INTERPRETATION OF

CALIBRATION REPORTS
What is Calibration ?
Why Calibrate ?
Selection of Calibration Agency
Calibration Periodicity
Review / Interpretation of a Calibration Report
 Requirements of ISO 17025 for reporting results
 Acceptance of Calibrations Reports
How we can get updated ?
What is Calibration ?

According to the International Organization for Standardization

publication entitled International Vocabulary of Basic and
General Terms in Metrology, Calibration is the set of

operations that establish, under specified conditions, the

relationship between values indicated by a measuring
instrument, a measuring system or values represented by a
material measure, and the corresponding known values of a
reference equipment or material
Why Calibrate ?

Industries, Research Organizations

and Factories worldwide spend
millions of dollars annually to
calibrate their instrumentation yet
the tangible evidence of what has
been obtained in return for this
investment generally receives
inadequate attention
Why Calibrate ?

Calibration is accepted as a performance comparison

against a standard of known accuracy.
Calibration is done,
 To ensure readings from an instrument are consistent with

other measurements.
 To determine the accuracy of the instrument readings.

 To establish the reliability of the instrument i.e. that it can

be trusted or traceable.
Types of Calibration

Accredited

Non Accredited

In house Calibration

Selection of Calibration
Agencies
Calibration Agencies

In order to get valid calibration results with global

metrology system and to provide globally accepted
quality products / services, the selection of the
calibration agency is crucial.
Selection of Calibration Agencies
Selection Criteria

Calibration Range
Sufficient Test Accuracy Ratio
Traceability
Better Calibration Measurement Capability
Availability of Services
Regulatory authority /Accreditation agency
Requirements
Cost of calibration
Level /Position required in traceability chain
Calibration Range

When considering / selecting a lab for calibration

service, it should be thoroughly verified that
calibration points at which the UUC has to be
calibrated are within the range of Calibrating lab’s
scope of service.

Eg: For a calibrating a thermometer with a resolution of 1C at

100 C, we have to choose a Calibration Lab with a reference
thermometer having a resolution of at least 0.1C and a
range of more than 150.00C.
Test Accuracy Ratio

 In a calibration procedure, the TAR is the ratio of the accuracy

tolerance of the unit under calibration to the accuracy tolerance
of the calibration standard used. [based on NCSL Glossary of
Metrology-related Terms].
Traceability

Calibrating Laboratories should

establish a chain of traceability
through national / international
standards.

Traceability is a property of the

result of a measurement, providing
the ability to relate the measurement
result to stated references, through
an unbroken chain of comparisons
each having stated uncertainties.
Calibration Measurement Capability

Calibration & Measurement Capability (CMC) is the

value of uncertainty assigned by any accreditation
body for a calibration laboratory. It is the best
uncertainty, that calibration laboratory can provide
for any measurement with in the range of a specific
parameter
Calibration Measurement Capability

When a pipette has to be calibrated from a

accredited calibration laboratory, scope of the lab
should be verified whether it meets the requirements
in terms of parameter, range and Calibration
Measurement Capability (CMC).

Requirements :
Pipette is having a range of 10µl to 1000 µl with a resolution of
1 µl and an accuracy of ± 8 µl.
Lab 1

Lab 2
Calibration Agencies Comparison

Pipette is having a range of 10µl to 1000 µl with a

resolution of 1 µl and an accuracy of ± 8 µl.

Lab 1 Lab 2

CMC  up to 1000 µl  ± 0.5 µl CMC  up to 5000 µl  ± 8.0 µl

Reference Mass  Class E2 Reference Mass  Not mentioned

 LAB 1 can be chosen for the calibration for the above

mentioned pipette
Availability of Service

Some of NABL accredited Calibration Providers

SlNo Laboratory Name District

1 Electronics Regional Test Thiruvananthapuram
Laboratory South
2 Meter Testing & Standards Thiruvananthapuram
Laboratory
3 Alfatek Services Thiruvananthapuram
4 SCTIMST Thiruvananthapuram
5 Sophisticated Test and Kochi
Instrumentation Centre
6 Fluid Control Research Institute Palakkad
7 Isotech Metrology Solutions Palakkad
Regulatory Authority Requirements

To meet the accreditation requirements of foreign

agencies like COFRAC, in house and traceable
calibration may be sufficient.
NABL require accredited calibrations meeting it’s
published specific criteria‘s. (e.g. Specific Criteria for Calibration
Laboratories in Mechanical Discipline – NABL 122)

CE marking / GLP Studies may require accredited

calibrations with approved work procedures, study
protocols, traceability etc.
Cost of Calibration

Calibration cost can be optimized by choosing the right

calibration agency having required scope and CMC.

Better scope means better quality, means more costly.

Position in Traceability Chain
Selection Criteria in Nutshell

Factors to consider while choosing a calibrating agency

 Check the accuracy required for unit under calibration (UUC)

based on the tolerance desired.
 Check the NABL scope of the calibrating laboratory whether it
meets the requirement both for parameter, range and CMC.
 The Error and uncertainty expressed should be in terms of % of
reading in the calibration certificate and not in % of full scale
(FSD).
 Preference should be given to accredited calibration Laboratories
since these labs fulfill the requirements of an international
standard (ISO 17025) are considered to competent than other labs.
Calibration Periodicity
Calibration Periodicity

One of the most significant

decision to be made
regarding calibration is how
often an instrument has to be
calibrated.
Calibration Periodicity

Some reference documents for fixing the

calibration interval
 ILAC G-24: Guidelines for the Determination of
Calibration
 NSCL RP1: Establishment and Adjustment of
Calibration
NIST GMP-11 – Assignment & Adjustment of
Calibration Intervals for Laboratory
Calibration Periodicity

Factors need to be taken into consideration while

fixing calibration interval are

• Type of Instrument • Accuracy of measurement sought

• Frequency of Usage •Frequency of cross check
• Manufacturer’s recommendation • Penalty of incorrect measurement
• Maintenance and Service data getting accepts
Calibration Periodicity using penalty factor

NEW CALIBRATION INTERVAL = CURRENT INTERVAL * 50 / P

Where P is the penalty factor estimated for the instrument.

Reference :‘A practical approach for calibration interval’ (STQC)

Calibration Periodicity – Penalty Factors

Penalty Factor
Sl No Factor
(Feature and Rating)
1 Accuracy Very Fine 10 Coarse 1

2 Frequency of Usage Very High 10 Very low 1

3 Construction / Type Very delicate 10 Robust 2

4 Required Skill level in Very High 10 Very low 4

operation
5 Operating Environment Shop Floor 10 Clean Area 2

6 Maintenance Requirement Very frequent 10 Infrequent 1

7 Nature of measurement New 10 Established 1

technique
8 Age of the equipment Very old 10 Relatively new 3

9 Stability of calibration Very low 10 Very high 3

10 Cost of Calibration Low 10 Very high 2

TOTAL 100 20
Estimating Calibration Periodicity

Sl Penalty
Factor
No Factor
1 Accuracy (± 1C) 2
2 Frequency of Usage (daily 2 times) 4 For example, calibration periodicity of
3 Construction / Type (Digital) 5 a digital thermometer can be
4 Required Skill level in operation 4 estimated as,
(medium) Calibration Interval,
5 Operating Environment (Heated) 5 CI =( 1 * 50) / 40 = 1.25
6 Maintenance Requirement (very low) 3
 CI can fixed as 1 YEAR
7 Nature of measurement technique 1
(Established)
8 Age of the equipment (3 years) 6
9 Stability of calibration (Good) 5
10 Cost of Calibration (Rs.2500/cal) 5
TOTAL 40
When to recalibrate ?

In some cases equipments has to be recalibrated

other than routine recalibration interval.
If the exact performance of the equipment is not
known
If the equipment is under gone any repair.
If there is any doubt in the performance of the
equipment.
 Interpretation
of
Calibration Reports
Calibration Reports

Calibration Reports are the records that provides

clients the results and outcomes of a calibration
process.

Calibration reports / certificates are used for the

following activities.
 Applying correction to an instrument reading.
 Characterizing the accuracy of an instrument.
 Calculating the uncertainty in further measurement.
Applying correction

Thermometer calibration results

Corrected Temperature at 110 C is

110 + -0.3 = 109.7 C

The spacing and number of points selected are

sufficient to allow corrections for any reading to be
deduced with sufficient accuracy by linear
interpolation. As a general rule, extrapolation of
corrections is not recommended.
Characterizing the accuracy

Control chart for a Balance

1.0027

1.0026

We can describe the variations in 1.0025

Balance indications in grams

terms of the centre and the 1.0024
width of the distribution of
.readings 1.0023

1.0022

1.0021

1.002

1.0019 Balance indication

upper limit (average+3 stdev)
lower limit (average-3 stdev)
1.0018 upper limit-balance linearity
lower limit-balance linearity
1.0017
40150 40350 40550 40750 40950 41150 41350
:Note
Mass value of reference is 1.0023 g
:Balance specifications Dates of measurements
:Resolutionmg 0.1
Linearity of balance is0.3mg
Calculating the uncertainty

In estimating the uncertainty of a measurement, the

equipment used as a reference has a role. In
uncertainty calculation, the accuracy of the
reference equipment and uncertainty of the
reference equipment are major contributors of
uncertainty.
The above mentioned uncertainty is available from
the calibration certificate of reference equipment
used.
Contents of Calibration Reports

When a Calibration Certificate for an equipment is

received, it can be confusing to know what is important
and how to interpret the information provided.

The report should contain,

The details about the UUC– Unit Under Calibration
The calibrating laboratory’s reference equipment details
The test method used
The results including the corrections
The uncertainty
Requirements of Calibration Reports

The ISO 17025 standard defines what are the things to be includes in a
Calibration report, in it’s clause “5.10.2”.

The basic requirements are,

 The Title: The calibration certificates establish what the document claims to

be.
 Name and address of calibration laboratory

 The user and laboratory can trace all work relating to the calibration and the

use of an instrument.
 Each page should be numbered and the total number of pages given.

 Unambiguous identification of the instrument, including make, model and

serial number.
Requirements of Calibration Reports Contd.

 Date of calibration

 Identification of calibration method used or unambiguous description of any

non-standard method used, and/or deviation from standard method

 Conditions under which the calibration is carried out e.g.

 Environment like ambient temperature, pressure, etc

 Measurements and derived results

 A statement of the estimated uncertainty of calibration results

 A signature and title of person (s) accepting responsibility for the report

contents
 A statement that the certificate shall not be reproduced other than in full,

except with the approval of Top Administrator of the Calibration Laboratory.

Sample Calibration Report

Details of Calibration Laboratory

Sample Calibration Report

Details of Accreditation of
Calibration Laboratory
Sample Calibration Report

Unique Calibration Report ID

Sample Calibration Report

Details of Requesting Person /

Organization
Sample Calibration Report

Details of Equipment Calibrated

(Unit Under Calibrated)
Sample Calibration Report

Details of Authorized Personnel of

Calibration Laboratory
Sample Calibration Report

Page number with number of pages

in Calibration Report
Sample Calibration Report Contd…

Date of Calibration
Sample Calibration Report Contd…

Specification of Unit Under

Calibration
Sample Calibration Report Contd…

Details of Environment during

Calibration procedure
Sample Calibration Report Contd…

Details of Reference Equipments

including calibration traceability
Sample Calibration Report Contd…

Details of CMC (Calibration &

Measurement Capability) of
Calibration Laboratory if it is
accredited
Sample Calibration Report Contd…

Results of Calibration
Sample Calibration Report Contd…

Procedures & Standard documents

adopted for calibration.
Sample Calibration Report Contd…

Details of Calibration Operators

Sample Calibration Report Contd…

End of Calibration Report

Acceptance of Calibration Reports

In order to receive “Technically valid Calibration / Test results competent to Global

Metrology System, following actions can be taken.

 Verify the accredited scope of the laboratory on Accreditation body’s web site

whether it meets the requirement both for parameter, range and CMC.
 Visit / enquire about the laboratory to verify its existence, available facilities,

Competency and suitability to your requirement.

 To protect the genuine accredited laboratories and to prevent the malpractices

those are defaming the country, please do not encourage or do not collude in
such activities like getting reports without performing actual calibration,
Using of logo of accreditation bodies without proper information etc.
Updates
Updates

 NABL India

(http://www.nabl-india.org/nabl/index.php?c=publicaccredationdoc&m=index&docType=both&Itemid=199 )
 NPL India

(http://www.nplindia.org/centre-calibration-testing-cfct )
 NPL UK

(http://www.npl.co.uk/publications)
 Measurement Standards Laboratory, New zealand ; MSL

(https://www.msl.irl.cri.nz/training-and-resources/technical-guides )
 National Association of Testing Authorities, Australia ; NATA (http://
www.nata.com.au/nata/accreditation-publication/technical-documents-updates)