Guides

The test for deciding which instruments need calibrating, the two cases UKAS says are exempt, and why the exclusions belong on your register.

24 October 2026

The fields a calibration log needs, why as-found is the one most templates omit, and how the log differs from the certificate the lab sends back.

17 October 2026

What belongs in a calibration register, why the identification field matters more than the rest, and the fields assessors ask about first.

10 October 2026

What a calibration plan contains, the factors UKAS names as the basis for your intervals, and what makes the plan hold up at audit rather than just exist.

3 October 2026

A section-by-section structure for a calibration procedure, with the uncertainty, decision-rule and reporting requirements UKAS guidance expects it to cover.

26 September 2026

How to choose and manage the reference standards your calibrations depend on: sources UKAS accepts, intervals, and the review most teams skip.

19 September 2026

A line-by-line worked uncertainty budget, plus the M3003 divisor table for rectangular, triangular, U-shaped and normal distributions.

12 September 2026

How to turn a measured value into a defensible pass or fail: simple acceptance, guard bands, the C95 capability index, and worked UKAS examples.

5 September 2026

Should you calibrate in-house or send equipment out? The seven conditions UKAS expects for in-house calibration, what counts as traceable, and how to decide.

29 August 2026

What UKAS M3003 is, what it covers, and how it relates to ISO/IEC 17025 and the GUM — plus which of its 17 appendices you actually need for your discipline.

22 August 2026

How long to keep calibration records under ISO 9001 and ISO/IEC 17025 — what the standards actually require, and how to set a defensible retention period.

15 August 2026

A criteria-based scorecard for choosing calibration management software as a UK SME — the questions that separate a workflow-fit tool from an audit-finding one.

8 August 2026

How to move a calibration register from Excel to software without losing data or audit history — what to clean up first and how CSV import works.

1 August 2026

A practical pre-audit calibration checklist mapped to ISO 9001 Clause 7.1.5 and ISO/IEC 17025 — the questions an auditor asks and how to be ready for them.

25 July 2026

What metrological traceability means, why the unbroken chain back to NPL matters at audit, and how UKAS accreditation and the CIPM MRA fit — in plain English.

18 July 2026

How to set and review calibration intervals — the recognised ILAC and ISO methods, and how to adjust an interval from calibration history rather than guesswork.

11 July 2026

A calibration recall system gets instruments back before they fall due. What it must do, why a spreadsheet recall list fails, and how it maps to ISO.

4 July 2026

What a UK manufacturer under ISO 9001 Clause 7.1.5 needs from equipment calibration software — a buyer checklist mapped to what the auditor checks.

27 June 2026

When a calibration spreadsheet stops being enough — the ISO clauses that get hard to satisfy in Excel, and how to tell you have outgrown it before an audit.

20 June 2026

What to look for in ISO 17025 software for a UK calibration lab — clause-mapped features for traceability, uncertainty, reporting, and data control.

10 June 2026

What ISO/IEC 17025:2017 actually requires — management, structural, resource, process, and reporting clauses — and how UKAS assesses UK calibration laboratories against it.

30 May 2026

How to calculate measurement uncertainty using the GUM (JCGM 100) method — Type A and Type B contributions, coverage factor k=2, worked example, UK chain.

9 May 2026

What UKAS accreditation is, how it differs from ISO 9001, what ISO/IEC 17025 requires, and how UK manufacturers should verify accredited calibration suppliers.

2 May 2026

Calibration certificate software for UK quality managers: UKAS-vs-non-accredited handling, ISO/IEC 17025 §7.8 field validation, and audit-trail export.

25 April 2026

Free calibration certificate template for UK quality managers. Covers mandatory fields per ISO/IEC 17025, UKAS requirements, and how to manage certificates at scale.

18 April 2026

Plain-English breakdown of ISO 9001:2015 Clause 7.1.5 calibration requirements. What monitoring and measuring resources your quality system must cover, and how auditors check compliance.

11 April 2026

Step-by-step procedure for handling out-of-tolerance calibration results. Covers investigation workflow, impact assessment, and documentation requirements for ISO 9001 compliance.

4 April 2026

How to determine calibration intervals for test equipment under ISO 9001. Covers frequency by equipment type, risk-based approaches, and when to extend or shorten intervals.

28 March 2026

A criteria-based guide to choosing calibration management software for UK SMEs. Features that matter, questions to ask vendors, and why most enterprise tools miss the mark for quality managers at smaller manufacturers.

21 March 2026

What calibration certificates must contain, how to verify they meet ISO/IEC 17025 and UKAS requirements, and how to manage certificates across 20-500 instruments without losing track.

14 March 2026

Free calibration schedule template for UK quality managers. Track instrument due dates, calibration intervals, and ISO 9001 Clause 7.1.5 compliance in one spreadsheet.

7 March 2026

Choosing calibration tracking software for your UK manufacturing or lab operation? Here's what quality managers should look for in 2026 — from ISO compliance to UKAS workflows.

28 February 2026