ISO/IEC 17025 enables laboratories to demonstrate that they operate competently and generate valid results, thereby promoting confidence in their work both nationally and around the world.

It also helps facilitate cooperation between laboratories and other bodies by generating wider acceptance of results between countries. Test reports and certificates can be accepted from one country to another without the need for further testing, which, in turn, improves international trade.

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Steve Sidney explains the main changes to ISO/IEC 17025.

This standard now brings an element of risk assessment.

Steve Sidney

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ISO/IEC 17025:2017
General requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories

What you need to know about ISO/IEC 17025

Who is ISO/IEC 17025 for?

ISO/IEC 17025 is useful for any organization that performs testing, sampling or calibration and wants reliable results. This includes all types of laboratories, whether they be owned and operated by government, industry or, in fact, any other organization. The standard is also useful to universities, research centres, governments, regulators, inspection bodies, product certification organizations and other conformity assessment bodies with the need to do testing, sampling or calibration.

Why has ISO/IEC 17025 been revised?

The last version of ISO/IEC 17025 was published in 2005 and, since then, market conditions and technology have changed. The new version covers technical changes, vocabulary and developments in IT techniques. It also takes into consideration the latest version of ISO 9001.

A free publication about ISO/IEC 17025, and how it can help testing and calibration laboratories demonstrate their capacity to deliver trusted results.