How to Write a Specification Sheet for Your Product
A specification sheet is the document everyone asks for and most brands do not have. It states what the product is, in testable terms. Manufacturers need it to produce consistently and buyers need it to evaluate you.
What It Is and Is Not
This guide is for supplement, Ayurvedic and herbal brand owners in India.
A specification sheet states what the finished product is in terms that can be tested: composition, physical characteristics, limits and the testing panel. It is the reference against which every batch is judged.
It is not a formulation document. A formulation document includes the full recipe with excipients and process notes and is commercially sensitive. A specification sheet can be shared with a buyer, because it states what the product delivers rather than how it is made.
That distinction matters practically: buyers, stockists, marketplaces and export customers ask for a specification sheet, and sharing a formulation document instead is both unnecessary and unwise.
What a Specification Sheet Contains
One or two pages, structured consistently.
- Product name, pack size and your product code.
- Product category and regulatory route.
- Composition per serving, with active quantities and extract standardisation.
- Serving size and servings per pack.
- Physical characteristics: appearance, colour range, form, unit weight with tolerance.
- For solid forms, disintegration or dissolution where relevant.
- For liquids, pH, viscosity and clarity ranges.
- Testing panel with parameters and limits.
- Microbial and heavy metal limits.
- Allergen statement.
- Shelf life and the pack it applies to.
- Storage conditions.
- Manufacturing basis: licence category and GMP status where applicable.
- Version number and date.
Specification Versus Formulation
What belongs in which document.
| Item | Specification Sheet | Formulation Document |
|---|---|---|
| Active quantities per serving | Yes | Yes |
| Extract markers and standardisation | Yes | Yes |
| Full excipient list with quantities | Usually not | Yes |
| Process notes | No | Yes |
| Physical targets and tolerances | Yes | Yes |
| Testing panel and limits | Yes | Yes |
| Shelf life and pack | Yes | Yes |
| Approved sample reference | No | Yes |
| Supplier and sourcing detail | No | Yes |
| Shareable with buyers | Yes | No |
Excipients must of course be declared on the label, so they are not secret. What a formulation document adds is quantities and process, which is the commercially sensitive part.
Why It Earns Its Keep
Four practical uses.
Manufacturing Consistency
It is what a batch is judged against. Without it, consistency is a matter of opinion.
Buyer Evaluation
Buyers, stockists and export customers ask for it. Having one ready signals a functioning business.
Switching Manufacturers
It is the document a new manufacturer works from. Without it, a switch means re-developing the product.
Dispute Resolution
A disagreement about whether a batch is acceptable is resolved against the specification, or not resolved at all.
The switching use is the one brand owners appreciate only when they need it. A specification sheet is what makes a formulation portable.
Keeping It Current
Three habits.
- Version and date every change, with a one-line note of what changed.
- Record which specification version each batch was produced against, so later questions are answerable.
- Review it annually alongside your product file, and after any change control event.
Checklist
Build or complete one per SKU.
- Create a specification sheet separate from your formulation document.
- State product name, pack size, code, category and route.
- State composition per serving with standardisation.
- State serving size and servings per pack.
- State physical characteristics with tolerances.
- State functional parameters appropriate to the dosage form.
- State the testing panel with limits.
- State microbial, heavy metal and allergen information.
- State shelf life and the pack it applies to.
- State storage conditions.
- State the manufacturing licence basis.
- Add a version number and date.
- Record which version each batch was made against.
- Keep both documents in the product file.
- Review annually and after any change.
Need a Specification You Can Share?
Share your product and our team will set out composition, limits and testing in a format you can give to buyers.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between a specification sheet and a formulation document?
A specification sheet states what the finished product is in testable terms and can be shared with buyers. A formulation document includes the full recipe with excipient quantities and process notes and is commercially sensitive.
What should a specification sheet contain?
Product name, pack size and code, category and route, composition per serving with standardisation, serving size, physical characteristics with tolerances, functional parameters, the testing panel with limits, allergen information, shelf life with its pack, storage, manufacturing basis, and a version number.
Why do buyers ask for one?
Because it lets them evaluate the product in testable terms rather than from marketing material, and having one ready signals a functioning business. Stockists, marketplaces and export customers all request it.
Why does it matter for switching manufacturers?
Because it is the document a new manufacturer works from. Without a specification sheet, moving production means re-developing the product, which is what makes a formulation portable or not.
How should it be maintained?
Version and date every change with a one-line note, record which version each batch was produced against so later questions are answerable, and review it annually and after any change control event.