Methodology & data sources
Test Lab Index is compiled exclusively from official, public registries. We publish registry facts — names, addresses, accreditation numbers, statuses, expiry dates and per-standard scope acceptances — and nothing else. No star ratings, no reviews, no editorial opinion.
Sources
| Registry | Operator | What we take from it |
|---|---|---|
| CPSC accepted testing laboratories | U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission | Accepted labs, their accreditors, certificate numbers, and per-standard approved testing scopes with CPSC approval dates. |
| FCC EAS accredited test firms (open-data mirror) | U.S. Federal Communications Commission | Accredited test firms, accrediting bodies, designation numbers and expiration dates. The FCC last updated this public dataset in March 2021; we state that on every profile that uses it. |
| OSHA NRTL current list | U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration | Currently recognized NRTLs and each NRTL's recognized test standards under 29 CFR 1910.7. |
| FDA ASCA accredited testing laboratories | U.S. Food and Drug Administration | ASCA-accredited labs with program area and accreditation status. Only labs with status “Accreditation Granted” are listed. |
| ANAB directory of accredited organizations | ANSI National Accreditation Board | Organizations holding an active ISO/IEC 17025:2017 accreditation, with certificate numbers, expiry dates and scope categories. |
Freshness
Every accreditation fact on this site carries the date we retrieved it from the registry, and profiles show a “registry records retrieved” month stamp. We re-pull all five registries monthly. Where a registry itself is stale (the FCC open dataset above), we say so in place rather than presenting old data as current.
Coverage (v1)
The published index covers laboratories located in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Several source registries also list labs in other regions; those records are held back until we complete the additional privacy-law review that publishing them properly requires. We would rather cover less and publish cleanly.
Ranking
Wherever labs appear in a ranked list, the order is produced by exactly three objective criteria, in this order:
- Number of registry accreditations/listings (more first),
- Number of accepted/recognized test standards on file (more first),
- Alphabetical name (tie-break).
Payment never affects position. A claimed listing changes styling and adds a dated verified-claim badge; it does not move a lab up.
What “verified” means here
A verification stamp on this site means one thing: on the stated date, the stated fact appeared in the linked official registry. It is not an endorsement, a quality judgment, or a guarantee that a lab can test your product. Scope details change — always confirm with the registry and the laboratory.
Corrections
Any laboratory can have factual errors fixed, or its profile removed, free of charge — see corrections & removal. We aim to resolve correction requests within 5 business days.