Lab Test Results
Anyone can print pure copper on a label. We sent our copper to an accredited independent laboratory instead, and this page shows exactly what came back.
Result: lead was not detected. Neither was cadmium, mercury, nickel, arsenic or chromium.
Tested by Spectro Analytical Labs, part of Eurofins Scientific, against European food contact regulation EU 10/2011. Both samples passed.
What was tested
Two finished pieces went to the laboratory, taken from the same production our artisans make for us:
- A hand hammered copper water bottle, 950ml
- A copper water dispenser vessel
These are the pieces themselves, not a copper sample or a raw sheet. The laboratory tested what actually holds your water.
How it was tested
The test is a migration test, which is the one that matters. It does not ask what the metal is made of. It asks what comes out of the metal and into your drink.
Each piece was filled with 3 percent acetic acid and left at 40 degrees for 10 days, which is a deliberately harsh stand in for years of ordinary use. The liquid was then analysed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, which detects metals down to hundredths of a milligram per kilogram.
Method: BS EN 13130 Part 1, 2004. Analysis by ICP-MS.
The results
Copper water bottle, 950ml hand hammered
Report N260630018-20
| Metal | Found in the water | EU 10/2011 limit |
|---|---|---|
| Lead | Not detected | Must not migrate |
| Cadmium | Not detected | Must not migrate |
| Mercury | Not detected | Must not migrate |
| Nickel | Not detected | Must not migrate |
| Arsenic | Not detected | Must not migrate |
| Chromium | Not detected | Must not migrate |
| Antimony | Not detected | Must not migrate |
| Aluminium | Not detected | Must not migrate |
| Cobalt | Not detected | 0.05 mg/kg |
| Lithium | Not detected | 0.60 mg/kg |
| Barium | Not detected | 1.0 mg/kg |
| Zinc | Not detected | 5.0 mg/kg |
| Manganese | 0.20 mg/kg | 0.60 mg/kg |
| Iron | 0.25 mg/kg | 48.0 mg/kg |
Copper water dispenser vessel
Report N260630018-10
| Metal | Found in the water | EU 10/2011 limit |
|---|---|---|
| Lead | Not detected | Must not migrate |
| Cadmium | Not detected | Must not migrate |
| Mercury | Not detected | Must not migrate |
| Nickel | Not detected | Must not migrate |
| Arsenic | Not detected | Must not migrate |
| Chromium | Not detected | Must not migrate |
| Antimony | Not detected | Must not migrate |
| Aluminium | Not detected | Must not migrate |
| Cobalt | Not detected | 0.05 mg/kg |
| Lithium | Not detected | 0.60 mg/kg |
| Barium | Not detected | 1.0 mg/kg |
| Zinc | 0.50 mg/kg | 5.0 mg/kg |
| Manganese | 0.20 mg/kg | 0.60 mg/kg |
| Iron | 1.45 mg/kg | 48.0 mg/kg |
What "not detected" actually means
It does not mean nobody looked. It means the instrument looked as far down as it can see and found nothing there.
For lead, cadmium, mercury, nickel and arsenic the detection limit was 0.01 mg/kg, which is one hundredth of a milligram in a kilogram. Below that, there was nothing to report.
What the copper itself is made of
The test above answers the question that matters most, which is what comes out of the metal and into your water. This second test answers the other one. What is the metal actually made of?
Both pieces were analysed separately, and they did not come back identical. We publish both results rather than quoting one figure for everything we sell.
Copper water bottle, 950ml hand hammered: 99.6 percent copper by mass.
Report N260630018-31, issued 18 September 2026. The fuller analysis of the same piece, which measures copper and silver together by difference, returned 99.67 percent.
Copper water dispenser vessel: 98.0 percent copper by mass.
Report N260630018-41, issued 18 September 2026. The fuller analysis of the same piece returned 98.06 percent copper and silver by difference.
Both measured to IS:440-1964, the Indian Standard for refined copper, by the same laboratory from the same batch of samples. Those reports are issued under the laboratory's NABL accreditation TC-10245 and each carries a ULR number, so both results sit inside their accredited scope and can be verified with them directly.
Every Ella's Touch piece is raised from copper sheet from the same single supplier, worked by the same artisans.
The reports themselves
These are the laboratory's own documents, unedited and complete. Each one carries a report number you can verify with Eurofins directly.
- Copper water bottle 950ml, heavy metal migration, EU 10/2011 (PDF)
- Copper water dispenser, heavy metal migration, EU 10/2011 (PDF)
- Copper water bottle 950ml, metal composition, IS:440-1964 (PDF)
Who did the testing
Spectro Analytical Labs Private Limited, part of Eurofins Scientific SE, at E-41 Okhla Industrial Area, Phase II, New Delhi.
The laboratory is NABL accredited under TC-10245 and certified to ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001:2015 and ISO 45001:2018. Eurofins is one of the largest testing groups in the world and has no commercial interest in the result.
Samples were received on 30 June 2026. Testing ran from 1 to 13 July 2026. Reports were issued under job number N260630018.
Any report can be verified directly with the laboratory at verification@xoin.eurofinsasia.com, quoting the report number.
Common questions
Why bother testing at all?
Because copper drinkware is sold online with almost no checking behind it, and lead in brazing alloys and solder is a known problem in cheap copperware. We wanted to know, and once we knew we thought you should be able to see it too.
Does this cover every piece you sell?
We tested two pieces, a bottle and a dispenser, and both sets of results are published above exactly as they came back. On the heavy metals the two were identical, with nothing detected in either. On composition they differed slightly, which is why we show both figures rather than averaging them or quoting one number for the whole range. Every Ella's Touch piece is raised from solid copper sheet with no plating and no lining.
Is the copper lined or coated inside?
No. The inside is bare copper, which is why it darkens over time. Lemon and salt, or a copper cleaner, brings the shine back.
How do I know it is copper and not plated steel?
Hold a magnet to it. Copper is not magnetic, so a magnet will not stick. On plated steel it grabs straight away.
Last updated 2 October 2026.
