Templates and records · ISO 9001 · Clause 7.1.5

ISO 9001 equipment calibration record

If a piece of equipment is used to decide whether a product conforms, the company must be able to show that it measures correctly: when it was calibrated, against what, with what result and what was done when it was out.

In one sentence

The equipment calibration record shows that the equipment used to verify product conformity is fit for purpose: ISO 9001 requires evidence of that fitness to be retained (7.1.5.1) and, where measurement traceability is needed, the equipment to be calibrated or verified at specified intervals against traceable standards, its status identified and previous results reviewed if a device is found to be unfit (7.1.5.2).

Content reviewed on 17 October 2026

Where the standard requires it: ISO 9001 · Clause 7.1.5 Clauses are cited using the numbering of the 2015 edition, the same one the Academy uses; certificates issued against it remain valid during the transition to the 2026 edition.
Type of information: Mandatory record Documented information to be retained (7.1.5.1)
Who fills it in: Quality or maintenance External calibration is done by a laboratory; the decision on the result is made internally
When: At the interval set for each device And whenever the device is knocked, repaired or gives a doubtful result
How long it is kept: Set by the organisation The standard sets no periods: it asks you to decide on retention and disposition (7.5.3.2). Covering at least the three-year certification cycle lets you show the history at recertification.

What the standard requires

What ISO 9001 demands and what it leaves to your judgement

Where monitoring or measuring is used to verify that products and services conform, the organisation must have suitable resources, keep them fit for purpose and retain evidence of that fitness.

Where measurement traceability is a requirement, or the company considers it essential, equipment is calibrated or verified at specified intervals or before use, against standards traceable to national or international measurement standards; where no such standard exists, the basis used is retained. Equipment must be identified so its status is known, and protected from adjustment, damage or deterioration.

If a device is found to be unfit, you must determine whether the validity of previous measurement results has been compromised and act accordingly. This is the part most often forgotten.

Read it in context: Support, in the ISO 9001 Academy

Structure

Fields the template should include

Device, internal code, location and use
Range and tolerance or maximum permissible error for that use
Type of control: external calibration or internal verification
Interval and date of next calibration
Reference standard or laboratory and its traceability
Result: error found and uncertainty
Decision: fit, fit with restrictions, unfit
If unfit: analysis of previous measurements and actions
Status identification on the device itself

Example

Example: micrometer found out of tolerance

Company, people and figures are fictitious: the example only shows what a properly completed record looks like.

Field	Content
Device	Outside micrometer 0-25 mm · MIC-07 · final inspection
Tolerance for use	Maximum permissible error ± 0.004 mm
Control	Annual external calibration at an accredited laboratory
Result	Error of + 0.007 mm at 20 mm · dated 9 March 2026
Decision	Unfit: withdrawn and sent for adjustment
Previous measurements	14 batches measured since the previous calibration reviewed; 2 with dimensions close to the upper limit
Action	Remeasurement of the retained samples from the 2 batches: conforming · customer not affected
Status	"Out of use" label until its return; new certificate on 23 March

At the audit

Mistakes auditors commonly flag

Calibration certificates filed without anyone comparing the result with the tolerance for use.
Equipment out of tolerance with no analysis of what has been measured with it since the previous calibration.
Measuring equipment in use that does not appear in the inventory.
Calibration intervals set without any rationale and never reviewed.
Overdue equipment not identified on the line.

In Kimobox

How this record is kept in Kimobox

1Each measuring device has its own record with location, use and full history.
2Calibrations and verifications are scheduled at their intervals, and the system warns you before each one falls due.
3The certificate and the fitness decision are kept in the device's history, linked to the quality system.
4An unfit device is handled as one more nonconformity, with cause, action and verification of effectiveness.

Frequently asked questions

What people ask us before getting started

Does all equipment have to be calibrated?

No. The standard refers to monitoring and measuring resources used to verify the conformity of products and services. A room thermometer in an office is not included; the calliper used to release a batch is.

Are calibration and verification the same thing?

No. Calibrating means comparing against a reference standard and knowing the device's error; verifying means checking that this error is within what the use allows. ISO 9001 accepts one, the other or both, depending on the case.

What calibration interval should be set?

The standard does not set one. It is decided according to use, the device's stability, the manufacturer's recommendations and the history of results, and it should be reviewed: if a device always comes out comfortably within tolerance, the interval can be extended with justification.

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Sources

Where each figure comes from

References to the official text in force. If a standard is revised, this page is updated and the review date says so.

ISO 9001:2015 — Quality management systems. Requirements ISO · 2015 ed., with Amd 1:2024
ISO 9001:2026 — Quality management systems. Requirements ISO · 2026 ed., published 16 September 2026