Reference cigarettes have a long history of use in the cigarette industry as quality control monitors, model cigarette systems, and analytical method development tools. The University of Kentucky’s 3R4F reference cigarette has been commonly used since its manufacture in 2006 but is being replaced by 1R6F due to limited remaining quantities of 3R4F. We compared the two reference cigarettes across multiple smoke and filler analyses to determine if 1R6F had comparable or better variability as 3R4F and to establish control limits for 1R6F prior to our laboratory’s transition to 1R6F as a laboratory monitor.

The two cigarettes were compared on 14 filler HPHCs and 20 smoke HPHCs, under both non-intense (ISO 3308) and intense (ISO 20778) smoking conditions.

The variability of 1R6F was comparable or less than the variability of 3R4F. There were several statistically significant mean value differences in the smoke and filler chemistry. Notably 1R6F had 20% or more lower NNN and NNK levels in filler and smoke.

The certified uncertainty of reference products is often misunderstood to apply to individual test results rather than to the mean value of the product. We will discuss the proper interpretation of the 1R6F certified uncertainty. All the average 1R6F results within our lab were within the certified value limits for 1R6F except for crotonaldehyde under non-intense conditions and puff count under intense conditions.

Because variability was comparable or less for 1R6F relative to 3R4F, it is reasonable to substitute 1R6F for 3R4F as a laboratory monitor, though laboratory control limits will be adjusted for the new monitor.