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A Glossary of CBD Label and Lab Report Terms

This is a single-page reference for the vocabulary printed on CBD packaging and certificates of analysis. Definitions only — what each word denotes, and where it is commonly misread.

Nothing here describes what any of these things does in a body. That is outside what this site covers, and it is a question for a doctor or pharmacist.

Compounds

  • CBD (cannabidiol) — the cannabinoid the category is named after. Not a form of THC.
  • CBDA (cannabidiolic acid) — the acidic form the plant produces; converts to CBD with heat.
  • THC — used loosely on labels. On a report it should be specified as delta-9 THC, THCA, or a calculated total. The difference is material: total THC vs. delta-9 THC.
  • Delta-9 THC — the compound most legal thresholds are written against, and whose metabolite standard drug tests target.
  • THCA — the acidic precursor to delta-9 THC.
  • Delta-8 THC — a THC isomer, usually manufactured by converting CBD rather than extracted. Not a CBD product: delta-8 vs. CBD.
  • CBG, CBN, CBC, CBDV, THCV — minor cannabinoids. Definitions and origins in minor cannabinoids on a label.
  • THC-COOH — the metabolite the body produces after processing delta-9 THC, and the analyte in a standard urine screen.
  • Terpenes — volatile aroma compounds; myrcene, limonene, linalool, pinene, beta-caryophyllene and others. See terpenes and the entourage claim.

The pattern worth memorising: an A on the end of a cannabinoid abbreviation means the acidic form that heat converts.

Product categories

  • Full spectrum — the whole extract retained, including trace THC.
  • Broad spectrum — the whole extract with THC removed or reduced. The vaguest of the three, because the middle has no boundary.
  • Isolate — purified cannabidiol alone. See what CBD isolate means.
  • Distillate — a concentrated extract produced by vacuum distillation. Not the same as isolate.
  • Crude / crude oil — the unrefined extract straight out of extraction.
  • Whole plant — undefined marketing phrase, usually gesturing at full spectrum.

None of the three main categories is legally defined, which is why the panel on the report rather than the word on the box is what settles it: full spectrum vs. broad spectrum.

  • Hemp — a legal category for cannabis material at or below a defined THC threshold. Not a separate species.
  • Hemp-derived — sourced from material in that category. A provenance claim, not a contents claim: hemp-derived vs. cannabis-derived.
  • Industrial hemp — older phrasing; on a CBD label, generally the same thing.
  • Hemp extract — an extract of the plant, which may or may not state a cannabinoid content.
  • Hemp seed oil — pressed from seeds; a different ingredient that need not contain cannabinoids at all. The most costly confusion in the category: hemp oil vs. CBD oil.
  • Dry weight basis — moisture excluded from a concentration calculation. Thresholds for plant material are usually written this way.
  • Farm bill compliant — a dated claim about the source crop, not about your batch. Structure in how the federal hemp definition is built.

Process terms

  • CO2 extraction — pressurised carbon dioxide as solvent.
  • Ethanol extraction — alcohol as solvent.
  • Hydrocarbon extraction — butane or propane as solvent.
  • Lipid or oil infusion — fat as solvent; the “solventless” route.
  • Winterisation — chilling to drop out fats and waxes.
  • Decarboxylation — heating to convert acidic forms to neutral ones.
  • Chromatography — separation used, among other things, to strip THC and create broad spectrum.
  • Crystallisation — the final purification yielding isolate.

All of these are unpacked in extraction words on a label. None is a quality grade.

Formulation terms

  • Carrier oil — the fat the extract is dissolved into; MCT, hemp seed, olive, sunflower. Decoded in carrier oils on a label.
  • MCT / fractionated coconut oil / caprylic-capric triglyceride — the same category of carrier.
  • Tincture — a dropper-bottle liquid. Strictly the word implies an alcohol extract; in this market it is used for oil-based products too.
  • Topical — applied to skin; usually formatted as a cosmetic with no serving panel.
  • Nanoemulsion / water-soluble / liposomal — formulation words describing how the extract is dispersed. They carry absorption claims that no lab report evaluates.
  • Proprietary blend — the absence of an ingredients disclosure.

Lab report terms

  • COA (certificate of analysis) — the laboratory’s report on a specific batch. Section-by-section walkthrough: how to read a certificate of analysis.
  • Batch / lot number — the identifier linking a report to a product. No batch number means nothing can be verified.
  • ND (non-detect) — below the method’s detection limit. Not zero. See why non-detect does not mean zero.
  • LOD (limit of detection) — the lowest concentration distinguishable from background.
  • LOQ (limit of quantitation) — the lowest concentration the lab will state a number for.
  • < LOQ — detected, not reliably quantified. A different finding from ND.
  • Action limit / specification — the threshold a safety result is compared against, with a pass or fail.
  • Panels — cannabinoid, terpene, pesticides, heavy metals, residual solvents, microbials, mycotoxins.
  • % w/w, mg/g, mg/mL, µg/g, ppm — units. Mixing them is the easiest way to misread a result by orders of magnitude.

Quantity terms on packaging

  • Total container content — the whole amount in the package. Usually the big number on the front.
  • Amount per serving — the back-panel figure.
  • Concentration — content per unit volume or weight; the only figure comparable across container sizes.
  • Total cannabinoids — includes minors, so legitimately larger than a CBD-only figure.
  • Purity percentage — describes an isolate powder, not a finished bottle.
  • Serving size / servings per container — the panel fields the rest of the table depends on. See why CBD labels look like supplement labels and the arithmetic in what the number on the front counts.

Testing terms

  • Immunoassay — the class-selective screening method, with an administrative cutoff.
  • GC-MS / LC-MS/MS — compound-specific confirmation methods.
  • Cutoff — the concentration below which a result is reported negative. Not the same as a detection limit.
  • Presumptive positive / non-negative — a screen result awaiting confirmation.
  • Specimen validity testing — checks for dilution, substitution, adulteration.
  • Chain of custody — the documented trail from collection to result.

Process detail in how a workplace urine screen works, and specimen differences in what each drug test looks for.

Phrases with no fixed meaning

  • THC-free — undefined; three different things in practice. Unpacked here.
  • Pharmaceutical grade, medical grade — no agreed consumer definition.
  • Lab tested, third-party tested — meaningless without a named lab and a visible report.
  • Premium, maximum strength, clinically effective — comparatives with nothing to compare against.
  • Legal in all 50 states — a flat assertion about a layered question. See why CBD legality varies.
  • Entourage effect — a hypothesis, not label information.

The full field guide to these is label red flags. Anything concerning your own body, medication, or circumstances belongs in a conversation with a pharmacist.

Eased is a consumer-information site about product labelling. Nothing here is medical or legal advice, and nothing here describes what CBD does or does not do in the body. Talk to a doctor or pharmacist before using any CBD product, especially if you take other medication, and check the current law where you live.

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