{"id":2726,"date":"2026-02-23T11:44:42","date_gmt":"2026-02-23T11:44:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alrashidi.law\/?p=2726"},"modified":"2026-05-07T08:50:32","modified_gmt":"2026-05-07T08:50:32","slug":"the-legal-framework-of-measurement-and-calibration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alrashidi.law\/en\/the-legal-framework-of-measurement-and-calibration\/","title":{"rendered":"The Legal Framework of Measurement and Calibration"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Given the Kingdom&#8217;s strong commitment to consumer protection and maintaining the quality of products and services in the Saudi market, the Measurement and Calibration Law was issued by Royal Decree No. (M\/51) dated 13\/11\/1434 AH. This law establishes a specialized body responsible for measurement and calibration within the Kingdom, aiming to standardize product and service specifications across the country. The standards and criteria established by the law and its implementing regulations encompass all sectors within the Kingdom, including commercial, industrial, and scientific fields. Furthermore, the law aims to adopt international standards and criteria, thereby facilitating trade in goods between the Kingdom and other nations. (1) Measurement and calibration processes aim to ensure the accuracy of measurements used in various sectors, thereby fostering trust between consumers and suppliers and guaranteeing consumers access to high-quality products.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Definition of Measurement and Calibration Processes<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Measurement<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> refers to a set of processes carried out to determine the value of a specific quantity,\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While <\/span><b>calibration<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> means comparing that quantity with fixed units using a measuring device or system <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(2)<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the Kingdom, product and service standards are measured based on fundamental measurement units that are linked to the International System of Units (SI) through the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>The most important basic units include<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the unit of length: the meter;\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the unit of mass: the kilogram;\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the unit of time: the second;\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the unit of temperature: the kelvin;\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and the unit of electric current: the ampere <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(3)<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For example, the mass of products offered for sale in the Kingdom whether imported or domestically produced is measured based on the unit \u201ckilogram,\u201d according to a precise definition of this unit in the international system, ensuring that all such products available in the market are uniform in measurement <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(4)<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After measurement and calibration are carried out, the Measurement and Calibration Law requires that the results of measurement and calibration of quantitative characteristics (such as the weight of a product) for imported and locally manufactured goods be displayed in a clear and visible manner on the product <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(5)<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Therefore, consumers are required to verify this information on all products in the Kingdom.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>National Measurement and Calibration Center<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To begin with, the Center operates under the Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Organization (SASO), which is a public authority with an independent legal personality, enjoying financial and administrative independence, and reporting to the Minister of Commerce and Investment. Its headquarters is located in Riyadh <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(6)<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Organization (SASO) carries out certain regulatory, executive and supervisory tasks related to standards, metrology and quality, including: developing and approving Saudi standards for goods, products, services, and measurement and calibration devices; establishing conformity assessment procedures and issuing related certificates; accrediting laboratories and certification bodies for quality management systems; determining sampling methods, testing and technical inspection procedures, and quality systems; as well as setting technical implementation requirements, classifications, engineering drawings, terminologies, definitions, and symbols <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(7)<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The National Measurement and Calibration Center was established in 1406 AH (1986 AD) as the national authority responsible for the development, maintenance and application of national measurement standards. The Center comprises thirty national laboratories specialized in metrology across both the public and private sectors. The Center is distinguished by its possession of primary and secondary measurement standards, as well as advanced measurement systems managed by highly qualified national experts with extensive experience in diverse fields of measurement and calibration <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(8)<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The National Measurement and Calibration Center provides technical consultancy services for the establishment and development of calibration laboratories and for the design and manufacture of calibration systems in cooperation with industrial companies.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">National Measurement and Calibration Center also delivers calibration services and proficiency testing to support production lines and enhance their efficiency, thereby ensuring the quality of Saudi products through reliance on accurate measurements.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In addition, National Measurement and Calibration Center contributes to environmental protection, health and safety, while also offering training services to raise the technical level of personnel engaged in calibration, testing, certification, and test report preparation, in alignment with international standards in this regard <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(9)<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<h1><b>What is the specific legislation that governs measurement and calibration in Saudi Arabia and what was its primary goal?<\/b><\/h1>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The specific legislation governing these activities is the <\/span><b>Measurement and Calibration Law<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, which was issued by <\/span><b>Royal Decree No. (M\/51)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> on 13\/11\/1434 AH.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The primary goals of this law include:<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><b>Standardization:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> To standardize the specifications of products and services across the entire Kingdom.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Institutional Framework:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> To establish a specialized body\u2014the National Measurement and Calibration Center\u2014responsible for measurement and calibration within Saudi Arabia.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>International Alignment:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> To adopt <\/span><b>international standards and criteria<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, which facilitates the trade of goods between Saudi Arabia and other nations.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Accuracy and Trust:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> To ensure the accuracy of measurements across commercial, industrial, and scientific sectors, thereby <\/span><b>fostering trust between consumers and suppliers<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Quality Assurance:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> To guarantee that consumers have access to high-quality products by requiring clear display of quantitative characteristics on goods<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2><b>What are the five most important basic units used in the Kingdom for measuring length, mass, time, temperature, and electric current?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, basic units are linked to the <\/span><b>International System of Units (SI)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> through the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM). The five most important basic units for these quantities are:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Length<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: the <\/span><b>meter<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Mass<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: the <\/span><b>kilogram<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Time<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: the <\/span><b>second<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Temperature<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: the <\/span><b>kelvin<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Electric current<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: the <\/span><b>ampere<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These units are used to ensure uniformity across the market; for example, the mass of all products for sale in the Kingdom, whether imported or domestic is measured using the kilogram.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Overview of The Legal Framework of Measurement and Calibration<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><b>The text outlines the legal and technical framework governing measurement and calibration within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, established to protect consumers and standardize market quality. Central to this system is the Measurement and Calibration Law, which aligns national standards with the International System of Units (SI) to facilitate global trade and ensure measurement accuracy. The Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Organization (SASO) oversees these regulations, operating as an independent authority to approve specifications and certify conformity. Under SASO, the National Measurement and Calibration Center manages high-tech laboratories and provides essential technical consultancy and training. By maintaining precise national measurement standards, these entities foster trust between suppliers and consumers while enhancing the efficiency of industrial production. Ultimately, the framework requires that all quantitative product data be clearly displayed, empowering consumers to verify the integrity of goods in the Saudi market<\/b><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><b>Sources:<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(1) Article No. (2) of the Measurement and Calibration Law issued by Royal Decree No. (M\/51), dated 13\/11\/1434 AH.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(2) Article No. (1) of the Measurement and Calibration Law.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(3) Article No. (3) of the Measurement and Calibration Law.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(4) Definition of Basic Measurement Units, Official Website of the Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Organization (SASO), About the Center.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(5) Article No. (5) of the Measurement and Calibration Law.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(6) Article No. (2) of the Statute of the Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Organization issued by Council of Ministers\u2019 Resolution No. 216, dated 17\/6\/1431 AH.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(7) Article No. (4) of the Statute of the Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Organization.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(8) About the Center, Official Website of the Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Organization (SASO).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(9) Functions of the Center, Official Website of the Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Organization (SASO).<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Given the Kingdom&#8217;s strong commitment to consumer protection and maintaining the quality of products and services in the Saudi market, the Measurement and Calibration Law was issued by Royal Decree No. (M\/51) dated 13\/11\/1434 AH. This law establishes a specialized body responsible for measurement and calibration within the Kingdom, aiming to standardize product and service [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":601,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"disabled","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"default","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2726","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-regulation-ip-and-institutional-environment"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alrashidi.law\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2726","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alrashidi.law\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alrashidi.law\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alrashidi.law\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alrashidi.law\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2726"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/alrashidi.law\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2726\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5834,"href":"https:\/\/alrashidi.law\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2726\/revisions\/5834"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alrashidi.law\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/601"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alrashidi.law\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2726"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alrashidi.law\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2726"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alrashidi.law\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2726"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}