Testing & Verification
Documented Appearance
Overview
Documented appearance is a recorded description of a material’s observable physical characteristics. It is a qualitative record, not a measurement of identity, purity, or quantity.
What is recorded
Appearance documentation captures observable characteristics of a material — for example its physical form and colour — as a recorded description. It is a qualitative observation, made and written down consistently so it can be part of a material’s record.
Why appearance is part of the record
A documented appearance provides a simple, human-observable reference point that travels with a material’s documentation. On its own it is a description, not an analytical measurement, but it contributes to a complete record alongside the instrumental checks.
What it does not establish
Appearance is a description of what is observable. It does not confirm identity, quantify purity or content, or detect contamination — a material can look as expected and still require the analytical tests to characterise it. Those remain separate questions.
What this test can and cannot establish
What it can establish
- A documented, qualitative reference description of the material
- One observable element of a complete record
What it cannot establish
- Identity, purity, quantity, or contamination status
- Anything an instrumental analytical test is needed to determine
- Any suitability, safety, or appropriateness for any use
Key terminology
- Appearance
- A recorded description of a material’s observable physical characteristics.
- Qualitative
- Descriptive rather than numerically measured.