Manufacturers searching for a commercial calibration laboratory to calibrate their test and measurement equipment need answers to tough questions. One of the toughest is the traceability of measurements and measurement standards to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and other international organizations.
In establishing the validity of a lab’s claim of measurement traceability to NIST, manufacturers must obtain the pertinent documents and ask the direct questions. Further, even if the calibration laboratory has achieved accreditation, the potential customer should not accept its claims of measurement traceability and calibration reliability at face value.