Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt

It already starts with birth: the exact time of birth, the size and the weight of the new-born child must be precisely recorded. From that moment on, legal metrology accompanies us all our life – be it as a customer in a shop, when we get our electricity bill or are concerned with problems of environmental, labour or radiation protection – it must be possible to rely on the correctness of the measurement results which we encounter in everyday life. This is made sure by PTB and other institutions. As the national institute for science and technology and the superior technical authority of the Federal Ministry of Economics PTB carries out a great variety of tasks in accordance with national and international laws.

Three of these laws are of particular importance for PTB: Information about the Time Act and the Units Act is given in separate chapters.

This is a tour through PTB's tasks which are regulated in the Verification Act. Following the links below you can make out your own tour and inform yourself about PTB’s activities in the field of consumer.