New York Metrc Item Category and Lab Testing Guidelines

This guide explains how to test flower and other products in New York with Metrc and Flourish. It covers R&D samples on bulk material, which most growers run first, and final-form compliance testing, which is required before retail sale.

Test Bulk Flower First (R&D Testing)

R&D testing lets you check potency or run a full panel on bulk material before deciding what to do with it, such as extracting it or packaging it. R&D results are informational only and do not count toward compliance. Bulk flower cannot be used for compliance testing.

Create an R&D Lab Sample

1. Locate the bulk package in Inventory.
2. In the Package Action Menu, click Create Package.
3. Keep the same item (it is selected by default).
4. Enter the sample quantity.
5. Toggle Lab Sample on.
6. In the Required Testing box, select the tests you want (see the table below).
7. Click Create new lab samples.
8. Add the sample to an order and shipment to your lab.

Which Required Testing option do I choose for R&D samples?

The Required Testing list comes directly from Metrc. For bulk flower in New York, you will see these options:

Change Required Testing on a Sample

1. Select the package and click Edit Attributes in the package action menu.
2. Select or clear the Required Testing options.
3. Save. Flourish updates Metrc.

See also: Specify Lab Test Batch Required Testing When Creating Lab Samples.

Plan Your Allotment Before Compliance Testing

New York ties test results to the package, so the split by final-form items must be decided before testing. This is different from states like California, where you can test the flower first and package it however you like afterward.

Here is how it works. You create a parent package for each final-form item you plan to make, such as eighths, quarters, ounces, or pre-rolls. The quantity on each parent package is your allotment. Lab samples come from those parent packages. Every later package of that item is created from the tested parent and carries its results.

Submit Samples for Final-Form Compliance Testing

1. Decide the quantity of each final-form item you will make from the batch.
2. Locate the bulk package and click Create Package in the Package Action Menu.
3. Select the correct final-form item. Do not choose the source item.
4. Enter the allotment for that item. This is a parent package. Repeat for each form factor you plan to make.
5. Take a lab sample from each parent package. Use the same item as the parent, enter the sample size from the table below, and toggle Lab Sample on.
6. In the Required Testing box, select the final-form option that matches your item category and license type, for example AU Raw Plant Material - Final Form for flower.
7. Add the samples to an order and ship the order to the lab.
8. After the results are in, create the remaining packages from the tested parent packages.

Flower and Pre-Roll Differences

• Flower: You can take samples before the whole lot is jarred. Samples must be in final packaging when they go to the lab. Store the rest of the lot to keep it sanitary and stable.
• Pre-rolls: Roll the entire lot before you take samples. Then create the parent package for the rolled quantity.

How many units go to the lab?

Sample size depends on the number of packaged units in the lot.

A lot cannot exceed 150,000 packaged units. Labs can request more samples.

Example

Source bulk package: Sour Diesel A Bud, Bud/Flower - Bulk, 1,500 g.

Each lab sample uses the same item as its parent, has the lab toggle on, and the final-form option selected under Required Testing. After results arrive, create more eighths or pre-rolls from the tested parents at the amount you want to sell. Do not toggle Production Batch on.

Required Tests by Item Category

Medical and adult-use products take the same tests in each category. The option name differs: it starts with "Medical" or "AU". Research and development testing applies to bulk categories and is marked "Informational Only."

Retention Samples

• The sample must represent the lot and hold enough material to run the full set of tests twice.
• Keep at least 35 g for non-flower and 54 g for flower, in the same form sold to consumers.
• Hold the retention sample until at least 30 days after the expiration date.

Vape Cartridges

• Single chamber: test individual cartridges, or bulk oil plus individual cartridges.
• Dual-chamber or all-in-one: sample the bulk oil, fill one cartridge with a single chamber, then repeat for the second chamber.
• Three or more chambers: repeat for each chamber.
• Results from each tested package are joined into a single package ID linked to the COAs.

Item Categories

Bulk Item Categories

Each bulk item is categorized by type and whether it requires a strain. See Item and Category Configuration for New York State Compliance.

Final Form Item Categories

This table maps BioTrack item categories to Metrc categories.

Video Tutorials

Creating Lab Samples and Orders Efficiently

Shipping Lab Samples: Step-by-Step Process

Troubleshooting