What National Testing Laboratories does

National Testing Laboratories (NTL) is a private, ISO/IEC 17025:2017-accredited drinking water testing laboratory founded in 1985 and headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, with its main analytical facility in Ypsilanti, Michigan. The company provides a comprehensive suite of mail-in water testing kits and laboratory analysis services organized under the WaterCheck™ (well water) and CityCheck™ (municipal water) brand families, each offered in Basic, Standard, and Deluxe tiers covering 32 to 115+ analytes. Core analytical methods include microbiological testing (SM 9215, SM 9223), metals analysis covering 24 metals including lead, arsenic, mercury, and uranium via EPA 200.7/200.8 and SM 3113, volatile organic compounds (EPA 524.2), pesticides and herbicides (EPA 505, 515.4, 547), and radiological testing (EPA 900.0, 903.1, 904.0).

NTL serves a diverse customer base: residential homeowners (primary segment) with private wells or municipal supply concerns; water treatment professionals via the Dealer Advantage Program; over 400 bottled water and beverage plants requiring FDA, IBWA, 50-State, and WHO Edition compliance; public water systems; medical and research laboratories; home inspectors and realtors (via the Quick Series rapid-turnaround line); and well drillers. Pricing follows a unit-based, pay-as-you-go model ranging from $159 (WaterCheck Lite) to $565 (Deluxe Radiological), with commercial compliance testing quoted on request. Distribution combines direct-to-consumer e-commerce at watercheck.com, inside sales through Technical Service Representatives, dealer resellers, and a mutual referral partnership with Environmental Hazards Services, LLC for specialized lead/asbestos/PCB/mold testing.

The company is certified in 38 states and territories, holds NELAC certification (#E87753), and participates in the USEPA Proficiency Testing Program. Over its 35+ year operating history, NTL has processed more than 200,000 home water samples and over 1,000,000 individual tests, serving thousands of residential customers and 400+ commercial accounts. A July 2026 website notice indicated that current sample volumes are running above historical baseline, resulting in extended turnaround times — a signal of demand growth that the company's lean operational structure (11-50 employees) is working to absorb.

Name

National Testing Laboratories

Legal name

National Testing Laboratories, Ltd.

Website

https://watercheck.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

National Testing Laboratories is a private, ISO/IEC 17025-accredited drinking water testing laboratory founded in 1985, providing mail-in test kits and analytical services to residential homeowners, water treatment professionals, and 400+ bottled water and beverage manufacturers across 38 U.S. states.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Drinking Water Testing Laboratory Services

NAICS

Testing Laboratories and Services (541380)

SIC

Services-Testing Laboratories (8734)

akta.pro primary industry

Laboratory Testing & Analytical Services (in-house/contract labs; microbiology, metals, organics) (EUANAJAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Water Testing Kits & Monitoring (Household) (CRAJAJAL), Quality Assurance/Quality Control & Accreditation (QA plans, proficiency testing, ISO/IEC 17025) (EUANAJAK), Potable Water Testing for Food Facilities (Drinking Water Compliance) (AFALAJAA)

Keywords

• Drinking water testing
• Water quality analysis
• Laboratory testing services
• Well water testing
• Bottled water compliance

Headquarters

HQ city

Cleveland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Water Testing Kit Sales: Direct sale of water testing kits (Basic, Standard, Deluxe tiers) to residential and commercial customers for home water sample collection. Customers purchase kits, collect samples, ship to laboratory, and receive analysis reports. Prices range from $159 to $565 depending on test comprehensiveness.
2. Laboratory Analysis Services: Professional laboratory testing services analyzing water samples for chemical and microbiological contamination. Analysis covers 30-115+ analytes depending on package selected. Results delivered via email with easy-to-read reports compared to EPA standards.
3. Commercial/Bottled Water Compliance Testing: Regulatory compliance testing for bottled water and beverage manufacturers meeting FDA, IBWA, and state-specific requirements. Includes FDA Compliance, IBWA Compliance, 50 State Compliance, and WHO Edition packages for annual source or product water testing.
4. Dealer/Treatment Professional Program: Dealer Advantage Program offering water treatment professionals flexible kit ordering, sales tools, onsite testing, and customized marketing materials. Water treatment professionals use NTL testing for diagnosis and sales support.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

National Testing Laboratories operates an ISO/IEC 17025:2017 accredited drinking water testing laboratory that sells mail-in water test kits to residential and commercial customers. Customers purchase kits, collect water samples, ship them to the Ypsilanti, Michigan laboratory, and receive comprehensive analytical reports comparing results against EPA standards for contaminants including bacteria, heavy metals, pesticides, VOCs, and radiologicals. The company serves both individual homeowners (well and municipal water) and commercial clients such as bottled water manufacturers, beverage plants, and water treatment professionals.

Product overview

National Testing Laboratories (NTL) operates as a laboratory testing services provider offering a portfolio of water testing products organized into two main product families: WaterCheck for private well water testing and CityCheck for municipal/city water testing. Each family offers three tiers (Basic, Standard, Deluxe) with increasing analyte coverage ranging from 32-115 tests. The portfolio also includes Quick Series rapid turnaround tests (2-3 business days), Radiological testing packages (Basic, Standard, Deluxe), specialty packages (Problem Check, Corrosion Check, Waterborne Pathogen Panel, Complete RO Screen), BART bacterial tests, single-contaminant add-on tests, and industry-specific beverage/bottled water compliance packages. Products are delivered as mail-in test kits with certified laboratory analysis and detailed reporting.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• WaterCheck™: Product brand for well water testing kits including Basic, Standard, Deluxe, and Lite tiers testing for bacteria, heavy metals, inorganic chemicals, pesticides, and other contaminants.
• CityCheck™
• Quick Series™
• BEV CHECK

Products and services

• WaterCheck™ Lite Entry-level well water testing package analyzing 34 items including 22 heavy metals, 7 inorganic chemicals, and 5 physical factors. Designed for monitoring filtration or softening system performance for homeowners with existing treatment systems.
• WaterCheck™ Basic Well water testing package testing 36 analytes including Total Coliform and E. coli bacteria, 22 heavy metals and minerals, 7 inorganic chemicals, and 5 physical factors. Targets residential well owners needing basic safety testing.
• WaterCheck™ Standard Mid-tier well water testing package testing 87 analytes including bacteria, heavy metals, trihalomethanes, volatile organic chemicals, and physical factors like dissolved solids, pH, and hardness. Designed for well owners wanting broader contaminant screening.
• WaterCheck™ Deluxe Most comprehensive well water testing package testing 107 analytes including coliform and E. coli bacteria, heavy metals, trihalomethanes, 47 volatile organic chemicals, and 20 pesticides, herbicides, and PCBs. Targets well owners wanting the most thorough water safety assessment.
• CityCheck Basic Entry-level municipal water testing package analyzing 32 contaminants found in city water including metals, inorganic compounds, physical characteristics, and disinfectants. For homeowners on municipal water wanting basic safety confirmation.
• CityCheck Standard Mid-tier municipal water testing package analyzing 94 analytes including volatile organic molecules and trihalomethanes, covering everything in CityCheck Basic plus more metals and minerals. For homeowners wanting broader municipal water screening.
• CityCheck Deluxe Most comprehensive municipal water testing package testing 115 contaminants including pesticides, herbicides, and PCBs commonly found in surface water. For homeowners wanting the most thorough municipal water assessment.
• Quick Series Water Tests Family of expedited water tests providing results in 2-3 business days for time-critical needs. Includes Quick Basic, Quick Screen, Quick FHA/VA, Quick Bacteria, and Quick Nitrate/Nitrite tests designed for real estate transactions and FHA/VA compliance.
• Radiological Testing Packages Three-tier radiological testing packages (Basic $179, Standard $219, Deluxe $565) testing for radioactive contaminants including Uranium, Gross Alpha and Beta, Radon, and Radium 226 and 228 in drinking water sources.
• Single Contaminant Add-On Tests À la carte single-contaminant tests including Fast Lead, First Draw & Flush Dual Lead Test, Fluoride, Tannins, Dual Iron, Arsenic, Uranium, Radon In Water, Problem Check, Corrosion Check, Complete RO Screen, Informational Glyphosate, and Waterborne Pathogen Panel. For customers needing targeted contaminant testing.
• Bottled Water & Beverage Compliance Packages Commercial compliance testing packages for bottled water and beverage manufacturers including FDA Compliance Package, IBWA Compliance Package, 50 State Compliance Package, WHO Edition Package, BEV CHECK, Brew Test, Quarterly Containers & Closures, and Quarterly SOC's. For manufacturers requiring FDA, IBWA Model Code, and state regulatory compliance testing.
• Dealer Advantage Program Channel partner program for water treatment dealers and professionals offering flexible kit ordering, sales tools, onsite testing, and customized marketing materials. Enables water treatment businesses to use NTL testing for diagnosis and sales support to end customers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 200,000 home water samples processed in 20+ years
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered supporting partner and industry association.

• Environmental Hazards Services, LLCsupporting partnerChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEHS of Richmond, Virginia is an environmental and industrial hygiene testing laboratory specializing in analysis of Lead, Asbestos, PCBs, Mold and Multi-Metals. They provide services to environmental consultants, engineering firms, remediation contractors, government agencies, medical facilities, school districts, non-profit agencies and residential clients. EHS maintains quality services through knowledgeable staff, good laboratory practices, and strict adherence to quality assurance and regulatory requirements.
• International Bottled Water Association (IBWA)industry associationOthersNTL maintains active membership in IBWA and staff are members of the IBWA Technical Committee, IBWA Government Relations Committee, and numerous task forces to ensure cutting-edge industry and regulatory knowledge.
• Water Quality Associationindustry associationOthersNTL maintains active membership in the Water Quality Association and many state and regional associations. Technical representatives are contributing members and are frequently sought after for educational seminars on water quality and water testing topics.
• Canadian Bottled Water Association (CBWA)industry associationOthersNTL maintains membership in CBWA alongside IBWA, NEBWA, SEBWA, and TBWA for comprehensive industry coverage.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Suburban Testing Labs: Mid-sized U.S. drinking water and environmental testing laboratory with similar EPA-method capabilities and state certifications; a comparable scale-focused peer to NTL.
• WaterTestCorp (Water Testing Laboratories of New England): Certified drinking water laboratory offering residential and commercial testing packages; direct head-to-head competitor to NTL in the mail-in water testing market.
• LaMotte Company: Manufacturer and provider of water testing kits and instruments for residential, educational, and commercial drinking water testing; overlaps NTL's well-water and city-water test kit offerings.
• Tap Score (SimpleLab): Direct-to-consumer drinking water testing competitor offering mail-in kits analyzed at certified labs; closely competes with NTL's WaterCheck and CityCheck lines on residential water testing.

Emerging players

• Culligan Water: National water treatment dealer network that also offers or brokers water testing services to its residential customers; competes indirectly with NTL through the Dealer Advantage-type channel.
• RTI Laboratories: Independent U.S. environmental and drinking water analytical laboratory; competes for commercial compliance work in overlapping geographies with multi-state certifications.

Broad incumbents

• Pace Analytical Services: Large U.S. environmental and drinking water testing network offering EPA-method analysis for municipalities, beverage manufacturers, and industry; overlaps NTL on commercial compliance testing and Quick Series-type turnaround work.
• ALS Global (Environmental Division): International testing services group with drinking water, beverage, and environmental capability; competes for commercial/regulatory water testing contracts where multi-state reach and scale matter.
• SGS (Water and Environmental Services): Global testing, inspection, and certification firm with significant drinking water and beverage testing offerings; competes with NTL on commercial compliance work and FDA/IBWA-style audits.
• Eurofins Environment Testing (Eurofins Scientific): Global testing giant with extensive drinking water and beverage compliance capabilities; competes with NTL for bottled water/beverage commercial accounts and public water system testing, but is a multi-matrix incumbent rather than drinking-water specialist.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ntllabs
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC1SzDMBkssRjpchNxoTvX4A?view_as=public
• Facebookfacebook.com/National-Testing-Laboratories-132153750136455
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/608227

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about National Testing Laboratories