Celebrating World Metrology Day on May 20th

May 20 is World Metrology Day, commemorating the anniversary of the signing of the Metre Convention in 1875. This treaty provides the basis for a worldwide coherent measurement system that underpins scientific discovery and innovation, industrial manufacturing and international trade, as well as the improvement of the quality of life and the protection of the global environment.

The theme for World Metrology Day 2023 is Measurements supporting the global food system. This theme was chosen because of the increasing challenges of climate change, and global distribution of food in a world whose population reached 8 billion at the end of 2022.

Across the world, national metrology institutes continually advance measurement science by developing and validating new measurement techniques at the necessary level of sophistication. The national metrology institutes participate in measurement comparisons coordinated by the Bureau International des Poids et Mesures (BIPM) to ensure the reliability of measurement results worldwide.

The International Organization of Legal Metrology (OIML) develops International Recommendations, which aim to align and harmonize requirements worldwide in many fields. The OIML also operates the OIML Certification System (OIML-CS) which facilitates international acceptance and global trade of regulated measuring instruments.

These international metrology systems provide the necessary assurance and confidence that measurements are accurate, providing a sound basis for global trade today and helping us to prepare for the challenges of tomorrow.

World Metrology Day recognizes and celebrates the contribution of all the people that work in intergovernmental and national metrology organizations and institutes throughout the year.

In Wales, Trading Standards Services' metrology activities include inspecting packers in the food industry, testing shop scales and investigating consumer complaints of short quantity.

Away from the food industry, we test forecourt pumps and heating oil tankers. Some of our TS teams have their own labs which allows the calibrating of weights and measures used to ensure accurate quantities at a manufacturing level.