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Metrology

NIST's metrology research focuses on advancing measurement science to enhance economic security and improve quality of life.

kilograms under glass jars

The Road to the Revised SI
Circular multicolored graphic showing the symbols for the SI base units and the constants that are used to define them.

For All Times, For All Peoples: How Replacing the Kilogram Empowers Industry (blog post)
We Did It! Thumbnail

Video: We Did It!
George Orji using a pair of tweezers to make an adjustment to an instrument.

What To Do When Measurement Methods Produce Different Answers (blog post)

The Romance of Precision Measurement

News and Updates

Events

5705 Southwest Assurance Program (SWAP)

Mon, Aug 30 2021, 1:00pm - Thu, Sep 2 2021, 5:00pm EDT
NIST Handbook 143, Section 5.2, Table 2 notes that annual attendance at the RMAP training session is required for

5710 Basic Uncertainty Concepts

Thu, May 20 2021, 2:00 - 4:00pm EDT
This 2-hour webinar provides a very basic introduction to uncertainty calculations and reporting using the 8-step

Industry Impacts

refrigerants

Low GHG Refrigerants

Hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) refrigerants are potent greenhouse gases (GHG) that are being phased down by the U.S. and 196 other countries under the Montreal
Two men stand behind a piece of metal on a custom tripod

Manufacturing Large Objects

It’s expensive and time-consuming for manufacturers to ensure the large objects they make, such as aircraft wings and earth-moving equipment, are the right size
A man in a hardhat standing on top of the million-pound weight stack with a person standing at the bottom.

Massive Forces for Heavy Industry

Measuring large forces, such as the thrust of a rocket engine or the deflection of an aircraft wing, requires well-calibrated force sensors. NIST’s unique

Projects and Programs

Measuring interactions between chiral edge states. 2D heterostructure (left); magnetoresistance data (right).

Quantum Transport Measurements

We are developing the foundational knowledge and measurement infrastructure that will facilitate the use of solid state systems with emergent quantum properties

IEC 62755 Standard N42 Data Format

The purpose of the IEC 62755 standard N42 data format is to facilitate manufacturer-independent transfer of information from radiation measurement instruments

Publications

Tools and Instruments

Microcalorimeter Detector

The NIST transition edge sensor microcalorimeter is energy dispersive x-ray spectrometer capable of ~5 eV resolution over a range of energies from hundreds to

Awards

This is a picture of the awardees of the 2018 ASM Howe Medal

2018 Henry Marion Howe Medal

The ASM Henry Marion Howe Medal is awarded in memory of Dr. Henry Marion Howe, a distinguished teacher, writer, metallurgist and consultant...