Tell us what you need to know about a product. We identify the main components, estimate their proportions, and say plainly what the data cannot resolve. Fixed quotation in USD, typically 1,500–4,500 per sample. Overseas samples accepted after review.
Photos from our laboratory in Hangzhou. Lab visits are available by appointment.
Industrial deformulation rarely yields to one instrument. For each sample we combine the techniques its question needs, from infrared spectroscopy and GC-MS to X-ray methods and high-resolution mass spectrometry.
FTIR spectroscopy
Identifies the chemical family of a binder, resin or base polymer (for example acrylic, polyurethane, epoxy, alkyd, polyester, silicone or a specific rubber) from its infrared fingerprint, on the whole sample or on fractions separated from it.
GC-MS (Agilent 7890B / 5977B) · GC-MS/MS
Residual solvents in a film or part, plasticizers, residual monomers, volatile additives and the compounds behind an odor.
XRF · XRD · microscopy
XRF gives the elemental make-up of the inorganic part, such as titanium, calcium, barium, zinc or iron. XRD shows which crystalline form is present, for example rutile or anatase titanium dioxide, calcite or talc. A microscope shows what the particles look like.
ICP-MS (Agilent 7850) · ICP-OES
Catalyst residues, metal driers, heavy metals, and the elements that point to a specific pigment, filler or stabilizer.
High-resolution LC-MS: Thermo Fisher Orbitrap Q Exactive · Agilent 6546 Q-TOF · SCIEX ZenoTOF 7600
Non-volatile additives such as antioxidants, light stabilizers, surfactants and dispersants, and accurate mass for peaks that are not on any target list.
LC-MS/MS: SCIEX QTRAP 6500+ · SCIEX 7500+
Confirms whether specific known compounds are present at very low levels, for example a restricted additive.
UV-Vis spectrophotometry · gravimetric and moisture tests · extraction and separation
Solids (non-volatile) content, moisture, pH and UV-Vis absorbance, plus the extraction, centrifugation and evaporation steps that split a sample into fractions each instrument can read.
We choose the techniques for each sample; not every project uses all of them. The data appendix of your report lists the methods actually used.
Deformulation — also called reverse engineering, formulation analysis, competitor product analysis or composition analysis — means identifying the components of a formulated product and estimating their proportions.
Beyond individual additives, we identify which chemical family a binder or base polymer belongs to (FTIR), and what kind of pigment or filler is present (XRF and XRD).
Hot-melt and water-based adhesives, cured adhesive films.
Read the guideWater-based inks and dried prints.
Read the guideCured coating films. Water-based and powder coatings are reviewed case by case.
Read the guideCompounds and unused rubber parts.
Read the guidePellets, masterbatch and molded parts.
Read the guideSolid antioxidants, light stabilizers, surfactants and dispersants.
Neutral water-based cleaners, solid detergents, water-based metalworking fluids, lubricating greases.
Read the guidePigments and fillers, solid resins, solid paper and textile auxiliaries.
Plant-derived food ingredients and additive blends.
Solvent-based liquids cannot be shipped to us from overseas. See which sample forms we can receive.
"What is in the product we are measured against?"
We analyze the reference product and, if you send it, your own product in the same physical state, then report the differences the data support. The same approach works for a reference sample your customer asks you to match.
"Our grade is being discontinued. What do we need to match?"
We characterize the current material: its chemical family, main components, additives and elements. That gives your candidate materials a target. Analysis shows the chemistry, not the supplier or trade name.
"Same formulation on paper, different result on the line. What changed?"
Send a good sample and a rejected one, made in a similar period and stored under similar conditions. We report the differences the data support; a chemical difference is a lead for your engineers, not proof of the cause. Production rejects and unused returned goods can be reviewed; parts removed from service, used fluids and old greases cannot be shipped to us from overseas.
"Does this lot match the approved sample?"
We compare the new lot with a retained sample of the same specification. If the supplier is in China, it can send the retained sample straight to our lab.
Send the form or an e-mail with the product name, category, physical form, photos, the SDS and what you want to learn.
We check the declaration against our accepted-category list, then send either a fixed quotation in USD (most industrial deformulation projects fall between USD 1,500 and 4,500 per sample) with a short agreement, or a plain answer that we cannot receive the sample.
In USD, in full, in advance. Payment details are sent with the quotation.
We issue your acceptance number and shipping instructions. Our receiving address appears only in that notice.
Use DHL Express, FedEx or UPS — no postal service — with duties and taxes paid by the shipper. Put the acceptance number on the air waybill and the proforma invoice, and ship within 30 days.
We photograph and log the sample on arrival, run the analysis and e-mail the English report. Turnaround depends on the sample and is stated in the quotation.
Parcels that arrive without an acceptance number are refused at the door and returned at the sender's cost.
We quote a fixed price in USD for each project, based on the product category and the complexity of the sample. Single-phase systems cost less; multi-phase systems, formulations with more than 15 components and polymer matrices cost more. The price includes the English report and our customs-clearance handling in China. Quotations are valid for 30 days. We do not take single-analyte tests from overseas; the service on this page is a complete deformulation project. We reply to every complete declaration by e-mail.
Under China's import rules for chemical samples, the physical form of your sample decides whether we can receive it.
We can receive
Ask us first — we review these case by case: water-based coatings; two-component adhesives containing isocyanates; liquid plasticizers and flame retardants; fluorinated additives and surface treatments; animal-derived ingredients; powder coatings, solid flavors and solid water-treatment agents; and any formulation containing a substance that is not in the Inventory of Existing Chemical Substances in China (IECSC).
We cannot receive
Every industrial sample needs a safety data sheet (SDS), and before acceptance we may ask for the full list of components. If your product is not listed here, ask before you ship.
If you source materials or finished products from suppliers in China, your supplier can send a sample straight to our lab, so nothing has to cross a border. The order stays the same: declaration, quotation, payment, then an acceptance number that goes on the parcel. Mention it in your declaration.
If the same product can be bought or delivered within mainland China, say so in your inquiry: no import is involved on that route.
From overseas
From a supplier in China
An English PDF report, written to answer the question you asked.
The answer to your question, in plain language.
The main components, named as specific compounds where the data allow and as a chemical family where they do not, with estimated proportions. Proportions are semi-quantitative estimates, not assay values.
The methods used and the data behind each identification, so your chemists can check the reasoning.
A plain statement of what remains uncertain, and why. We report what the data support.
No laboratory can promise a complete recipe from a sample alone, and we do not.
An English–Chinese bilingual version is available on request, at no extra charge.
Our reports are research-grade analytical reports from a laboratory that is not accredited. They cannot be used for product registration or legal proceedings. Results relate only to the sample as received.
They are written for R&D and purchasing decisions such as benchmarking a competitor's product, replacing a raw material or checking a supplier.
Each project runs under a short agreement. Both parties keep sample information, results and business information confidential, except where disclosure is required by law. If you prefer, we can sign your non-disclosure agreement before you share details.
We use the information in your declaration only to review it and reply to you. See our Privacy Policy.
Part or all of the sample may be consumed in the analysis. We keep what remains for 30 days; unless you ask for it back before then, at your cost, it is destroyed under laboratory procedures. Custody records are kept for at least three years.
Payment. In USD, in full, before you ship. Payment details are sent with the quotation. Shipping, duties, taxes and clearance charges on the sender's side are paid by the sender, as is the cost of returning or destroying a refused parcel.
Refunds. If your sample cannot enter China for customs reasons not attributable to us, the refund is set out in the agreement. If we fail to complete the analysis for reasons of our own, we refund in full.
Yes. Chengfenbao Testing, an analytical laboratory in Hangzhou, China, accepts samples shipped from overseas for industrial and raw-material deformulation. The order of steps is fixed: you declare the sample, Chengfenbao reviews it and quotes, you pay, Chengfenbao issues an acceptance number with shipping instructions, and only then do you ship. The receiving address is given only in the acceptance notice. Parcels that arrive without an acceptance number are refused and returned at the sender's cost.
Not as a liquid. Flammable solvent-based liquids fall under China's import controls on hazardous chemicals, and Chengfenbao does not receive them from overseas. Send a cured film or the solids fraction instead. A cured film no longer contains the volatile solvents, so the analysis covers the non-volatile part of the formulation. If the same product can be bought or delivered within mainland China, say so in your inquiry: no import is involved on that route.
Chengfenbao does not accept solvent-based coatings, inks, adhesives or cleaners in liquid form; aerosols and compressed gases; strong-acid or strong-alkali cleaners; cyanide plating baths; low-flash-point oils, fuels and fuel additives; refrigerants; pesticides and veterinary products; drugs and pharmaceutical ingredients; medical devices; tobacco and e-cigarette products; products containing CBD or cannabis ingredients; controlled substances; biological specimens; animal-derived foods; used goods, waste and scrap; or any sample of unknown composition without an SDS. These limits come from Chinese import rules and courier rules.
No laboratory can promise that from a sample alone, and Chengfenbao does not. You can expect the main components identified, their proportions estimated, the supporting data shown and the uncertain parts stated plainly. Proportions are semi-quantitative estimates, not assay values. Trade names of raw materials, trace additives below detection limits and the original mixing ratios of cured or crosslinked systems generally cannot be recovered.
No. Chengfenbao is not an accredited laboratory, and its reports are research-grade analytical reports that cannot be used for product registration or legal proceedings. They are written for R&D and purchasing decisions such as benchmarking a competitor's product, replacing a raw material or checking a supplier. If you need an accredited report, use an accredited laboratory.
Chengfenbao quotes a fixed price in USD for each project after reviewing your declaration. Most industrial deformulation projects fall between USD 1,500 and USD 4,500 per sample. The price depends on the product category and the complexity of the sample: single-phase systems cost less; multi-phase systems, formulations with more than 15 components and polymer matrices cost more. The price includes the English report and customs-clearance handling in China; shipping, duties and taxes are paid by the sender. Turnaround depends on the sample and is stated in the quotation.
Payment is in USD, in full, before you ship. Payment details are sent with the quotation. If the sample cannot enter China for customs reasons not attributable to Chengfenbao, the refund is set out in the agreement. If Chengfenbao fails to complete the analysis for reasons of its own, the refund is in full. Once a sample has been received, no other refunds apply. The cost of returning or destroying a refused parcel is paid by the sender.
Yes. The agreement binds both parties to keep sample information, results and business information confidential, except where disclosure is required by law. Remaining sample and residues are destroyed under laboratory procedures, or returned at your request and cost. Custody records are kept for at least three years.
FTIR spectroscopy for binders and polymers; GC-MS and GC-MS/MS for volatiles, solvents and plasticizers; XRF and XRD for fillers and pigments; ICP-MS and ICP-OES for metals; high-resolution LC-MS (Orbitrap, Q-TOF, ZenoTOF) and LC-MS/MS for additives and unknown compounds; plus wet-chemistry tests such as solids content and moisture. Analysts choose the methods for each sample, and the data appendix of the report shows which were used.
Yes. If the material is already in China, for example with your supplier, the supplier can send it straight to our lab, so nothing has to cross a border. The order stays the same: declaration, quotation, payment, then an acceptance number that goes on the parcel.
Yes, by appointment. The laboratory is in Qiantang District, Hangzhou, China. E-mail zhejiang@chengfenbao.com.cn to arrange a visit.
Send the sample declaration with the form below, or e-mail zhejiang@chengfenbao.com.cn. We reply in English or Chinese. Chengfenbao is a Chinese company: the quotation, the agreement and the receiving laboratory are all in the name of Hangzhou Chengfenbao Quality Inspection Technology Co., Ltd.
Check this first. We can receive only solids, water-based products and cured samples. If your product is solvent-based, send a cured film or the solids fraction instead. We do not accept samples of unknown composition without a safety data sheet (SDS).
Send the same information to zhejiang@chengfenbao.com.cn, with the SDS and photos attached: