ACC Verification
An independent, third-party verification for producers of engineered carbon materials and for products that contain or use them. The ACC Verified mark gives buyers, OEMs and procurement teams a clear signal of trust in a crowded market.
The advanced and engineered carbons sector is fast-evolving and crowded. Hundreds of companies worldwide claim to produce and supply carbon materials, from graphene and carbon fibre to carbon nanotubes, synthetic graphite and biochar, across widely varying grades and morphologies. Confusing marketing language, no price transparency and inconsistent nomenclature create real barriers to adoption. In a review of specification sheets for more than 60 carbon products, ACC found over 45 different characteristics listed, with not one common to all materials claiming the same designation. This makes it nearly impossible for a buyer to distinguish legitimate producers from the rest.
ACC launched the Verification Program for Producers and Products to help reputable companies differentiate themselves. It applies equally to producers of engineered carbon materials and to products that contain or use engineered carbon materials; the process and cost are the same for both. It is an independent third-party verification that covers not just the material, but an in-person visit to the production facilities, verifying the source of the material as coming directly from the production stream while using world-class characterization labs to test it.
The program is not a quality judgment on whether a material is good or bad. It confirms a producer's ability to consistently deliver products that meet their own published material specifications. It is strictly pass or fail, with no grading or value statements.
Depending on material type and format (powder, suspension, CVD on substrate, and so on), appropriate testing procedures are selected. Example characteristics and methods include number of carbon layers and lateral dimensions (TEM/AFM), average through-plane dimension (Raman/AFM), specific surface area (BET, ISO 9277:2010), chemical, carbon and oxygen content (XPS), and structural imaging (TEM/SEM, Raman). Actual tests are determined by the material, and best-practice methods evolve over time.
The program references currently published international standards, including ISO/TS 9651:2025 (classification framework for graphene-related 2D materials) as one example, alongside the broader body of nanotechnology characterization and vocabulary standards.
Product and sample selection is by agreement (flagship products by volume and sales; three samples collected, one tested and one each retained by the producer and by ACC). Testing is carried out at first-class laboratories, for example NIST and Virginia State in the United States, NPL in the United Kingdom and Swinburne University in Australia. Each production site to be covered receives an in-person inspection, with full access to facilities and records under NDA. The process takes approximately 60 days from inspection and sample collection to results.
The award is valid for three years. Verified companies may promote their status on their website, literature and products. ACC publishes a registry of verified companies and products, responds to verification requests, and promotes verified companies to its network of 40,000+ materials professionals.
Contact ACC for details on Verification Program costs. Special discounted rates apply for Member companies.
Tell us about the producer or product you would like verified and we will be in touch to agree a schedule, confirm which product(s) will be tested, and answer any questions.