About Weights and Measures Division The Weights and Measures Division promotes uniformity in U.S. weights and measures laws, regulations, and standards to achieve equity between buyers and sellers in the marketplace. This enhances consumer confidence, enables U.S. businesses to compete fairly at home and abroad, and strengthens the U.S. economy.
WMD partners with the National Conference on Weights and Measures (NCWM), an organization of State and local weights and measures officials and representatives of business, industry, consumer groups, and Federal agencies, to develop U.S. standards in the form of uniform laws, regulations, and methods of practice. WMD serves as the U.S. representative to the International Organization of Legal Metrology (OIML) to bring efficiency and cost savings to U.S. manufacturers and other stakeholders doing business overseas, through the promotion of harmonized international standards and regulatory practices.
WMD ensures traceability of state weights and measures standards to the SI; develops procedures for legal metrology tests and inspections, and conducts training for laboratory metrologists and weights and measures officials. WMD provides guidance on the model weights and measures laws and regulations adopted by the NCWM and coordinates the development and publication of key NCWM publications.
It is estimated that sales of products or services impacted by weights and measures laws in the United States represent approximately 50 percent of the U.S. Gross Domestic Product. Industry sectors potentially affected by the decisions of the NCWM include retail food sales, other retail sales, petroleum products, transportation, and chemicals. WMD is organized into four program areas. The State Laboratory Program provides the basis for ensuring traceability of state weights and measures standards to NIST. It also conducts basic, intermediate, and advanced training for metrologists from the states, industry, and other countries. The Device Technology Program develops procedures for testing weighing and measuring devices and conducts training on device testing for weights and measures officials. Program staff provide technical and administrative assistance to the NCWM Specifications and Tolerances Committee, National Type Evaluation Program (NTEP) Committee, and the various Sectors of the National Type Evaluation Technical Committee. Providing guidance and training to the states, Federal agencies, and industry on the uniform weights and measures laws and regulations adopted by the NCWM is the role of the Laws and Metric Group. This group also gives technical and administrative support to the NCWM Laws and Regulations and its fuel and lubricants subcommittee.
The International Legal Metrology Program facilitates U.S. representation in the International Organization of Legal Metrology (OIML) and two regional legal metrology organizations, one in the Americas (SIM) and the other in the Asia Pacific region (APLMF). The primary focus of the program is to promote the harmonization of domestic and international standards towards providing U.S. industry with efficient access to international markets. The division also coordinates the development and publication of key NIST and NCWM publications.
Date created: November 30, 2000
Last updated: August 5, 2008
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