Every industrial order should arrive with two documents, and buyers routinely confuse them. One tells you whether the product will work. The other tells you whether it is safe and legal to have on site. You need both, for different people in your organisation.
The technical data sheet
The TDS is the performance document. It is what your engineer, applicator and consultant read. Expect to find volume solids as a percentage, recommended dry film thickness range, theoretical coverage, mixing ratio for multi component products, pot life at a stated temperature, induction time, minimum and maximum recoat intervals, full cure time, and the surface preparation the manufacturer requires.
The single most useful calculation on the sheet: theoretical coverage in square metres per litre equals volume solids multiplied by ten, divided by the dry film thickness in microns. A coating at 70 percent volume solids applied at 100 microns gives seven square metres per litre in theory. Practical loss on site adds 20 to 40 percent depending on geometry and application method.
The safety data sheet
The SDS, still widely called MSDS, is the hazard document, structured in sixteen standard sections. Your HSE manager needs sections 2, 7 and 8 for hazard classification, storage and personal protection. Your logistics team needs section 14 for transport classification, which is what determines whether a shipment moves as dangerous goods. Your emergency planning uses sections 4, 5 and 6.
Why customs cares
Chemical imports into the UAE require the safety data sheet as standard documentation, and regulated products need conformity certification through the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology, which absorbed the former ESMA functions. Missing or inconsistent documentation is a common reason consignments sit at the border. Our guide to chemical import documentation in the UAE covers the full pack.
The third document: the certificate of analysis
For chemical raw materials, a COA reports measured values for the specific lot delivered, with the lot number matching the packaging. A TDS describes the grade in general; only the COA proves this batch conforms. See how to read a carbon black COA for a worked example.
MENA Industrial Supplies supplies the TDS and SDS with every quotation on request, and a COA with every chemical consignment. Ask for them before you order, not after.