International Legal Metrology

About International Legal Metrology

The International Legal Metrology group within OWM serves as the primary representation of the U.S. in international legal metrology organizations and other international fora related to weights and measures. The group also coordinates with the National Legal Metrology efforts within OWM to harmonize national and international legal metrology documentary standards and practices.

Who We Are

Staff members are physical scientists and engineers with experience working in metrology research laboratories, as weighing and measuring device type evaluators, and/or industry service specialists.

What We Do

We facilitate U.S. participation in the technical work of the International Organization of Legal Metrology (OIML), a treaty organization that develops voluntary standards (called Recommendations) intended to be used to harmonize national legislation among Member States in areas where regulated instruments and measurements are involved. By authority of the U.S. State Department, NIST representatives vote on OIML technical matters, including at the level of the International Committee of Legal Metrology (CIML), which is the technical and administrative oversight body of OIML.

We also coordinate participation of U.S. manufacturers, users of weighing and measuring instruments, legal metrology officials and other U.S. stakeholders in the technical work of OIML by circulating draft Recommendations and other OIML publications for comment, and by leading U.S. delegations to OIML Technical Meetings. The group also maintains liaisons with several national, regional, and international organizations, and actively participates in two Regional Legal Metrology Organizations (RLMOs), the Asia Pacific Legal Metrology Forum (APLMF) and the Inter-American Metrology System (SIM).

• International Organization of Legal Metrology (OIML)
• Asia-Pacific Legal Metrology Forum (APLMF)
• Inter-American Metrology System (SIM)