Law of Metrology and
Calibration
Issued by Royal Decree No. M/51,
dated 13.11.1434 AH
Law of Metrology and Calibration
Chapter I
Objectives and Definitions
Article 1
The following words and phrases, wherever mentioned in this Law,
shall have the meanings assigned thereto, unless otherwise required by
the context:
Law: Metrology and Calibration Law.
Executive Regulations: The executive regulations of this law.
SASO: Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Organization.
Metrology: The science of metering.
Metrology: A set of processes with the purpose of finding a given
quantitative value.
Calibration: A set of processes which indicates, under certain
conditions, the relationship between the stated values by a metering
machine or system and the known values corresponding to the
measured quantity.
Calibration Certificate: A document in which the results of calibration
are recorded.
Legal Calibration: Part of metrology concerned with units, methods
and systems of standardization as related to binding technical and legal
requirements to guarantee public protection in terms of safety and
suitable standardization accuracy.
Standardization Criterion: A physical criterion or metering machine
or system that is used to determine a unit, its production and
preservation or giving it a known value or more than a given quantity to
transfer to other metering systems.
Weights and Standards: All metering criteria as well as processes
used in it that are related to legal calibration.
Metering System: It is a tool used for metering, separately or linked
with other equipment, in a systematic way during use.
International System of Units: It is a cohesive system of units adopted
and recommended by the General Conference on Weights and
Measurements.
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Primary Criterion: a Criterion of a quantity that meets the highest
standards of metrological quality in a given field.
National Criterion: A criterion recognized by an official national
decision as a basis to establish the value of all other criteria of the given
quantity in a given country pursuant to the international criterion.
International Criterion: A criterion recognized by an international
convention used internationally as a basis to establish the value of all
other criteria of a given quantity.
Reference Criterion: A criterion that meets the highest standards of
metrological quality in a given area.
Effective Criterion: A criterion calibrated against a reference criterion
regularly used to calibrate or test physical measurements or metering
systems.
Cross-reference: A property of a given measuring result which can be
cross-referenced with international or national criteria through a
connected series of comparisons.
Verification: A set of operations that are processed by approved
laboratories to ensure that the measuring system or tool fully meets
verification requirements. Verification includes both testing and
stamping.
Primary Verification: The primary verification that is performed for
the first time of a new measuring system that has not already been
verified.
Examination: A set of processes that are performed to ensure that a
given measuring system meets the legal requirements related to
verification or the recommendations stated in the technical standards.
Stamping: It is to stamp signs on the measuring systems indicating
compatibility with the verification requirements.
Testing: A set of processes through which the performance of the
sample is checked to identify its quality under specific conditions.
Measurement or Test Report: A document that contains the results of
measurement or test and any other information related to these results.
Range of Values: An estimation that describes the extent of values
within which the true value of the measured quantity falls.
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Model: The final design of a measuring system in which every
element affecting its metrological characteristics is appropriately
defined.
Quality Mark: It is a mark under which a national product is licensed
after SASO verifies it is compliant with relevant Saudi standards.
Conformity Certificate: A certificate given by SASO or another
approved international organization for a specific production set after
performing conformity tests on it in accordance with the approved
Saudi or international standards.
NCMC: National Centre for Metrology and Calibration.
Approved Laboratories: Laboratories that SASO gives an approval
certificate stating their ability to carry out some or all testing or
calibration services.
Article 2
This law aims at:
- Unifying the body of metrology and calibration in the Kingdom,
- Complying with the international system of metrology and
calibration,
- Facilitating operations of commercial exchange of commodities
between the Kingdom and other countries with regard to metrology and
calibration, and
- Covering standards and criteria for commercial, industrial and
scientific domains.
Chapter II
Measuring Units
Article 3
The International System of Units shall be adopted as the basis of the
measuring units taken as a reference for all standards in the Kingdom of
Saudi Arabia. All laboratories shall use the units of the International
System. These units are based on the following basic units:
1. Length unit: Metre
2. Mass unit: Kilogram
3. Time unit: Second
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4.
5.
6.
7.
Temperature unit: Kelvin
Amperage unit: ampere
Substance quantity unit: mol
Luminance unit: lux
Article 4
The units and codes of the International System as well as the units
derived from them used in every field are determined through the
standard specifications approved by SASO.
Article 5
The standardization and calibration of the quantitative properties of
the imported and locally produced ones shall be posted on a prominent
place of the goods in the units of the International System.
Chapter III
Classification of Laboratories and Co-Reference of
Metrology Criteria
Article 6
Metrology and calibration laboratories are classified as follows:
1. National Centre, and
2. Approved laboratories
Article 7
For the co-reference of metrology criteria, the following conditions
should be met:
1. The calibration certificates of the national criteria kept at the
National Centre shall be valid, contain a range of values and issued by
the Bureau International des Poids et Mesures (BIPM) or any
internationally approved calibration laboratory to confirm crossreference to international criteria.
2. The reference criteria effective within the National Centre shall be
calibrated within the National Centre and the range of values shall
accompany them to confirm cross-referencing to national criteria.
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3. The criteria effective within the approved laboratories shall be
calibrated within these laboratories and the range of values shall
accompany them to confirm cross-referencing to national criteria.
4. The certificates of calibration related to reference criteria of
measuring and calibration laboratories approved by SASO shall include
the range of values issued by the National Centre to confirm cross
referencing to national criteria.
Chapter IV
Duties of Bodies Authorized to Perform Metrology
and Calibration
Article 8
A. SASO Duties
Without prejudice to the authorities of SASO provided for in the law,
SASO shall undertake the following duties:
1. Approve the form in accordance with SASO standard specifications
or the recommendations of OIML and issue form approval certificates
for primary measurement and verification systems.
2. Approve metrology and calibration laboratories.
3. Coordinate with relevant bodies to ensure saving reference criteria
in approved laboratories as well as saving effective criteria in good
condition in the said laboratories and calibrating them internationally by
cross-referencing to the units of the International System and national
metrology criteria saved in the National Centre.
4. Issue conformity certificates of the measurement system models
subject to legal criteria.
B. National Centre Duties
1. Taking care of and maintaining national criteria, reference criteria
and effective criteria representing the units of the International Systems
and their increments and portions as cross-referenced to international
criteria along with the range of values.
2. Calibrating reference and effective criteria as well as metrology
systems used by other laboratories on a regular basis.
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3. Researching and developing metrology criteria and verifying units
of the International System and their increments and portions.
4. Reporting tests and examinations of metrology systems to SASO to
issue model conformity certificates and perform primary verification of
metrology systems.
5. Providing technical advice to SASO concerning preparation for the
Saudi standard specifications, issuing laboratories with approval
certificates and issuing quality marks.
6. Providing assistance and advice in the field of metrology and
calibration to bodies and laboratories that request the same.
7. Taking care of, maintaining and calibrating the legal units of
metrology systems.
C. Duties of Approved Laboratories
1. Keeping reference and effective criteria cross-referenced to the
national criteria.
2. Calibrating metrology systems used by these laboratories on a
regular basis.
3. Keeping reference and effective criteria for the calibration and
verification of metrology systems.
4. Examining and verifying metrology systems governed by this law
and its executive regulations in accordance with their calibrations,
weights, measures or dimensions and ensuring that no methods or
means that may invalidate the same are used.
5. Providing calibration and testing service to meet calibration
requirements inside or outside the laboratory.
Article 9
The National Centre and approved laboratories shall undertake the
following:
1. Performing primary verification of new metrology systems after
they have been issued conformity certificates and before they are used.
The executive regulations shall determine the method and locations of
verification and the responsibility of referring systems for verification
and periods of validity.
2. Collecting the costs of calibration from the requestor of services, as
will be specified in the executive regulations.
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Chapter V
Rules of Care for, Maintenance and CrossReferencing of Metrology Criteria Used for Legal
Calibration Purposes
Article 10
a. Rules of Caring for Metrology Criteria:
1. National criteria taken care of by the National Centre shall carry
valid calibration certificates cross-referenced to International Criteria
that are verified within the National Centre or the ones kept by Bureau
International des Poids et Mesures (BIPM) or any internationally
approved calibration laboratories.
2. Reference and effective criteria are calibrated internally and their
values along with the range of values are listed in their values.
3. Reference criteria shall carry valid calibration certificates along with
their range of values and shall be issued by SASO.
4. Effective criteria shall be calibrated by the reference criteria, their
values should be specified and the range of values should be mentioned.
5. Measuring units, their increments and portions shall be physically
represented by national and reference criteria as well as by effective
criteria.
b. The Period of Calibration and the Method of Stamping
1. The executive regulations shall determine the period of calibration
for all metrology criteria kept at SASO and other approved laboratories.
2. Stamping shall be designed in accordance with the procedures
specified in the executive regulations.
Chapter VI
Metrological Requirements for Measuring Systems
Article 11
1. Saudi standard specifications related to the requirements of
measuring systems and methods of calibration shall be applied. The
executive regulations shall state the same.
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2. Relevant Saudi standard specifications shall be approved based on
the recommendations of the International Organization of Legal
Metrology (IOLM).
Chapter VII
Recording, Investigation and Trial
Article 12
Violations of this law shall be recorded and documented by
specialized staff. The executive regulations shall state the following:
1. The authority (or authorities) responsible for nominating these staff,
and
2. The authorities and duties assumed by them.
Article 13
The General Investigation and Prosecution Commission shall have
authority over the violations provided for in this law.
Article 14
The court having jurisdiction shall decide on all violations and claims
arising from the application of this law.
Chapter VIII
Penalties
Article 15
1. Subject to the provisions of the Anti-Commercial Fraud Law or any
other law, violations of the provisions of this law shall be penalized as
follows:
a. A fine not more than one hundred thousand Saudi Riyals for
violating the provisions of Articles 3, 4 and 5 of this law.
b. A fine not more than two hundred thousand Saudi Riyals for
acquiring or using measuring systems violating the provisions of the
law.
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2. In all cases, the acquisition or use of measuring systems violating
the provisions of this law shall result in deciding to confiscate or destroy
them by the court.
Chapter IX
Concluding Provisions
Article 16
SASO Board of Directors shall issue the executive regulations of this
law which shall come into effective one hundred eighty days from the
date of issuing this law.
Article 17
This law shall replace the Calibration and Metrology Law issued by
Royal Decree No. 29 dated 13.9.1383 AH and supersedes all provisions
contradicting it.
Article 18
This law shall come into effect one hundred eighty days from the date
of publishing in the official gazette.
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