meet every laboratory requirement and still create commercial problems if the package leaks or fails during transport.

Aus diesem Grund:

product approval and packaging approval should be treated as two separate checkpoints.

What Changes Should Trigger Re-Approval?

Supplier approval should not mean that the product can change indefinitely without review.

Material changes may require technical reassessment.

Beispiele hierfür sind:

• Technical active ingredient source change
• Manufacturing site change
• Significant formulation change
• Co-formulant system change
• Major specification revision
• Relevant analytical-method change
• Packaging-material change
• Registration-related change

The exact re-approval requirement depends on the product and market.

For registration projects in particular, source and formulation changes may have regulatory consequences.

A good supplier relationship should therefore include appropriate Kontrolle ändern.

Where a change could affect the agreed product identity, quality, or regulatory project, it should be communicated before routine commercial supply.

Use Specification Version Control

A specification should be identifiable.

Useful document-control information can include:

• Produktname
• Formulierung
• Spezifikationsnummer
• Revision/version
• Datum des Inkrafttretens
• Genehmigungsreferenz

This avoids future disputes such as:

“Which specification was this order produced against?”

For long-term repeat orders, version control becomes increasingly important.

The commercial order should refer to the correct approved specification version whenever practical.

Pesticide Product Specification Template

A buyer can use the following structure as a starting point.

Spezifikationsfeld	Was der Käufer definieren sollte
Produktidentität	Active ingredient + concentration + formulation
Product/source reference	Where technically or regulatorily relevant
Aussehen	Clear measurable description
Wirkstoffgehalt	Nominal value + applicable acceptance range
Relevante Verunreinigungen	Wo anwendbar
pH / acidity	Where technically relevant
Formulation physical properties	According to SC, WP, WG, EC, SL, OD, FS, etc.
Storage-related requirements	Wo anwendbar
Testmethode	CIPAC, validated, registered or otherwise agreed method
Akzeptanzgrenze	Clear pass/fail requirement
COA parameters	Which results should appear on batch documentation
Änderungsstand	Version / date
Zusätzliche Bemerkungen	Produktspezifische Anforderungen

This template should be adapted to the actual pesticide.

Do not mechanically apply every row to every formulation.

Weak Specification vs Better Specification

Betrachten wir ein vereinfachtes Beispiel.

Schwache Spezifikation

Imidacloprid 200 g/L SL

• Active ingredient: 200 g/L
• Appearance: Good
• pH: Normal
• Stability: Good

The problem is that:

• “Good” is subjective
• “Normal” is undefined
• Test methods are missing
• Acceptance limits are unclear

Better Specification Structure

Imidacloprid 200 g/L SL

Definieren:

• Genaue Produktidentität
• Active ingredient acceptance range
• Relevant appearance requirement
• pH requirement where applicable
• Solution/stability parameters where relevant
• Testmethoden
• Klare Akzeptanzkriterien
• Spezifikationsrevision

The second format can support:

• Probentest
• Lieferantenfreigabe
• Chargen-Qualitätskontrolle
• Streitbeilegung
• Wiederholter Kauf

That is the practical purpose of a commercial specification.

Supplier Approval Checklist

Before approving a pesticide supplier, confirm:

Einblick in das	Käuferfrage
Produktidentität	Is the exact AI, concentration and formulation defined?
Regulatorische Eignung	Does the specification match the intended registered/commercial product?
Wirkstoff	Is an appropriate acceptance range defined?
Relevante Verunreinigungen	Are applicable impurity limits addressed?
Physikalische Eigenschaften	Are the correct formulation-specific parameters included?
Testmethoden	Can buyer and supplier produce comparable results?
Akzeptanzgrenzen	Is pass/fail measurable?
Musteranfrage	Has a representative sample been tested?
Kommerzieller Maßstab	Can normal production consistently meet the specification?
COA	Will future batch results be reported against the agreed parameters?
Kontrolle ändern	Will material product/source changes be communicated?
Versionskontrolle	Is the approved specification clearly identified?
Verpackungs-	Has a separate packaging specification been approved where required?

Supplier approval should come after these technical questions are sufficiently resolved.

Häufig gestellte Fragen

Is a Pesticide Specification the Same as a COA?

Nein.

The specification defines the required quality standard.

The COA reports actual test results for a particular sample or production batch.

Who Should Set the Pesticide Product Specification?

The buyer and supplier should agree on it.

The final requirements should be informed by the applicable registration, recognized technical references, validated methods, and commercial quality needs.

Can I Copy an FAO/WHO Specification for Any Supplier?

Nicht automatisch.

FAO/WHO specifications can be valuable references, but applicability to a particular manufacturing source and product must be confirmed.

Should Every Formulation Use the Same Specification?

Nein.

SC, EC, WP, WG/WDG, SL, OD, FS and other formulations have different physical-quality characteristics and therefore different specification needs.

Does a Tighter Specification Always Mean Better Quality?

Nein.

Limits should be technically justified, measurable, and realistic for consistent commercial production.

Overly restrictive specifications can create unnecessary cost and rejection without improving practical product quality.

Should the Test Method Be Included in the Specification?

For important measurable parameters, it is highly useful to define or reference the agreed test method where applicable.

This improves comparability between supplier and buyer laboratories.

Can a Sample Pass While the Supplier Still Fails Approval?

Ja.

A passing sample does not automatically prove the supplier can maintain commercial-scale batch consistency, documentation, source stability, and supply reliability.

Does Meeting the Specification Prove Field Efficacy?

Nein.

Product specification confirms defined chemical and physical quality characteristics.

Biological efficacy depends on separate factors such as target organism, crop, use rate, timing, local conditions, and registered claims.

Should Packaging Be Included in the Product Specification?

It is usually clearer to keep the formulation specification and packaging specification separate but linked within the same purchasing project.

Can the Specification Change After Supplier Approval?

Yes, but material changes should be evaluated through an appropriate change-control process, especially when they affect registered product identity, manufacturing source, formulation, or commercial quality.

Set the Standard Before Approving the Supplier

Pesticide supplier approval is stronger when both parties know exactly what product is being approved.

Die richtige Reihenfolge ist:

Define → Agree → Test → Approve → Produce → Verify

At POMAIS, commercial sourcing projects can be discussed around the exact active ingredient, concentration, formulation, destination market, product specification, packaging, and expected order quantity before bulk production.

This gives the buyer a clear technical basis for:

• Lieferantenvergleich
• Musterfreigabe
• Chargen-Qualitätskontrolle
• COA review
• Konsistenz bei wiederholten Bestellungen

The objective is not to create unnecessary specification complexity.

It is to make sure that the product approved before the first order is the same quality standard used for future commercial production.