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International Organization of Legal Metrology (OIML)

General information

PTB promotes the international cooperation in legal metrology. A key objective is the harmonization of metrology. In the field of legal metrology this is achieved by co-operation in the OIML (International Organization of Legal Metrology).

Germany is a founding member of the OIML, which was created by an intergovernmental Treaty signed in 1955. Membership of the OIML now stands at 127 Member States.

The primary goal of the OIML is to internationally harmonize the numerous regulations of the various countries and metrological tests of measurement devices, and to promote mutual recognition of test results and certificates, thus reducing technical barriers to trade in the sense of the WTO (World Trade Organization) agreement.

Uniform recommendations on requirements for measuring instruments as well as the mutual recognition of equivalent certificates support the German import and export industry. This concerns equipment that is subject to legal control such as scales and gas pumps as well as gas, water and electricity meters.

The OIML certification system aims at harmonizing type approval procedures of measuring instruments by recognizing type approvals on the basis of OIML recommendations.

An OIML certificate attests that an instument pattern has passed the necessary conformity tests specified in the relevant OIML Recommendation.

A large number of OIML recommendations are normative documents in Europe as defined in the MID (Measuring Instruments Directive) and NAWID (Non-Automatic Weighing Instruments Directive), which in turn form the basis of over 100 million calibrated measuring instruments in Germany.

Current news

58. CIML meeting

The 58th CIML meeting took place face-to-face from 16 to 19 October 2023 in Thailand (Chiang Mai).

Detailed information can be found here.

 

57. CIML meeting

The 57th CIML meeting took place online from 17 to 21 October 2022.

More info (Summary, Resolutions, Minutes) can be found here.

 

56th CIML meeting and 16th International Conference on Legal Metrology

The 56th CIML meeting and the 16th International Conference on Legal Metrology took place online from 18 October to 22 October 2021.

More info (Summary, Resolutions, Minutes) can be found here.

 

UNIDO Guidance Document on the OIML Certification System (OIML-CS)

This document has been developed by UNIDO and the OIML to provide information on the OIML Certification System (OIML-CS), including the requirements for participation, the application processes and how the OIML-CS can be used to implement a national type approval system for measuring instruments such as active electrical energy meters, taximeters, water meters, and non-automatic weighing instruments. Information is also provided on the relevant international standards and associated management system requirements, along with the supporting OIML publications that underpin the OIML-CS.

The document can be found here.

The OIML certification system (OIML-CS)

The international development with its effects on European and national regulations is characterized by activities of the OIML.

A central issue, which is crucial even outside the framework of legal metrology, is the mutual recognition of test results and certificates. The certificates issued by the Member States within the framework of the OIML certification system attest conformity of a type of measuring instrument with the relevant OIML Recommendation.

For the manufacturers of measuring instruments, that means that a measuring instrument that has already been tested and certified in one country should, in terms of the smoothest possible economic exchange of goods, also be approved in another country – and without having to repeat the testing procedures.

A large number of OIML recommendations are normative documents in Europe as defined in the MID (Measuring Instruments Directive) and NAWID (Non-Automatic Weighing Instruments Directive), which in turn form the basis of over 100 million calibrated measuring instruments in Germany.

The new OIML-CS is intended to be expanded step by step to include as many types of measuring instruments as possible.

The new certification system, with effect from 1 January 2018, is intended to reach a worldwide recogntion of test results for a significantly higher number of measuring instruments and participating countries. The new OIML-CS is intended to be expanded step by step to include as many types of measuring instruments as possible. It is particularly attractive for OIML Member States which do not have testing laboratories of their own or for those which prefer to rely on the test results of recognized testing laboratories of other Member States.

The service offer of the PTB Conformity Assessment Body comprises Type examinations of measuring instruments within the scope of the OIML certification system acc. to OIML B18 for the following OIML Recommendations:

R 49:2013 (Water meters for cold potable water and hot water)

R 51:2006 (Automatic catchweighing instruments)

R 60:2000 (Metrological regulation for load cells)

R 60:2017 (Metrological regulation for load cells)

R 61:2004 (Automatic gravimetric filing instruments)

R 75:2002 (Heat meters)

R 76:2006 (Non-automatic weighing instruments)

For further information on PTB as Issuing Authority please refer to the web pages of the OIML following this link.

Detailed information on PTB as Utilizer can be found here.

Contact
Agency Conformity Assessment

Dr. Harry Stolz
E-Mail: harry.stolz(at)ptb.de
Tel.: +49 531-592-9220

PTB´s collaboration in OIML Technical Committees

 At the working level there are 18 Technical Committees for drawing up more than 100 internationally harmonized metrological recommendations and regulations for mutual recognition of OIML certificates and OIML test reports. They must be updated continuously and must be adapted to new technologies.

PTB is in charge of the following Technical Committees (TCs) and Subcommittees (SCs):

TC 3/SC  4
Application of statistical methods

Project
New Document: Surveillance of utility meters in service on the basis of sampling inspections

Contact
Dr. Dirk Ratschko
E-Mail: dirk.ratschko(at)ptb.de
Tel.: +49(0)531 592-9200

TC 5/SC 2
Software

Project
Revision of D 31: General Requirements for software controlled measuring instruments

Contact
Dr. Marko Esche
E-Mail: marko.esche(at)ptb.de
Tel.: +49(0)30 3481-7975

TC 8/SC 3
Dynamic volume and mass measurement (liquids other than water)
(Secretariat with the United States)

Contact
Dr. Michael Rinker
E-Mail: michael.rinker(at)ptb.de
Tel.: +49(0)531 592-1380

TC 9/SC 1
Non-automatic weighing instruments

(Secretariat with France)

Project
Revision of R 76:2006 Non-automatic weighing instruments

Contact
Dr. Dorothea Knopf
E-Mail: dorothea.knopf(at)ptb.de
Tel.: +49(0)531 592-1100

TC 9/SC 3
Weights

Contact
Dr. Michael Borys
E-Mail: michael.borys(at)ptb.de
Tel.: +49(0)531 592-1110

TC 11
Instruments for measuring temperature and associated quantities

Contact
Dr. Karl Jousten
E-Mail: karl.jousten(at)ptb.de
Tel.: +49(0)30/3481-7262

TC 17/SC 7
Breath testers

(Secretariat with France)

Project
Revision of R 126: Evidential breath analyzers

Kontakt
Regina Klüß
E-Mail: regina.kluess(at)ptb.de
Tel.: +49(0)30 3481-3337

TC 18
Medical measuring instruments

Project
New Recommendation - Ophthalmic instruments, Non-contact tonometers

Contact
Dr. Dana Rosu
E-Mail: dana.rosu(at)ptb.de
Tel: +49(0)30 3481-7713

TC 18/SC 5
Measuring instruments for medical laboratories

Contact
Dr. Rainer Macdonald
E-Mail: rainer.macdonald(at)ptb.de
Tel: +49(0)30 3481-7542

Moreover, PTB is Convener for the following projects:

TC 16/SC 1/p4
New Recommendation - Instruments for measuring the vehicle exhaust soot particle number (PN)

Contact
Dr. Volker Ebert
E-Mail: volker.ebert(at).de
Tel: +49(0)531 592-3400

PTB takes also an active part in all relevant technical bodies and projects.