Mould Testing by Post

Take a sample yourself anywhere in New Zealand, courier it to our Hamilton lab, and get your results within 3 business days. Lab tests start at $150 + GST.

How to send us a sample

Four steps, from anywhere in New Zealand. One sample costs $150 + GST and each extra sample $100 + GST, or we can post you a kit of three Bio-Tape slides for $250 + GST with the analysis included. See all prices.

  1. 1

    Take a sample

    For mould you can see, a tape lift with ordinary clear tape is all you need. Our one-page guide shows you how. It takes about five minutes and needs nothing you won’t find at home.

    How to take a tape lift sample — PDF, 1 page

    Prefer a ready-made kit? Request a test kit and we’ll post you three Bio-Tape slides. Consultants and assessors can order spore traps, Bio-Tape lifts and cavity sampling tubes from our Hamilton stock.

  2. 2

    Fill in the sample form

    Write one line per sample on our chain-of-custody form, saying where and when you took it. The form records who took each sample, so your result holds up with insurers, landlords and remediators.

    Chain-of-custody form — PDF
  3. 3

    Courier it to our lab

    Send your packaged samples and the completed form by overnight courier to:

    Scaada NZ
    43 Diomede Glade, Flagstaff
    Hamilton 3210, New Zealand
    022 315 1171

    Samples received Mon–Fri, 8:30am–5:00pm.

  4. 4

    Get your report in 3 business days

    Your report tells you which moulds we found, how much of each, and what it means, in plain English. Samples are analysed to ASTM D7658-17 and D7391-20 and reported against ANSI/IICRC S520.

We test samples from anywhere in New Zealand. Whether you're a homeowner in Auckland, a building consultant in Wellington, a remediation contractor in Christchurch or anywhere in between, courier your samples overnight to our Hamilton laboratory, where McCrone-trained analysts examine them under the microscope.

Biotape surface sample under microscope

Building Material Analysis

We analyse surface samples and pieces of building material to identify the mould and measure how much is there. Our McCrone-trained analysts examine each sample under brightfield and phase-contrast microscopes, analyse tape lifts to ASTM D7658-17, and rate the contamination against ANSI/IICRC S520-2024, the professional mould remediation standard.

Sample Types

  • Clear tape lifts and bio-tapes from visible growth
  • Surface swabs and dust samples
  • Black mould identification: telling Stachybotrys apart from other dark moulds
  • Plasterboard (gypsum board)
  • Timber and framing materials
  • Carpet, underlay, and insulation
  • Wall linings and claddings
Airborne mould spore analysis

Air Sample Analysis

We analyse spore-trap air samples to measure the mould in a room's air and help find where it is coming from. The cassettes collect particles from a known volume of air, and we count and identify them under the microscope to ASTM D7391-20. Our occupational hygienists interpret the results using guidance from the ACGIH (American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists). Want the air in your home tested? See mould air testing.

What We Provide

  • Counting and identifying the spores on spore-trap cassettes
  • Indoor and outdoor comparison to find sources of mould
  • Identification of each mould to genus level, which shows its likely health significance
  • Results interpreted using ACGIH guidance and international guideline values

Interpretation

Air results only make sense next to an outdoor sample taken at the same time. Indoor counts well above outdoor, or a different mix of moulds indoors, point to a source inside the building that needs investigating.

Professional mould assessment of residential property

Mould Assessments

An on-site mould assessment by qualified mycologists and occupational hygienists. We test the air and surfaces, measure moisture and humidity, analyse the samples in our lab, and give you a written report that rates each area against ANSI/IICRC S520.

Assessment Includes

  • A visual inspection, with photos and notes
  • Air sampling with calibrated pumps and spore-trap cassettes
  • Tape-lift surface samples for lab identification
  • Moisture readings with professional moisture meters
  • Temperature and relative humidity measurements
  • Lab analysis and a written report with IICRC condition ratings
Learn More About Assessments
Specialist mould investigation under microscope

Specialist Investigations

Some cases need more than a standard mould assessment. Our mycologists and occupational hygienists also take on specialist investigations, including sampling at sensitive sites, expert advice for insurance claims, and detailed work to establish where mould came from and how far it has spread.

These are arranged case by case. Get in touch to talk about what you need.

Illustration of soot aggregates, the particles produced by incomplete combustion

Fire Residue Testing: Soot, Ash & Char

After a house fire, a fire next door or a wildfire smoke event, our laboratory counts the three kinds of particle a fire leaves behind (soot, ash and char) separately from ordinary household dust. Surface tape lifts are reported in counts per square millimetre and read against published normal-background ranges; air samples on spore-trap cassettes are reported per cubic metre and compared with an outdoor or unaffected-room sample.

Used For

  • Finding out whether smoke residue reached a room, a unit or a neighbouring home
  • Scoping cleaning and insurance claims
  • Verifying that restoration cleaning removed the residue

Results within 5 working days. How fire residue testing works →

For practitioners

Sampling supplies, stocked in Hamilton.

Spore-trap cassettes, tape lift slides and wall cavity sampling tubes, kept in stock and couriered nationwide to consultants, building assessors and remediation contractors.

View consumables