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Foreword

NIST Handbook 44 was first published in 1949, having been preceded by similar handbooks of various designations 

and in several forms, beginning in 1918.

NIST Handbook 44 is published in its entirety each year following the Annual Meeting of the National Conference 

on Weights and Measures (NCWM). As a result of circumstances surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, a 2021 

edition of NIST Handbook 44 was not published. The Committee on Specifications and Tolerances of the NCWM 

developed the 2022 edition with the assistance of the Office of Weights and Measures (OWM) of the National Institute 

of Standards and Technology (NIST). This handbook includes amendments endorsed by the 105th and 106th National 

Conference on Weights and Measures during its Annual Meetings in 2021.

NIST has a statutory responsibility for “cooperation with the states in securing uniformity of weights and measures 

laws and methods of inspection.” In partial fulfillment of this responsibility, NIST is pleased to publish these 

recommendations of the NCWM.

This handbook conforms to the concept of primary use of SI (metric) measurements recommended in the Omnibus 

Trade and Competitiveness Act of 1988 by citing SI units before U.S. customary units where both units appear together 

and placing separate sections containing requirements in SI units before corresponding sections containing 

requirements in U.S. customary units. In some cases, however, trade practice is currently restricted to the use of U.S. 

customary units; therefore, some requirements in this handbook will continue to specify only U.S. customary units 

until the NCWM achieves a broad consensus on the permitted SI units.

In accord with NIST policy, the meter/liter spellings are used in this document. However, the metre/litre spellings are 

acceptable, and are preferred by the NCWM.

It should be noted that a space has been inserted instead of commas in all numerical values greater than 9999 in this 

document, following a growing practice, originating in tabular work, to use spaces to separate large numbers into 

groups of three digits. This avoids conflict with the practice in many countries to use the comma as a decimal marker.
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Committee Members

Committee on Specifications and Tolerances of the 105th Conference

Loren Minnich, Kansas

Jason Flint, New Jersey

Josh Nelson, Oregon

Brad Bachelder, Maine

Jason Glass, Kentucky

Luciano Burtini, Measurement Canada, Technical Advisor

John Barton, NIST Technical Advisor

G. Diane Lee, NIST Technical Advisor 

Mike Manheim, NCWM, NTEP Technical Advisor

Committee on Specifications and Tolerances of the 106th Conference

Josh Nelson, Oregon

Brad Bachelder, Maine

Jason Glass, Kentucky

Nick Owens, Ohio

Jason Flint, New Jersey

Louis Martinet, Measurement Canada, Technical Advisor

John Barton, NIST Technical Advisor

G. Diane Lee, NIST Technical Advisor 

Allen Katalinic, NCWM, NTEP Technical Advisor

Mike Manheim, NCWM, NTEP Technical Advisor
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Past Chairs of the Committee

Conference Chair Conference Chair

8-11 L.A. Fischer, NBS 75 D. Watson, TX

12-28 F.S. Holbrook, NBS 76 J. Truex, OH

29-38 J.P. McBride, MA 77-78 C. Carroll, MA

39-42 R.E. Meek, IN 79 J. Jeffries, FL

43-44 J.E. Brenton, CA 80 R. Suiter, NE

45-47 C.L. Jackson, WI 81 G. West, NM

48 T.C. Harris, VA 82-83 R. Murdock, NC

49-50 R.E. Meek, IN 84 D. Brown, IA

51-52 G.L. Johnson, KY 85 M. Hopper, CA

53 H.D. Robinson, ME 86 G. Shefcheck, OR

54-55 R. Rebuffo, NE 87 M. Coyne, MA

56-57 D.E. Konsoer, WI 88 R. Wotthlie, MD

58 J.C. Mays, FL 89 C. VanBuren, MI

59 T.F. Brink, VT 90 J. Kane, MT

60 W.S. Watson, CA 91 C. Cooney, OR

61 K.J. Simila, OR 92 M. Sikula, NY

62 W.E. Czaia, MN 93 C. Fulmer, SC

63 M.L. Kinlaw, NC 94 T. R. Lucas, OH

64 J.A. Bird, NJ 95 B. Saum, CA

65 D.A. Guensler, CA 96-97 S. Giguere, ME

66 G.A. Delano, MT 98 K. Ramsburg, MD

67 F.C. Nagele, MI 99 B. Gurney, UT

68 L.H. DeGrange, MD 100-101 M. Albuquerque, CO

69 S.A. Colbrook, IL 102 M. Curran, FL

70 D.A. Guensler, CA 103 I. Hankins, IA

71-72 F. Gerk, NM 104 R. Miller, WI

73 K. Butcher, MD 105 L. Minnich, KS

74 R. Andersen, NY 106 J. Nelson, OR
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