When shoe factories buy industrial adhesives, suppliers often provide three documents: SDS, TDS, and COA.

These documents may look similar, but they have very different purposes.

In simple terms:

SDS is about safety. TDS is about product use and process. COA is about batch quality.

For shoe factories, brands, and purchasing teams, the key question is not only, “Do we have these documents?” More importantly, you should know when to use each document and what to check.

1. SDS: Check If the Adhesive Can Be Used Safely in the Factory

For industrial adhesives, SDS helps factories understand chemical hazards, storage requirements, and safe handling procedures.

What Problem Does SDS Solve?

SDS means Safety Data Sheet.

Its main purpose is to explain what safety risks the chemical may have and how to use it safely.

For common shoe adhesives, such as water-based adhesives, solvent-based adhesives, primers, and hardeners, buyers should not only care about bonding performance.

They should also check whether the product is flammable, whether it may affect health, and whether it needs special storage or handling.

A standard SDS usually includes 16 sections. These sections cover topics such as hazards, ingredients, safe handling, storage, personal protection, fire control, spill response, and transport.

What Should a Shoe Factory Check?

A shoe factory does not need to read every chemical detail first. It should focus on practical questions:

Is the product flammable? Does the workshop need better ventilation? What protective equipment do workers need? How should the product be stored? What should workers do if there is a spill or skin contact?

This is especially important for factories using solvent-based adhesives and primers.

The SDS should be checked before the chemical enters regular production, not after the product is already in use.

When Is SDS Used?

SDS is mainly used for:

supplier approval, EHS review, warehouse management, and emergency response.

So SDS answers this question:

“How should this adhesive be used and managed safely?”

SDS does not tell you whether the adhesive is suitable for a certain shoe material. It also does not prove that a specific batch has good quality.

2. TDS: Check If the Adhesive Fits the Material and Production Process

When selecting industrial adhesives for footwear production, the TDS helps technical teams compare product properties with actual process requirements.

What Problem Does TDS Solve?

TDS means Technical Data Sheet.

Its main purpose is to help users decide:

“Can this adhesive meet our bonding and production needs?”

For shoe factories, TDS is usually one of the most important documents during product selection.

A TDS may include information such as:

viscosity, solid content, open time, drying conditions, activation temperature, curing time, bonding performance, heat resistance, and recommended application methods.

What Should a Shoe Factory Check?

Do not look only at “bond strength.”

Shoes can use many different materials, such as EVA, rubber, PU, TPR, leather, and fabric.

The same adhesive may perform very differently on different materials or under different surface treatment conditions.

A shoe factory should check:

What materials can this adhesive bond? Does it need a primer? Does the activation temperature fit the current production line? Is the open time suitable for the line speed? Can the product meet heat resistance and finished-shoe test requirements?

TDS is best used for initial product selection and process setting.

It should not be treated as a full guarantee for mass production.

Before regular production, the adhesive should still be tested in the lab and on the actual production line.

When Is TDS Used?

TDS is mainly used for:

product selection, sample testing, process setup, and production approval.

So TDS answers this question:

“Is this adhesive suitable for our shoe materials and production conditions?”

3. COA: Check If the Delivered Batch Meets the Quality Standard

For regularly purchased industrial adhesives, COA records can also help quality teams monitor batch-to-batch consistency.

What Problem Does COA Solve?

COA means Certificate of Analysis.

It does not mainly describe the general performance of a product model.

Instead, it answers a more specific question:

“Does this delivered batch meet the required quality standard?”

This is the main difference between COA and TDS.

A COA is usually linked to a specific Lot or Batch number.

What Should a Shoe Factory Check?

The purchasing or quality team should first confirm that the product name and batch number match the delivered goods.

Then, check the agreed quality items, such as:

appearance, viscosity, solid content, density, or other factory test results.

If a shoe factory buys the same adhesive regularly, the COA can also help the quality team check batch-to-batch consistency.

If there is a problem on the production line, such as unusual viscosity, poor application, or bonding failure, the batch number and COA can also help with quality tracing.

When Is COA Used?

COA is mainly used for:

incoming inspection, batch release, quality investigation, and traceability.

So COA answers this question:

“Does this batch from the supplier meet the agreed specification?”

4. Important: SDS, TDS, and COA Do Not Replace Brand Compliance Documents

However, compliance requirements for industrial adhesives may go beyond SDS, TDS, and COA.

SDS, TDS, and COA cover three different areas:

safety, product use, and batch quality.

However, for shoe factories working with brands, these three documents may still not be enough.

If a customer or brand has chemical control requirements, the factory may also need to check documents related to:

RSL, MRSL, REACH, restricted substances, and third-party test reports.

For example, the ZDHC Manufacturing Restricted Substances List (MRSL) covers chemical formulations used in textile, apparel, and footwear manufacturing, including adhesives. Buyers and brands can review the official ZDHC MRSL for more information on restricted substances and chemical compliance requirements.
View the official ZDHC MRSL

So buyers can think about the documents in four separate ways:

SDS checks safety.
TDS checks product and process fit.
COA checks batch quality.
Compliance documents check customer and brand requirements.

For shoe factories, checking these areas separately can reduce purchasing risks.

It can help avoid problems such as:

the adhesive works well, but does not meet the brand’s chemical requirements, or the product specification looks correct, but the batch quality is not stable.

So buyers can think about these documents in four separate ways:

SDS checks safety.
TDS checks product and process fit.
COA checks batch quality.
Compliance documents check customer and brand requirements.

For shoe factories and footwear brands, reviewing these documents separately can help reduce purchasing and production risks. It can prevent situations where an adhesive performs well but does not meet a brand’s chemical requirements, or where the technical specification looks correct but batch quality is not consistent.

As an industrial adhesive supplier serving footwear manufacturers, we provide adhesive solutions for different shoe materials and production processes, together with technical documents such as SDS, TDS, COA, and relevant compliance support. Our team can also assist with adhesive selection, sample testing, process adjustment, and production-line trials. Learn more about our industrial adhesive solutions →