When a measurement affects regulatory compliance, product release or high-value decisions, the quality of your certified reference materials (CRMs) matters as much as your instrument. Graham B Jackson Pty Ltd (GBJPL) now supplies Inorganic Ventures CRMs across Australia — a practical choice for labs that need traceability, long shelf life and clear audit evidence for ICP-OES/ICP-MS, environmental testing, pharma process water and more.
What makes Inorganic Ventures CRMs different (data first)
Traceability to NIST SRMs. Inorganic Ventures in Australia documents chains of comparison to NIST SRMs (e.g., the SRM 3100 series), which is the standard route commercial CRM producers use to provide SI traceability for metal solutions. This is important when you must demonstrate metrological traceability in method validation or audits.
Transpiration Control Technology (TCT). Inorganic Ventures packages many liquid CRMs in specially designed aluminized TCT bags that dramatically reduce water-vapour loss (transpiration). While sealed in the TCT bag, many products carry a lot expiration measured in years (IV publishes typical lot expiry values up to five years for most stock items); once opened the product carries a defined “period of validity” (commonly 12 months for 125 mL bottles, shorter for smaller bottles). That combination reduces concentration drift risk and simplifies inventory planning.
Evidence-based expiry policy. Inorganic Ventures frames CRM expiration around three drivers — chemical stability, physical stability (transpiration) and human error — and documents how their packaging and formulation strategies mitigate the first two, leaving handling practices as the primary residual risk. Their technical note on CRM expiry explains this model in detail.
When do CRMs “actually” expire — practical rules backed by standards
Standards and best practice (ISO 17034 and ISO/Guide 35) require producers to assess stability and set an evidence-based lot expiration or period of validity. In short: an expiry date is not arbitrary — it’s the result of stability testing and uncertainty budgeting. Labs should therefore treat the lot expiration/period of validity on the Certificate of Analysis (CoA) as the authoritative limit for use.
Key takeaways:
Unopened + sealed (e.g., inside TCT): many IV stock CRMs have lot expiration dates measured in years (typical values: 2–5 years; some exceed that). Use the CoA lot expiry as your upper bound.
Opened (in-lab use): the “period of validity” after opening (commonly 12 months for larger bottles) is set to control risk from transpiration and contamination. Treat this as a hard operational limit unless you re-validate the lot scientifically.
Best practices for maximising CRM value (data-driven)
Match matrix & concentration. Choose CRMs that mirror your sample matrix and analyte ranges — this reduces calibration bias and makes your uncertainty budget smaller. (ISO guidance and Eurachem principles recommend matching matrix and assessing uncertainty contributions from the CRM.)
Respect CoA dates & documentation. Archive CoAs, traceability statements and uncertainty budgets with your validation files — auditors will expect to see the CRM provenance and uncertainty chain.
Minimise contamination risk. Use single-use aliquot bottles for day-to-day work, tighten caps immediately, and avoid returning any unused aliquots to the parent bottle. These simple human-factor controls are the leading cause of premature CRM invalidation.
Inventory to lot expiry (not purchase date). Stock management based on lot expiration (and whether bottles are still sealed in their TCT bags) reduces waste and ensures you use the product within validated stability windows.
Use control charts & acceptance testing. Run new lots in parallel with the outgoing lot (acceptance test) and keep control charts to detect trends attributable to CRM drift or handling. This supports defensible decisions on replacement and root-cause analysis.
Real operational advantages for Australian labs
Fewer re-purchases, lower freight risk. Long lot expiries while sealed mean fewer emergency reorders and reduced exposure to shipping delays. IV’s TCT approach was explicitly developed to address shipping/storage variability.
Cleaner audit trails. NIST-traceable CoAs plus explicit period-of-validity rules simplify accreditation evidence packages under ISO/IEC 17025 and NATA surveillance.
How Graham B Jackson Pty Ltd (GBJPL) helps you implement this practically
Graham B Jackson Pty Ltd (GBJPL) sources Inorganic Ventures in Australia stock and custom CRMs for Australian labs, handles import/compliance and helps specify the right bottle sizes, lot formats and TCT options so your CRM strategy (procurement → storage → use → disposal) aligns with accreditation and budget goals. If you need method-specific panels (ICP suites, process water suites, pharma process controls), Graham B Jackson Pty Ltd (GBJPL) can assemble quotes and CoA packages that fit audit timelines.
For Further Enquiry Contact: sales@gbjpl.com.au