ND and LOQ

ND means the analyte was not detected; LOQ is the limit of quantitation — the smallest amount the method can reliably measure. A result of “<LOQ” means something may be present below that floor. These abbreviations matter when reading Δ9 lines on hemp COAs: “ND” and “<LOQ” both support a legal-hemp reading, but they are not the same claim. They also matter on contaminant panels, where ND across the board is what you want to see. If a COA is a wall of abbreviations, these two unlock most of it; our how-to-read-a-COA guide walks the rest.