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Inside the 2026 NCWM Annual Meeting: Key Decisions, Technical Updates, and National Leadership Recognition
Attendees listen to a presentation by Kevin Schnepp during the 2027 annual NCWM conference.
The National Council on Weights and Measures (NCWM) met in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from July 26 to 30, 2026, for its 111th Annual Meeting, as the country celebrates its 250th anniversary and NIST marks its 125th year. The long, shared history and partnership between NIST and the NCWM is critical to U.S. marketplace fairness and uniformity.
The National Bureau of Standards (NIST) organized the first meeting of the state weights and measures regulators in 1905, giving rise to the National Council on Weights and Measures. The Director of the National Bureau of Standards served as the NCWM Chair until 1958. In recognition of this special history and relationship between the Director and NCWM, the NIST Director is recognized each year as the NCWM Honorary President. This year, Dr. Arvind Raman was recognized to deliver the Honorary President’s Address. Dr. Raman is the fifth Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology and the 18th Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Dr. Raman was unable to attend, but provided a video, which was viewed by meeting participants.
OWM Technical Advisors, Loren Minnich, John McGuire, and Jan Konijnenburg provided technical guidance to the Specification and Tolerance and Laws and Regulations Committees as presented in the 2026 NCWM Specifications and Tolerances (S&T) Executive Summary Report and 2026 NCWM Laws and Regulations (L&R) Executive Summary Report. This led to the adoption of several important updates to the 2027 NIST Handbook 44 and 130 editions, highlighted below.
David Sefcik, National Legal Metrology Program Leader, provided the Professional Development Committee and membership with an update on the National Legal Metrology Program training and other related activities. In addition, Mr. Sefcik, received the 2026 NCWM Distinguished Service Award.
For more information, please contact the NIST Office of Weights and Measures at owm [at] nist.gov (owm[at]nist[dot]gov).
Key NIST Handbook Updates (2027 Editions)
EV Fueling and Timing Devices
- Section title and references were standardized by updating all reference across HB 44 to rename Section 3.40 from “Electric Vehicle Fueling Systems” to “Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE).”
- Timing and Internal Requirements. Clarification was achieved in HB 44 so that EVSE equipped with time-based billing features must indicate and record time intervals at minimum increments of 1 minute.
- Interference Testing. An official definition for interference test was added under HB 44 Section 5.55 (Timing Devices).
E-Commerce and Retail Unit Pricing
- Digital Unit Pricing Transparency. The Uniform E-Commerce Regulation in HB 130 was updated to require unit pricing (e.g., price per ounce, liter, or count) on ecommerce sites, bringing online retail in line with physical storefronts.
- Modernized Unit Price Regulations. The Uniform Unit Price Regulation in HB 130 was enhanced to align unit pricing practices across modern retail formats, digital marketplaces, and traditional brick-and-mortar stores.
Scales and Dimensioning Systems
- Scale Division Reference. HB 44 Section 2.20 (Scales) Table 8 was updated to explicitly reference scale division (d) as the governing value for determining recommended minimum loads.
- Multi-interval Dimensioning. A clarification in HB 44 was made that Multiple Dimension Measuring Devices measuring irregularly shaped objects are permitted to operate as multi-interval devices, specifying operational parameters.
- Scale Division Terminology. The definition of scale division in HB 44 was modernized to apply directly to recorded values (in addition to printed values) and updated references to the verification of scale interval (e).
Liquid and Gas Metering
- Liquid-measuring Flow Rates. Minimum and maximum flow rate parameters during normal tests for liquid-measuring devices in HB 44 Section 3.30 was clarified.
- Water Meter Operations. Water meters must advance indicating and recording elements in full compliance with fundamental HB 44 principles.
- Compressed Gas Cylinder Tare Weights. Historical discrepancies were resolved between HB 130 and Title 49 code of the Code of Federal Regulations regarding allowable differences between stamped and actual tare weights on refillable gas cylinders.
- Farm Milk Tanks. Installation and mounting requirements were updated for farm milk tanks under HB 44 Section 4.42.
General Device and Audit Security
- Audit Trail and Event Logger Access. Category 3 sealing parameter tables were updated across multiple HB 44 sections, mandating that event logger information must be readily accessible during inspection, either by physical printout or electronic transmission.
- Code Cleanup. Redundant and outdated paragraphs in HB 44 were removed regarding Type Evaluation procedures across multiple device-specific sections.