ACS Laboratory (Smithers) vs Gold Standard Analytics for hemp and cannabis testing
ACS Laboratory, south of Tampa, is one of the few labs that spans cannabis, hemp, kratom and peptides under an A2LA ISO/IEC 17025 scope, and in August 2026 it was acquired by Smithers. It is a strong, credentialed peer. Gold Standard Analytics covers the same hemp and kratom ground from Houston with every price published, every certificate public and every package opened on camera.
ACS Laboratory (Smithers) (ACS Laboratory, a Smithers company), Sun City Center, Florida. www.acslab.com. Facts checked September 9, 2026.
What ACS Laboratory does well
- A2LA 6786.01 scope reviewed, valid through December 31, 2026.
- Cannabis and hemp potency and safety, beverages, stability, plant health, kratom (eight alkaloids by LC-MS, six metals, microbiology, 68 pesticides).
- Mahi client portal with QR and public report verification.
- Backed by Smithers since August 2026; hemp and peptide services continuing.
Side by side
| Gold Standard Analytics | ACS Laboratory (Smithers) | |
|---|---|---|
| Location and shipping | Gold Standard AnalyticsHouston, Texas. One laboratory at a published address. Lawful hemp (≤ 0.3% Δ9-THC) ships from any state on the prepaid UPS label we issue. | ACS Laboratory (Smithers)Sun City Center, Florida. Shipping at your cost. |
| Sample and program fit | Gold Standard AnalyticsLawful hemp flower, extracts, isolates, edibles, tinctures, beverages, topicals, live plant tissue and facility swabs for R&D and quality control. No marijuana or products above the federal hemp limit; no DEA registration. | ACS Laboratory (Smithers)Florida medical cannabis compliance plus hemp, kratom and peptides nationwide. |
| Cannabinoid potency | Gold Standard AnalyticsCannabinoid profile from $79 (plant and extract), $119 for finished products, $159 for the extended 18-target profile. UHPLC-UV with LC-MS/MS confirmation on the Agilent 1290 Infinity II and 6490 triple quadrupole. | ACS Laboratory (Smithers)Cannabinoid potency within accredited scope; tailored pricing, no public tariff. |
| Terpenes and residual solvents | Gold Standard AnalyticsTerpene profile $79, 40 targets by calibrated GC-MS. Residual solvents $99 for 24 targets by headspace GC-MS. | ACS Laboratory (Smithers)Terpenes and solvents; no public price. |
| Pesticides | Gold Standard AnalyticsPesticide panel from $269 by LC-MS/MS and GC-MS/MS; 125-target panel $309; glyphosate and AMPA $419 by a separate polar method. | ACS Laboratory (Smithers)68-pesticide panel; no public price. |
| Heavy metals | Gold Standard AnalyticsFour-metal panel (As, Cd, Pb, Hg) $149 by ICP-MS on the Agilent 7850 after closed-vessel digestion. | ACS Laboratory (Smithers)Six metals; no public price. |
| Microbiology and mycotoxins | Gold Standard AnalyticsBasic microbiology $89, expanded $179, four-species Aspergillus qPCR $79, five-target mycotoxins $69 by LC-MS/MS. | ACS Laboratory (Smithers)Microbiology and mycotoxins; no public price. |
| Turnaround | Gold Standard AnalyticsStandard 5–7 business days, guaranteed in writing. 48-hour analytical expedite +$59; 24-hour potency +$80. | ACS Laboratory (Smithers)Most tests 3–5 days advertised, with exceptions. No written guarantee. |
| Public results | Gold Standard AnalyticsEvery certificate public and searchable by accession, including failures and retractions; a client cannot remove one. Free JSON, CSV and Atom exports of the whole library. | ACS Laboratory (Smithers)QR and public verification of the certificates a client publishes; Mahi portal for the rest. |
| Chain of custody | Gold Standard AnalyticsEvery package opened on camera, each container photographed and blind-coded before it reaches the bench; footage and photos retained three years and tied to the accession. | ACS Laboratory (Smithers)Sample-submission instructions and a client portal; no on-camera receiving, blind coding or footage retention is published. |
| Ordering | Gold Standard AnalyticsSelf-service online intake with a live quote and an instant prepaid label; no account manager or quote form. API, MCP, Telegram and WhatsApp ordering. | ACS Laboratory (Smithers)Account and quote, then Mahi portal submission. |
| Payment | Gold Standard AnalyticsCard, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Klarna, ACH, wire, Mercury invoice with net terms, and any cryptocurrency. | ACS Laboratory (Smithers)Not published; invoiced to the client account. |
| ISO/IEC 17025 and licensing | Gold Standard AnalyticsOperated to ISO/IEC 17025 expectations; not accredited, and we say so on every page. Not a state-licensed cannabis compliance laboratory. | ACS Laboratory (Smithers)A2LA ISO/IEC 17025 (6786.01) through December 2026; Florida CMTL status pending post-acquisition regulatory approval. |
| Guarantee | Gold Standard AnalyticsMiss the quoted turnaround, or an accredited laboratory materially contradicts our result on a retest of the retained sample, and the panel fee is refunded. | ACS Laboratory (Smithers)None published. |
Sources: acslab.com; A2LA 6786.01, checked Sep 8 2026.
Published prices
| Test | Gold Standard Analytics | ACS Laboratory (Smithers) |
|---|---|---|
| Cannabinoid potency, plant or extract | Gold Standard AnalyticsView current pricing | ACS Laboratory (Smithers)$0 |
| Terpene profile | Gold Standard AnalyticsView current pricing | ACS Laboratory (Smithers)$0 |
| Pesticide panel | Gold Standard AnalyticsView current pricing | ACS Laboratory (Smithers)$0 |
| Heavy metals, ICP-MS | Gold Standard Analytics+$169 | ACS Laboratory (Smithers)$0 |
| Microbiology panel | Gold Standard AnalyticsView current pricing | ACS Laboratory (Smithers)$0 |
| Full plant quality package | Gold Standard AnalyticsView current pricing | ACS Laboratory (Smithers)$0 |
ACS Laboratory publishes no numeric prices; testing is quoted. Gold Standard prices are the published catalog. A dash means no public price.
Questions about ACS Laboratory (Smithers) and Gold Standard Analytics
Is Gold Standard Analytics a ACS Laboratory alternative?
Yes, for hemp, kratom and peptide work: published prices, online ordering, on-camera custody and a fully public library. For Florida medical cannabis release testing, or where an accredited scope is required, ACS is the credentialed choice.
How much does ACS Laboratory charge for hemp or cannabis testing?
ACS quotes tailored pricing; no numeric tariff is published. Gold Standard publishes every price: cannabinoid profile from $79, terpenes $79, solvents $99, metals $149, pesticides from $269, full plant package $649.
Is ACS Laboratory ISO 17025 accredited?
Yes, A2LA 6786.01, valid through December 31, 2026. Gold Standard is not accredited and operates to ISO/IEC 17025 expectations; we state that plainly rather than imply otherwise.
Can I verify a ACS Laboratory COA?
Yes, by QR or the public verification link on certificates the client publishes. Every Gold Standard certificate, including failures, verifies here by accession number and is exported to a public library anyone can download.
Can Gold Standard test state-regulated cannabis like ACS Laboratory?
ACS Laboratory holds state cannabis testing licenses or certifications in the markets listed on its site, which are required for licensed release testing there. Gold Standard is not a state-licensed cannabis compliance laboratory and holds no DEA registration; we test lawful hemp (≤ 0.3% Δ9-THC) and hemp-derived products for R&D and quality control, from any state by mail.
Where is ACS Laboratory located?
Sun City Center, Florida. Gold Standard is at 5151 Mitchelldale St A10 STE B, Houston, TX 77092, and accepts hemp samples nationwide on a prepaid label.
Other cannabis and hemp labs compared
SC Labs · Kaycha Labs · ACT LAB · MCR Labs · Infinite Chemical Analysis Labs · Steep Hill Illinois · Steep Hill Mississippi · KCA Laboratories · ProVerde Laboratories · Green Leaf Lab · ChemHistory · New Bloom Labs · Altitude Consulting · PharmLabs · Anresco Laboratories · Marin Analytics · Bluebonnet Labs · Delta 9 Analytical
Services: Peptides testing · SARMs testing · Kratom testing · Hemp testing · Supplements testing
Submit a sample
Prepaid domestic label, public certificate, chain-of-custody video. Standard turnaround 5–7 business days.