KCDB - INTRO

The CIPM MRA database (KCDB)

What is the KCDB?

The KCDB is a freely available web resource related to the CIPM Mutual Recognition Arrangement (CIPM MRA).

The CIPM MRA is the framework through which National Metrology Institutes demonstrate the international equivalence of their measurement standards and mutual acceptance of the calibration and measurement certificates they issue.

Outcomes of this Arrangement included in the KCDB include:

  1. the internationally recognized Calibration and Measurement Capabilities (CMCs) of the participating institutes
  2. the results of scientific comparisons underpinning these CMCs.

The comparison and CMC data in the KCDB have been approved through a peer-review process within the CIPM MRA. Participating institutes also operate quality systems meeting appropriate international standards, and have had these systems reviewed and accepted in order to have their results published in the KCDB.

The KCDB provides users with reliable quantitative information on the comparability of national metrology services and provides the technical basis for wider agreements negotiated for international trade, commerce and regulatory affairs.

The KCDB website is available at: