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Trading certification services
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SGS Wool Testing Services offer a wide range of services on raw and semi-processed wool. Certification of wool lots and consignments involves supervision of sampling and weighing as well as the testing of representative samples. Sampling is carried out under strict rules at a wide variety of sites throughout New Zealand, and supervised by trained, registered sampling personnel. Every individual sampler falls under the specific control of one of 6 branch laboratories throughout the country. Most certification is carried out in strict compliance with IWTO Rules and Regulations. There are additional regulations to be complied with in some countries. If the wool is destined for Iran, special inspection and test requirements must be complied with – please contact us. IWTO has specific rules concerning IWTO Certificates, which may be found here. Under IWTO rules, tests are IWTO-certifiable if:
All certification work is carried out in accordance with IWTO Test Methods and Regulations (see current list of certifiable IWTO test methods), or where there are no equivalent IWTO methods, in accordance with test methods published by New Zealand Standards and Regulations authorised by the NZ National Council of Wool Interests. All certification services carried out on greasy and scoured wool are accredited by IANZ. SGS Wool Testing Services is an IWTO licensed laboratory (license no. 02). All IWTO certification carries guarantees enumerated in the "Guarantees, Check tests and Retests" clauses of the appropriate IWTO Regulations. These state unambiguously that "Test Houses are financially responsible for ensuring that their testing is carried out in accordance with the relevant IWTO (as appropriate) Regulations". IWTO certificates are used as trading documents, and give security to bankers that consignments comply with letters of credit. Compliance with IWTO Test Methods and Regulations means that the precision of each measurement Certified is at least as good as the value quoted in the appropriate Standard. The 95% confidence limits on the result, and the maximum probable differences between two repeat measurements on the same lot are therefore both documented by IWTO (see Info-bulletin 5.7). Info-bulletin 5.8 gives guidance on the probabilities of two independent test results on the same lot of raw wool being equivalent in woolbase or diameter if the difference between them exceeds the maximum probable difference. Info-bulletin 5.9 gives guidance on typical precision values for the more common tests. A typical SGS Wool Testing Services certificate is shown in the picture, but should any recipient have any doubt as to the validity of a specific SGS certificate, they should contact us with details of the certificate number and test number, and an outline of the concern. Alternatively fax a copy plus a covering letter to the General Manager on +64.4.387.8651.
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