Policies The calibration services of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) are designed to help the makers and users of precision instruments achieve the highest possible levels of measurement quality and productivity. The services listed in this catalog constitute the highest order of calibration services available in the United States. They directly link a customer's precision equipment or transfer standards to national and international measurement standards. These services are offered to public and private organizations and individuals alike. Types of Calibration Services
- Calibration Services
- Special Tests
- Measurement Assurance Programs (MAPs)
NIST provides Calibration Services using well-characterized, stable and predictable measurement processes. NIST calibrates instruments and devices that are metrologically suitable as reference or transfer standards. Special Tests are so designated for one or more of the following reasons: (1) the specific type of calibration is seldom requested, thus precluding the maintenance of a large statistical base for characterizing the measurement process; (2) the test requested is unique; or (3) the service is still under development - meaning the measurement or calibration methods are still being perfected, or all the quality-control documentation has not been completed. Measurement Assurance Programs are quality control programs for calibrating a customer's entire measurement system. In a typical MAP, a stable artifact or set of artifacts called transfer standards are first measured by NIST and then sent to a customer's laboratory for a series of measurements. The transfer standards are then returned to NIST for remeasurement, along with the participating laboratory's results. NIST reports its comparative findings to the customer and, when necessary, offers guidance on achieving and maintaining measurement quality. Successful use of a NIST MAP requires that the customer make periodic measurements of in-house check standards to estimate their measurement process uncertainty and to ensure that the measurement process remains in a state of statistical control. Unless a laboratory has a measurement quality assurance program to monitor its own measurement process parameters continuously, there is no value in participating in a MAP. In fact, NIST recommends that its customers establish and use a measurement quality assurance program to monitor their measurement parameters, whether or not they participate in a MAP. All the measurement services listed meet rigorous criteria for quality assurance . Calibration Services and MAPs satisfy the most demanding and explicit requirements in that they are carried out regularly under pre-established and well-defined conditions; the measurement processes involved are well-characterized, stable, and statistically controlled; and quality-control procedures are well-defined and strictly followed. Furthermore, each Calibration Service or MAP is planned and documented to provide continuity of service over time. The primary purpose of the NIST Policy on Traceability is to state the NIST role with respect to traceability. The Policy presents the definition of measurement traceability used by NIST, and clarifies the roles of NIST and others in achieving traceability of measurement results for measurements both internal and external to NIST. Merely having an instrument or artifact calibrated at NIST is not enough to make the measurement result traceable to reference standards developed and maintained by NIST. To establish traceability to such reference standards, there must be an unbroken chain of comparisons and each provided measurement must be accompanied by a statement of uncertainty . The measurement system by which values are transferred must be clearly understood and under control. The dates and details of each link in the chain must also be provided. NIST recovers the cost of providing calibration services by charging a fee for each calibration performed. The costs of services are updated and published annually to reflect changes in prices and services. Even so, the cost of many services varies according to your exact calibration specifications; you must therefore provide the technical contact with an exact description of work before receiving a price quote. NOTE: Fees for NIST services do not include shipping costs or insurance. Reports of Calibration/Test Results Reports on calibrations or other services are the property of the customer. Copies are supplied to other parties only as required by federal law or requested in writing by the customer. The results of calibrations and tests performed by NIST apply only to the specific instrument or standard at the time of test unless otherwise clearly stated. To ensure that NIST uncertainty statements are consistent across the organization and with international practice, NIST policy requires all NIST measurements be accompanied by statements of uncertainty as discussed in NIST Technical Note 1297, Guidelines for Evaluating and Expressing the Uncertainty of NIST Measurement Results, 1994 Edition. This publication is based on the approach to expressing uncertainty in measurements recommended by the International Committee on Weights and Measures (CIPM) Guide to the Expression of Uncertainty in Measurement, International Standards Organization (ISO), 1995 Edition. That committee established general rules for evaluating and expressing uncertainty in measurements that are intended to be applicable to a broad spectrum of measurements. The American National Standard for Expressing Uncertainty-U.S. Guide to the Expression of Uncertainty of Measurement (ANSI/NCSL Z540-2-1997) is available from the NCSL International
2995 Wilderness Place, Suite 107
Boulder, CO 80301-5404
(303) 440-3339 NIST reports its calibration results, with the measurement values accompanied by the uncertainties associated with the methods, operators, and environment at NIST. Users of these calibration services will make their own measurements with the calibrated instruments or artifacts. In addition to the uncertainty indicated by NIST, other uncertainties are inherent in the instrument, associated with the method or protocol in using the instrument, with the operator of the instrument, and with the physical environment (pressure, temperature, humidity, etc.) in which the measurements are made. Thus, the measurements made with the calibrated instruments or artifacts by organizations outside of NIST have total uncertainty budgets associated with them, only one component of which is the uncertainty reported to them by NIST. NIST Policy Regarding Use of Metric (SI) Units In accordance with the Metric Conversion Act of 1975 as amended by Section 5164 of the Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act of 1988 and as required by related provisions of the Code of Federal Regulations, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) uses the modern metric system of measurement units (International System of Units - SI) in all publications. When the field of application or the special needs of users of NIST publications require the use of non-SI units, the values of quantities are first stated in the SI units and the corresponding values expressed in non-SI units follow in parentheses. Copies of NIST Guide for the Use of International System of Units (SI) (NIST SP811) are available upon request. NIST measurement/test results or reports shall not be used to indicate or imply that NIST approves, recommends, or endorses the manufacturer, supplier, or user of any instruments or standards or that NIST in any way guarantees or predicts the future performance of items after calibration or test. No reference shall be made to NIST or to reports or results furnished by NIST in any advertising or sales promotions which would indicate or imply that NIST approves, recommends, or endorses any proprietary product or proprietary material. Commercial products, materials, and instruments are identified in our communications and documents for the sole purpose of adequately describing experimental or test procedures. In no event does such identification imply recommendation or endorsement by NIST of a particular product; nor does it imply that a named material or instrument is necessarily the best available for the purpose it serves. The NIST Calibration Services website is intended to make the task of selecting and ordering an appropriate calibration service as quick and easy as possible. Nevertheless, when questions arise you should contact NIST for immediate clarification. General inquiries about the NIST calibration services, assistance in determining the availability of services, and requests for complimentary copies of the Guide for the International System of Units (SP 811), and Guidelines for Evaluating and Expressing the Uncertainty of NIST Measurement Results (TN 1297) are to be addressed to: Calibration Services
National Institute of Standards and Technology
100 Bureau Drive, Stop 2300
Gaithersburg, MD 20899-2300
United States of America
Telephone: (301) 975-2092
Fax: (301) 869-3548
E-mail: calibrations@nist.gov For technical questions concerning a specific service, directly contact the NIST staff member responsible for that calibration area. Date created: 06/30/1999
Last updated: 02/09/2008 | 