In laboratories across the globe, precision is paramount. Whether analyzing environmental samples, pharmaceuticals, or industrial materials, the accuracy of results hinges on reliable calibration. At the center of this meticulous process stands HighPurityStandards (HPS), a North Charleston, South Carolina–based manufacturer specializing in high-quality spectrometric standards and certified reference materials (CRMs). Since its founding around 1990, HighPurityStandards has produced NIST-traceable standards that underpin analytical work in diverse sectors, including research, mining, pharmaceuticals, and municipal testing.
Analytical instruments—such as atomic absorption spectrometers (AAS), inductively coupled plasma (ICP and ICP-MS), gas chromatography (GC and GC-MS), and ion chromatography (IC)—cannot verify their accuracy without standards. Certified reference materials provide precise, documented benchmarks that enable laboratories to validate and calibrate these instruments. Without such materials, results could be unreliable, potentially affecting regulatory compliance, public safety, and scientific integrity.
HighPurityStandards serves this critical role by producing both single-element and multi-component standards, with half of its business dedicated to custom blends and specialty mixtures. Their products, including expanded ISO Guide 34 multi-component organics, are tailored to support complex analytical tasks. Recognized as a Women’s Business Enterprise, HPS maintains global reach through distribution partnerships, ensuring laboratories worldwide have access to high-purity, traceable standards.
Company History and Overview
HighPurityStandards was founded in 1990 with a vision to provide laboratories with reliable, high-purity standards for calibration and verification. The company is headquartered in North Charleston, South Carolina, where it continues to develop and produce certified reference materials. Initially focused on single-element inorganic standards, HPS quickly expanded into multi-component and organic solutions to meet evolving analytical demands.
Today, HPS supports laboratories across multiple industries, providing custom solutions for specific analytical challenges. From trace metal analysis in environmental testing to quality control in pharmaceutical production, HPS ensures that instruments operate accurately, delivering results that clients and regulators can trust.
Certifications and Quality Assurance
Quality is central to HPS’s operations. The company maintains multiple international certifications to demonstrate its commitment to excellence:
ISO 9001:2015 – Quality management systems
ISO/IEC 17025:2005 – Competence of testing and calibration laboratories
ISO 17034:2016 – Competence of reference material producers
These certifications ensure rigorous quality control, from production to documentation. Each standard produced is accompanied by a Certificate of Analysis (CoA) detailing its composition, concentration, uncertainty, and traceability. This documentation allows laboratories to demonstrate compliance with regulatory standards and maintain the integrity of their analytical results.
Products and Applications
HPS’s product portfolio encompasses a wide range of standards for analytical instruments, including:
Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS) standards for metals in solution
Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP and ICP-MS) standards for multi-element analysis
Gas Chromatography (GC and GC-MS) standards for volatile and semi-volatile organics
Ion Chromatography (IC) standards for anions and cations
The company provides single-element standards for routine analyses and multi-component blends for complex procedures. Custom blends are available for clients requiring specific concentrations, matrices, or analytical combinations. These standards are essential in applications such as environmental monitoring, pharmaceuticals, mining, and municipal compliance.
In addition to precision and purity, HPS emphasizes stability and low impurity levels, ensuring that standards maintain accuracy over time. Some products include speciation standards, which distinguish between different chemical forms of an element—critical for environmental and health studies.
The Science of Traceability
Traceability is the backbone of analytical credibility. By linking each standard to recognized benchmarks, such as NIST reference materials, HPS enables laboratories to validate their instruments against a recognized measurement hierarchy.
Certified reference materials are not simply labeled with a concentration; they are metrologically characterized, tested for homogeneity, and evaluated for stability. This process ensures that laboratories can produce accurate, reproducible results, whether determining trace metals in water, verifying drug composition, or monitoring industrial processes.
Traceable standards also support interlaboratory comparability, allowing results from different regions or laboratories to be meaningfully compared. This global consistency is critical for regulatory compliance, research collaboration, and public safety initiatives.
Custom Solutions for Specialized Needs
HPS distinguishes itself through its ability to create custom reference materials. Clients can request mixtures with unique combinations, concentrations, or matrices to meet specific analytical goals. Each custom product is accompanied by full documentation and certification, ensuring that even bespoke solutions maintain the same rigorous standards as off-the-shelf products.
Customization is especially valuable in industries such as pharmaceuticals and advanced research, where unique analytical challenges demand precise, traceable solutions. By offering tailored products, HPS empowers laboratories to address highly specialized analytical tasks while maintaining confidence in their results.
Global Reach and Industry Impact
HighPurityStandards distributes its products worldwide through an extensive network of international partners. Laboratories in North America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Oceania rely on HPS standards to maintain compliance and achieve precise measurements.
As a recognized Women’s Business Enterprise, HPS not only contributes to scientific integrity but also to broader economic empowerment initiatives. Its commitment to quality, customization, and traceability has earned the company a reputation as a trusted partner for laboratories seeking reliable reference materials.
By combining scientific rigor with global accessibility, HPS supports industries that demand precision, including environmental agencies, pharmaceutical companies, mining operations, and academic research institutions. Its products ensure that data driving decisions is both accurate and defensible, strengthening public trust in laboratory analyses.
Conclusion
HighPurityStandards exemplifies the vital role that certified reference materials play in modern science. By producing high-purity, traceable standards for a wide range of analytical techniques, the company ensures that laboratories worldwide can achieve reliable, reproducible results.
While its work may be largely unseen, the impact of HPS is profound. From environmental monitoring to pharmaceutical quality control, its standards form the foundation upon which accurate measurement—and by extension, informed decision-making—is built. Through quality, certification, and customization, HPS continues to uphold the integrity of scientific analysis across industries and borders.
FAQs
What are certified reference materials (CRMs)?
CRMs are stable, homogeneous substances with precisely defined properties and documented traceability, used to validate analytical instruments and methods.
Why is NIST traceability important?
Traceability ensures that measurement results are linked to internationally recognized standards, supporting reliability, comparability, and regulatory compliance.
Which instruments use HPS standards?
HPS products are used for AAS, ICP, ICP-MS, GC, GC-MS, and IC instruments in laboratories worldwide.
Can HPS create custom standards?
Yes, the company offers bespoke solutions tailored to specific analytes, concentrations, or analytical requirements, fully certified and documented.
Which industries rely on HPS standards?
Environmental monitoring, pharmaceuticals, mining, municipal testing, and academic research all depend on HPS reference materials.
