SC Labs vs Gold Standard Analytics for hemp and cannabis testing
SC Labs is one of the largest cannabis and hemp testing networks in the country, with laboratories in Santa Cruz, Denver, Warren and Tigard, a PJLA ISO/IEC 17025 scope at Santa Cruz and ORELAP certification in Oregon. It is the right choice for a licensed operator who needs state-compliant release testing in those markets. For a hemp brand or researcher who wants a defined panel at a published price, ordered online in minutes with every certificate public, Gold Standard Analytics offers a simpler path from Houston.
SC Labs, Santa Cruz, CA; Denver, CO; Warren, MI; Tigard, OR. www.sclabs.com. Facts checked September 9, 2026.
What SC Labs does well
- Four laboratories across California, Colorado, Michigan and Oregon, with state compliance credentials in each.
- Santa Cruz PJLA ISO/IEC 17025 scope inspected, valid to September 30, 2027; Oregon ORELAP/NELAP.
- Broad menu: cannabinoids, terpenes, metals, pesticides, solvents, microbes, mycotoxins, water activity, foreign matter, beverages and plant health.
- Michigan kratom menu covers ten alkaloids with contaminants.
Side by side
| Gold Standard Analytics | SC Labs | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | SC LabsFour laboratories: Santa Cruz, Denver, Warren and Tigard. Shipping at your cost; compliance samples collected under state rules. |
| 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. | SC LabsLicensed cannabis compliance testing in CA, CO, MI and OR plus hemp and R&D. |
| 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. | SC LabsCannabinoids by HPLC within accredited scope; no public price, quoted per account. |
| 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. | SC LabsTerpenes and residual solvents offered; 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. | SC LabsFull state pesticide lists; 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. | SC LabsMetals by ICP-MS; 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. | SC LabsMicrobes, mycotoxins, water activity; no public price. |
| Turnaround | Gold Standard AnalyticsStandard 5–7 business days, guaranteed in writing. 48-hour analytical expedite +$59; 24-hour potency +$80. | SC LabsKratom advertised 3–5 days; cannabis turnaround by account. 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. | SC LabsPDF and web COAs delivered to the client; public sharing is the client’s choice. No browsable library. |
| 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. | SC LabsSample-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. | SC LabsAccount setup and sample submission through the client portal. |
| Payment | Gold Standard AnalyticsCard, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Klarna, ACH, wire, Mercury invoice with net terms, and any cryptocurrency. | SC LabsNot 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. | SC LabsPJLA ISO/IEC 17025 at Santa Cruz; ORELAP in Oregon; state licenses per site. |
| 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. | SC LabsNone published. |
Sources: sclabs.com, checked Sep 8 2026.
Published prices
| Test | Gold Standard Analytics | SC Labs |
|---|---|---|
| Cannabinoid potency, plant or extract | Gold Standard AnalyticsView current pricing | SC Labs$0 |
| Terpene profile | Gold Standard AnalyticsView current pricing | SC Labs$0 |
| Pesticide panel | Gold Standard AnalyticsView current pricing | SC Labs$0 |
| Heavy metals, ICP-MS | Gold Standard Analytics+$169 | SC Labs$0 |
| Microbiology panel | Gold Standard AnalyticsView current pricing | SC Labs$0 |
| Full plant quality package | Gold Standard AnalyticsView current pricing | SC Labs$0 |
SC Labs publishes no numeric prices; testing is quoted. Gold Standard prices are the published catalog. A dash means no public price.
Questions about SC Labs and Gold Standard Analytics
Is Gold Standard Analytics a SC Labs alternative?
For lawful hemp and R&D testing, yes: published prices, online ordering with an instant label, on-camera custody and a public certificate library. For licensed cannabis release testing in California, Colorado, Michigan or Oregon, SC Labs is the correct choice and Gold Standard is not eligible.
How much does SC Labs charge for hemp or cannabis testing?
SC Labs does not publish numeric prices; testing is quoted per account. Gold Standard publishes every price: cannabinoid profile from $79, terpenes $79, solvents $99, metals $149, pesticides from $269, full plant package $649.
Is SC Labs ISO 17025 accredited?
Yes at Santa Cruz (PJLA, valid to September 2027) with ORELAP certification in Oregon; other sites need a separate scope check. Gold Standard is not accredited and operates to ISO/IEC 17025 expectations; we state that plainly rather than imply otherwise.
Can I verify a SC Labs COA?
SC Labs delivers COAs to the client through its portal and web links; there is no browsable public library, so a vendor-posted PDF cannot be checked independently unless the client shared a live link. 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 SC Labs?
SC Labs 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 SC Labs located?
Santa Cruz, CA; Denver, CO; Warren, MI; Tigard, OR. 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
Kaycha Labs · ACS Laboratory (Smithers) · 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.