Use of Reference Materials
Use of reference materials

Reference materials are used for several purposes:

• equipment calibration;

• measurement-method validation;

• interlaboratory comparisons.

These purposes are complementary:

• the first corresponds to a step taken prior to measurement, comparable to laying the groundwork for the exercise;

• the second takes place once these foundations have been established, in order to verify the validity of the results obtained;

• the third aims:

  • to characterise a batch of materials;

  • to validate a method;

  • or to assess a laboratory’s ability to produce results consistent with those of other laboratories.

It is essential to clearly distinguish, in practice, between activities related to calibration and those...