How to Make a COA QR Code for Your Product Label
A COA QR code is the little square on a hemp, kratom, or supplement label that a buyer scans to pull up the lab results for that exact batch. You can make one for free in about a minute — here's exactly how, and how to make sure the link behind it never breaks.
What a COA QR code actually is
A COA is a certificate of analysis — the third-party lab report showing what's really in a specific production batch (see our plain-English explainer if that's new). A COA QR code is simply a QR code printed on the label that, when scanned with a phone camera, opens that lab report. No app, no typing a long URL — point the camera, tap the notification, read the results.
Labels increasingly carry one for two reasons. First, buyers have learned to check: a scannable, batch-specific COA is how a shopper tells a serious brand from one hiding something. Second, more states now expect lab results to be accessible from the package rather than buried on a website, and a QR code is the simplest way to provide that access. Which mechanism your product needs depends on where you sell — this page is a how-to, not legal advice, so check your state's current rules (our state-by-state guide is a starting point).
Why a permanent, per-batch link beats the shortcuts
The QR code itself is the easy part — any generator can encode a URL into a square. The hard part is what that square points to, because once it's printed on thousands of labels, you can't change it. Two common shortcuts quietly fail here:
- A Google Drive (or Dropbox) link. Cloud file links move, get re-shared, expire, or lose permissions. The day someone reorganizes that folder, every printed label points at a "file not found" screen — and you have no way to fix the code already on the shelf.
- A link to your brand homepage. A homepage isn't batch-specific. A customer holding batch LOT-2607-A can't tell whether the results on your site describe their unit or a different run entirely, which defeats the purpose of testing per batch.
How to make one with BatchLink, step by step
BatchLink is a free tool built for exactly this: it turns one COA into a permanent hosted page plus a printable QR code. Here's the whole flow.
- Start from your COA. Have your lab report handy and note four things: the product name, the batch or lot number, the test date, and which lab ran it. If you have the lab's PDF, keep it open — you can attach it.
- Create the batch page. Open the free tool, enter those details (and optionally an at-a-glance compliance line and the PDF), and submit. A permanent hosted page for that batch goes live instantly at its own fixed URL.
- Download the QR code. The tool generates a QR code from that permanent link and gives you a "Download QR" button. Save the image — it's yours to drop into your label artwork like any other graphic.
- Put the QR on your label. Place it in your packaging design, print, and you're done. Anyone who scans it lands on the batch page and its lab report; the link behind the code never changes, even if you later edit the page.
Want to see the finished product before you make your own? Open this live example batch page on your phone — it's exactly what a customer sees after scanning, and you can even point your camera at it on screen to feel the flow.
Make your COA QR code now
Enter your batch info once, get a permanent page and a downloadable QR code in seconds. First 2 batches are free — no card.
Create my batch page →What to double-check before a print run
A QR code is unforgiving once it's printed at scale, so run through this before you commit to a full run:
- Scan it yourself, at final print size. Print a single proof label (or view the QR at the size it'll actually appear) and scan it with a normal phone camera. A code that scans crisp on a big screen can fail when shrunk onto a small bottle.
- Confirm it opens the right batch. When it resolves, check that the product name and batch/lot number on the page match the units this label will go on — not a different batch you also created.
- Check it resolves on mobile, on cellular. Test on an actual phone off your home Wi-Fi. Customers scan in stores; the page should load fast and read cleanly on a small screen.
- Give the code breathing room. Keep a clear quiet-zone margin of empty space around the square and keep strong contrast (dark code, light background). Crowding it with artwork or low contrast is the most common reason a code won't scan.
- Make sure the batch number on the label matches the page. The printed batch/lot number and the one on the scanned page should be identical — that pairing is what makes the whole thing meaningful.
Common questions
Is it really free to make a COA QR code?
Your first 2 batch pages are free with no card required — each one gives you a hosted page and a downloadable QR code. If you're managing more than a couple of products, the $29/mo dashboard keeps every batch in one place; the free pages you already made stay live either way.
Do I need a separate QR code for each batch?
Yes. The whole point of a COA QR code is that it resolves to the lab result for the exact batch in the customer's hand. Potency and purity vary run to run, so each production batch gets its own page and its own QR code rather than one shared link for the whole product.
Can I update the COA after my labels are already printed?
Yes — that's the main reason to point the QR code at a hosted page instead of a raw PDF or Drive file. You edit the page's contents, and every QR code already printed keeps pointing at the same address, now showing the corrected or updated information. The printed code never has to change.
Do I need special software or an app to generate the QR code?
No. You enter your batch details in the browser and the QR code is generated for you to download as an image — drop it into your label artwork like any other graphic. Customers scan it with the plain camera app on any modern phone; they don't need an app either.
What if I only have my COA as a PDF from the lab?
That's the normal case. You can attach the lab's PDF when you create the batch page, and it's hosted behind the same permanent link the QR code points to — so scanning the code opens a clean summary page with the full lab report available right there.
What size should the QR code be on my label?
As a practical rule, keep the printed code around 0.4 inch (1 cm) square or larger, leave a clear quiet-zone margin of empty space around it, and keep good contrast (dark code on a light background). The only real test is to print it at final size and scan it yourself before committing to a full run.
Ready in about a minute
Turn your certificate of analysis into a permanent page and a printable QR code for your label. Free for your first 2 batches.
Create my batch page →This page is a how-to, not legal advice — confirm current label and testing requirements with your own state agency before finalizing packaging.