When selecting an API 5L certified supplier in China, it is important to be aware of the fake certificates that some companies use. These fake certificates are often created using photoshop and can be very difficult to identify. However, they can often trick buyers into thinking they are getting a high-quality product when in reality the product is of low quality and may even be dangerous. This damages the projects that use these pipes because they are not up to code and they can cause safety issues. If something goes wrong, the company that chose the supplier with a fake certificate can be sued and lose a lot of money in compensation payments. Don’t let this happen to your company! As such, it is always best to select a reputable and trustworthy supplier who can provide you with quality pipes with a genuine API 5L certificate. This will help to ensure the safety of your business and avoid any potential legal problems. Next, I’ll show you how to spot fake certificates.
1. Check the API Composite List
The Composite List is a directory of all the companies that are certified by the American Petroleum Institute (API). This list can be used to check if a company is authorized to use the API logo on its products. To search the Composite List,
1) Go to the API official website and find the “API Composite List” tab;
2) You will see the screenshot above, type in the company name or certification number, and click “Search”;
3) Finally, you will see the company detail about the certification types and the certification status.
If the certification type is what you are looking for, and the certificate status also shows “Active”, then you are safe at this stage. While you may also interested in checking the company details to see if you are dealing with the right person, you can click on the company name shown in red.
2. Check the Non-Licensee / Registrant List
The American Petroleum Institute (API) also released a list showing all the cheater companies that API has found in the past, and these companies are still in the market. The API Non-Licensee/Registrant List is a great resource for finding unqualified suppliers who are holding fake certificates. Here is how to check the list:
1) Go to the API official website and find the “Non-Licensee/Registrant List” tab;
2) Scroll down to find all the cheater companies who may want to fool you with a fake license.
You can use this information to help you narrow down your search for a qualified supplier. If you are looking for a specific company, you can type the company name in the “Search” box.
3. Check the MTC from the Supplier
Even if you don’t find anything unusual in the above steps, it doesn’t mean your supplier is qualified. I suggest you check its MTC in the next step. I know an MTC is easy to be “cloned”, but you may still find some weak points in it.
1) The company name – as you can see in the above picture, the name is very similar to our company name, but they are absolutely different. On a real certificate, the “Co.” would never be written as “Company”, and the “Ltd” would never be written as “Limited”.
2) The CNAS certification – CNAS is an organization that evaluates whether a lab can be accredited to National Accredited Testing Laboratory in China. It has bilateral or multi-lateral accreditation cooperation agreements with relevant accreditation organizations around the world. So we can check this certificate also to eliminate our doubts. First, go to the CNAS official website; Second, click on “Find an Accredited Body“; Then, choose “Testing & Calibration Laboratories“, and type in the registration number or the company name; Finally, you can check if the registration number and company name are matched to the MTC you have;
3) The API certification number – Usually, a steel pipe mill that is holding the API certification would show the certification numbers on the MTC. While there is none of it on the sample MTC above.
