Calibration Certificate Requirements for Pressure Gauges

[noboost4you]

Our ISO 9001:2008 company assembles and distributes calibrated pressure gauges. We calibrate our gauges against instruments that are traceable to NIST with accuracies of at least 4 to 1. In some cases, our customers would like us to record these measurements on a calibration form/certificate.

We are not registered to any calibration or metrology standard. Our calibrations are made against third-party certified instrument standards that we have calibrated on set intervals.

Our current form/certificate contains the following:

• Gauge part number
• Gauge serial number
• ASME Grade
• Gauge calibration date
• Lab temperature and humidity
• Calibration Standard and Pressure Gauge readings/deviations
• Calibration Standard part number
• Calibration Standard serial number
• Calibration Standard calibration date and due date

We are thinking about removing the Calibration Standard calibration date and due date because it confuses many users as to which cal/due date pertains to their pressure gauge.

My question is if this is allowed or if there are certain guidelines/requirements we must show on the calibration certificate (even though we are not registered to any metrology standard).

Thanks,
Bryan

 

[BradM]

Re: Calibration Certificate Requirements - Pressure Gauges

Hello Bryan!

One thing you might want to consider is blocking in the section on your calibration certificate for the standards. That way, it sticks out on its own.

As far as what to include, you generally want to be able to provide evidence of traceability. Some people have included the due dates; some haven't.

My opinion (note just my opinion) is that you want to list on the certificate what you need to know which standard was used. Then if there is an issue or whatever, you can then produce the documentation for the standards used.

Sometimes people list the calibration date/due date to demonstrate that the standard is not past due. However, if you have other methods within your system to assure no past due standard is used, then I would not see any value in that.

I did not see "tolerance" and "pass/fail" assessment for the instrument listed. Not sure if you put them on there.

 

[noboost4you]

Re: Calibration Certificate Requirements - Pressure Gauges

Thanks Brad.

We made it pretty clear on the form on what the standard's cal. date and cal. due date means, but apparently it's not good enough.

I'm looking at the 17025 standard and section 5.10.8 'Format of reports and certificates' mentions absolutely nothing about what a report/certificate should state. Again, we are not registered to 17025, but I'm using it as an example to see if there is a required format.

I understand the traceability aspect, but wouldn't removing the Cal. Date and Cal. Due Date and replacing it with "Calibration Standard Data Available Upon Request" be a possible alternative?

Bottom line, there is no requirement set forth by any standard that dictates the format of a calibration certificate/report. Correct?

 

[Jim Wynne]

Re: Calibration Certificate Requirements - Pressure Gauges

Thanks Brad.

We made it pretty clear on the form on what the standard's cal. date and cal. due date means, but apparently it's not good enough.

I'm looking at the 17025 standard and section 5.10.8 'Format of reports and certificates' mentions absolutely nothing about what a report/certificate should state. Again, we are not registered to 17025, but I'm using it as an example to see if there is a required format.

I understand the traceability aspect, but wouldn't removing the Cal. Date and Cal. Due Date and replacing it with "Calibration Standard Data Available Upon Request" be a possible alternative?

Bottom line, there is no requirement set forth by any standard that dictates the format of a calibration certificate/report. Correct?

I don't think Brad was disagreeing with your proposed strategy. There is no need for calibration dates to appear on calibration certificates, so long as you know what standards were used and can retrieve the information if need be.

 

[noboost4you]

Re: Calibration Certificate Requirements - Pressure Gauges

I don't think Brad was disagreeing with your proposed strategy. There is no need for calibration dates to appear on calibration certificates, so long as you know what standards were used and can retrieve the information if need be.

Oh I know. What Brad responded with was great. I just wanted additional assurance

Thanks.

 

[ram4302]

Hi,
The due date for calibration is given for giving reference to the customers for next calibration.But it should be mentioned unless the customer asked to do that.

The reference standard must be mentioned in the calibration certificate

 

[noboost4you]

Hi,
The due date for calibration is given for giving reference to the customers for next calibration.But it should be mentioned unless the customer asked to do that.

The Calibration Due Date: for the customer's pressure gauge is completed by the customer. We cannot tell them when they need to have the gauge re-calibrated as it's based on their installation date and QA program.

The reference standard must be mentioned in the calibration certificate

Yes, I agree. The "equipment used"/"calibration standard" must be mentioned on the certificate. The confusion lies with customers not reading the certificate properly and **thinking** their brand-new pressure gauge needs to be re-calibrated in a few short months. However, that's not the case because that date refers to our calibration standard and not the customer's product.

You can lead a horse to water...

 

[BradM]

Re: Calibration Certificate Requirements - Pressure Gauges

Bottom line, there is no requirement set forth by any standard that dictates the format of a calibration certificate/report. Correct?

Since you have no requirement per se, I would suggest the outlay of your certificate is a business decision. However, there are requirements listed in 17025: 2005, sections 5.10.2-5.10.4.

I would post them, but the section is quite long. Honestly, it might be worth getting a copy of it, to have for a comparison and such. It's a pretty decent reference for operating a calibration lab.

Here's a little snippet:

[FONT=Arial,Bold][FONT=Arial,Bold]

[FONT=Arial,Bold]

[FONT=Arial,Bold]5.10.4.1 [/FONT]
[/FONT]

In addition to the requirements listed in 5.10.2, calibration certificates shall include the following,

where necessary for the interpretation of calibration results:
a) the conditions (e.g. environmental) under which the calibrations were made that have an influence on the
measurement results;
b) the uncertainty of measurement and/or a statement of compliance with an identified metrological
specification or clauses thereof;​

c) evidence that the measurements are traceable (see Note 2 in 5.6.2.1.1).
​

Also, ISO 10012-2003, [FONT=Arial,Bold]
[FONT=Arial,Bold]Measurement management systems —[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial,Bold]Requirements for measurement[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial,Bold]processes and measuring equipment[/FONT]​

[/FONT]

section 7.1.4., (also real long ) states the documentation requirements also. ​

[/FONT]​

[/FONT]​

​

 

[Jim Wynne]

Hi,
The due date for calibration is given for giving reference to the customers for next calibration.But it should be mentioned unless the customer asked to do that.

The reference was to calibration of the standards, not calibration of the pressure gage. A customer may assume that a new properly calibrated pressure gage is still in calibration and set a recalibration date accordingly, or may choose to calibrate the device themselves (or have it calibrated).

The reference standard must be mentioned in the calibration certificate

It might be preferable to identify the reference standard(s) used, but so long as traceability is maintained (i.e., the seller can retrieve all of the calibration information based on based on, e.g., a product serial number), there is no "must" or "shall," except of the OP's own making.

 

[noboost4you]

Re: Calibration Certificate Requirements - Pressure Gauges

Since you have no requirement per se, I would suggest the outlay of your certificate is a business decision. However, there are requirements listed in 17025: 2005, sections 5.10.2-5.10.4.

I would post them, but the section is quite long. Honestly, it might be worth getting a copy of it, to have for a comparison and such. It's a pretty decent reference for operating a calibration lab.

Here's a little snippet:

[FONT=Arial,Bold][FONT=Arial,Bold]

Also, ISO 10012-2003, [FONT=Arial,Bold]
[FONT=Arial,Bold]Measurement management systems —[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial,Bold]Requirements for measurement[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial,Bold]processes and measuring equipment[/FONT]​

[/FONT]

section 7.1.4., (also real long ) states the documentation requirements also. ​

[/FONT]​

[/FONT]​

[/LEFT]

Yes, section 5.10.2 and 5.10.4 are what I was looking for. Unsure how I passed them up and wound up on 5.10.8 only.

We're all set. The cal. date and cal. due date for the calibration standard is not required on the calibration certificate per ISO 17025:2005.