Calibration Records Requirements for all the Calibrations and Verifications we do

Hello everybody,

I work in a manufacturing company and we use mostly tape measures to measure the product but also several calipers and scales. My question is: are we required to maintain calibration records for all the calibrations/verifications we are doing periodically to tapes/calipers/scales? We are certified against ISO 9001:2008.
I am asking this because we had a discussion about it and the quality personnel in some different locations maintain these records, but others are not.

If we are required to keep these records, can you please provide some examples, e.g. for each of those mentioned above (tape/caliper/digital scale), if it's not very difficult (wasting time) for you?

Thanks a lot.

First, ISO 9001 7.6 says you shall determine the monitoring and measurement needed to provide "evidence of conformity" of product to determined requirements.

"Evidence" is an auditor trigger word that requires records for proof. That said, yes, you are required to maintain calibration records....

For all of your calibrations? You need to have already determined what measurements are required to provide evidence of conformity of your product, so at least these will require calibration records. If the measurement is critical to your product performance the measurement must be made with calibrated equipment and the "Records of the results of calibration and verification shall be maintained".

So which instruments? That is what your people are going to have to determine. Are the measurements critical?

MichelleN said:

Hello everybody,

I work in a manufacturing company and we use mostly tape measures to measure the product but also several calipers and scales. My question is: are we required to maintain calibration records for all the calibrations/verifications we are doing periodically to tapes/calipers/scales? We are certified against ISO 9001:2008.
I am asking this because we had a discussion about it and the quality personnel in some different locations maintain these records, but others are not.

If we are required to keep these records, can you please provide some examples, e.g. for each of those mentioned above (tape/caliper/digital scale), if it's not very difficult (wasting time) for you?

Thanks a lot.

Click to expand...

Could you also tell us what type of products being manufactured? Type of tolerance, and so forth.

The calipers and digital scale will need to be identified with records of calibration. Do you use tape measures for final acceptance of product? If so, you would need records on them also.

Just my opinion.

We keep a calibration log on each tape measure and calipers showing
date of calibration and when it needs checked again also showing tolerances. We have a gauge block set and an master tape sent off each year to be calibrated and check the tape measures and calipers with them.

Thank you very much for all your answers and I am very sorry that I am late in writing back to you.
We actually started preparing calibration records because we realised it was necessary. I also remembered that I did it in the past but I forgot about it...

Thanks again.