(in view of the revised Law of  “Metrology Rule of people's Republic of China”)

Summary information in PDF format is available here.

Information updated as of 01.06.2020.

1. The State Administration for Market Regulation (hereinafter referred to as SAMR), a ministerial administration body under the State Council of People’s Republic of China, supervises legal metrology related activities nationwide, whose scope of responsibilities include:

- uniform management of metrology, inspection and testing related activities; implementation of legal units and national metrology system, and administration of measuring instruments, traceability and dissemination as well as comparisons; management of national measurement standards and reference materials; development of national metrology regulation system and its implementation; supervision on measurement of commodities, weights and measures at market, metrological verification for arbitration, and metrology institutes and metrology practitioners; regulation on utility of metrology data; etc.;

- supervision and regulation on measurement of commodities, and weights and measures at market; promoting reform on inspection and testing institutes, improving the market and system of inspection and testing, and guiding the development of inspection and testing industry;

- uniform management, surveillance and coordination of the national accreditation and certification, and establishment of a national regulation system for accreditation, certification and conformity assessment. （details can be found at  http://www.samr.gov.cn/ 

2. Founded in 1955, the National Institute of Metrology (hereinafter referred to as NIM) is China’s top research center for measurement sciences under the SAMR and a non-profit R&D organization. The main responsibilities of NIM are:

- fundamental research in measurement science, as well as research on measurement technology frontiers, measurement theories, measurement technologies, and dissemination of quantity values and methods for traceability;

- research on measurement management systems and related regulations, planning and strategy of metrology, and development of national measurement systems, dissemination of quantity value and traceability;

- development and maintenance of national primary standards and measurement standards; research on and maintenance of certified reference materials (CRM) and realization of SI units; development and maintenance of national time & frequency systems and China Standard Time (UTC NIM);

- organization of and participation in international comparisons/pilot studies of primary standards, measurement standards and CRMs to achieve international equivalence; conduct the domestic comparisons of quantity values; undertake the assessment of metrological institutes and measurement standards as well as proficiency testings; and the evaluation of reliability of measurement methods and measurement results;

- implement the dissemination and traceability of quantity values, and responsible for providing traceablitiy to national key laboratories and related inspection and testing institutions;

- research on the dissemination of quantity value and traceability system of high-tech and emerging areas and their applications; analysis and verification of measurement data and methods;

- provision of technical support for type evaluation of measuring instrument; testing and supervision on products quality.

The International System of Units (SI) are applied in China.

Metrology Law of the People’s Republic of China was promulgated in 1985 and amended for the fifth time in 2018.

See Metrology Law of the People’s Republic of China

Only Chinese Version is available now

See Compulsory Verification Catalogue of Measuring Instruments

Only Chinese Version is available now

1. Legal and technical requirements for type approval

- all activities of type approval shall abide by the Metrology Law of the People’s Republic of China;

- Measures of the People's Republic of China for the Supervision and Administration of Imported Instruments of Measurement stipulate the requirements for type approval of imported measuring instruments.

2. Bodies, responsible for type approval

The SAMR is responsible for uniform management of measuring instruments in China.

3. Bodies, responsible for testing for type approval

The metrology institutes, authorized by the SAMR, provide testing to type approval of measuring instruments. NIM is one of the legal organization authorized by the SAMR.

4. Recognition of OIML certificates

Since 1 Janurary, 2018, the International Organization of Legal Metrology Certificates System (OIML-CS) has been implemented worldwide. NIM, after review of OIML, is the only OIML Issuing Authority of China till now.

1. Legal and technical requirements for initial and periodic verification

Metrological verification shall be conducted according to the National Metrological Verification System. Metrological verification must be carried out in accordance with the regulations governing metrological verification. In the case of certain instruments that are not covered in the national metrological verification regulations, the competent departments of the State Council and the metrological administrative departments of the people's governments of provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the Central Government shall respectively formulate departmental and local verification regulations.

2. Bodies for verification

Metrological verification shall be carried out by legal metrology institute designated or authorized by metrological administrative departments of local governments at or above the country level. NIM is the national metrology institute, and there are local metrology institutes at provincial, city, and county level.

3. Reverfication intervals for 20 categories of MIs

Metrological verification must be carried out in accordance with the regulations governing metrological verification. Currently, China has 1010 verification regulation. Measuring instruments shall be verified routinely as prescribed by the corresponding regulations.

4. Other national requirements for verification

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1. Brief description of the system
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2. Bodies for conformity assessment

Department of Certification Supervision and Administration, SAMR is responsible for formulating and implementing the regulatory system of certification and conformity assessment, planning and guiding the development of certification industry, assisting with cracking down on the related illegal activities, and participating in international or regional organizations of certification and conformity assessment.

1. Legal requirements for controlling prepackages

The production and selling of quantitatively packed commodities and the metrological supervision and administration of quantitatively packed commodities carried out within the territory of the People's Republic of China shall be governed by the Measures for the Metrological Supervision and Administration of Quantitatively Packed Commodities.

2. Documents, setting requirements for prepackages

Measures for the Metrological Supervision and Administration of Quantitatively Packed Commodities

3. Bodies, involved in control of prepackages

The SAMR shall conduct uniform supervision and administration of the work relating to the measurement of quantitatively packed commodities across the country. The local market regulation departments at or above the county level shall conduct supervision and administration of the work relating to the measurement of quantitatively packed commodities within their own jurisdictions.

4. Other national requirements for prepackages

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Metrology Law of People’s Republic of China have provisions for supervision and management on metrological activities in its Chapter IV.

The SAMR also issued some other measures for metrological supervision, including Measures for the Supervision and Administration of Energy Measurement, Measures for the Metrological Supervision and Administration of Gas Stations, Measures for the Supervision over and Administration of Weighing up and Measuring of Retail Commodities, Measures for the Metrological Supervision and Administration of Quantitatively Packed Commodities, etc.

The SAMR is responsible for uniform management of measuring inspectors across China. Metrology practitioners shall be certified measuring inspector or registered metrologists.

It is stipulated in the Chapter V of Metrology Law of People’s Republic of China.