Traceable Calibration

Calibration was performed using equipment which has been routinely calibrated to a standard that can be traced back to a national or international measurement standard.

NIST traceable calibration is an assurance program that certifies that a laboratory or manufacturer is fully equipped to calibrate equipment to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) standards and that any products offered by that manufacturer will match those NIST-maintained measurement standards.

It should be noted that NIST does not monitor traceability and that it is up to the end-user to check for proper calibration. However, there are several ways to determine traceability as all reputable manufacturers and vendors will give their customers, either with the product, on their company website, or by request:

Documentation of their calibration methods and procedures.
Clearly stated calibration uncertainties.
Traceability records which should be both public and non-proprietary.
Laboratory accreditation with assurance that qualified assessors have looked at a laboratory’s traceability procedures.

NIST traceability can help verify the accuracy of digital devices such as infrared sensors, RTDs, and thermocouples.