Inside this Issue

The Office of Weights and Measures

Proposes Revisions to the Method 

of Sale for Animal Bedding and 

Recommends New Test Procedures

and Test Measures for Use in 

Verifying the Quality Declarations

on Packages of Peat Moss and 

Animal Bedding 1

Training and Events Calendar 2

Calibration Procedures Updated 2

New Best Practices Guide Shows

Unit Pricing Is a Great Deal 5

1

Volume 6 Issue 2

February 19, 2015

OFFICE OF WEIGHTS AND

MEASURES

General Inquries: (301) 975‐4004; e‐mail:

owm@nist.gov

Office Chief, Carol Hockert: e‐mail:

carol.hockert@nist.gov

Newsletter Editor: Linda Crown; (301) 975‐

3998; e‐mail: linda.crown@nist.gov

CELEBRATE

WEIGHTS

AND 

MEASURES

WEEK

MARCH 1 - 7, 2015

THE OFFICE OF WEIGHTS AND MEASURES

PROPOSES REVISIONS TO THE

METHOD OF SALE FOR ANIMAL BEDDING AND

RECOMMENDS NEW TEST PROCEDURES AND TEST

MEASURES FOR USE IN VERIFYING THE QUANTITY

DECLARATIONS ON PACKAGES OF PEAT MOSS AND

ANIMAL BEDDING

Animal Bedding (bedding), also called pet or stall bedding, litter or simply

bedding, is generally sold by dry volume in compressed or uncompressed

packages. Based on numerous failed inspections of packaged animal bedding,

the Office of Weights and Measures (OWM) conducted a study in which com‐

pressed and uncompressed packages of animal bedding were measured using

a variety of procedures and test equipment. The results from those tests in‐

dicate that the current procedures in NIST Handbook 133, Checking the Net

Contents of Packaged Goodsthe dimensional inspection procedure for testing

compressed packages (e.g., peat moss); and the volumetric inspection pro‐

cedure (e.g., mulch); are inadequate for use in testing animal bedding. Un‐

compressed volume measurements of animal bedding are dependent on a

number of factors, including the size and shape of the measuring container,

the method of filling the measuring container, and the means used to break

up the bedding prior to measuring. Based on the findings of this study, draft

procedures were developed for testing both the compressed and uncom‐

pressed volumes declared on packages of animal bedding. OWM also de‐

signed and constructed new test measures to be used with the procedure,

and then brought these measures to several animal bedding packaging plants

for on‐site verification of the test methods. Preliminary findings indicate that

the draft procedure provides more consistent measurement results. Further,

the study shows that there is no correlation between compressed and un‐

compressed volumes of animal bedding, leading to the conclusion that the

requirement for compressed volume statements on the package label is un‐

necessary. The full text of the proposal is posted on the OWM website under

“Topic Areas” at www.nist.gov/pml/wmd/pubs/hb133.cfm and includes rec‐

ommended changes to the method of sale for animal bedding in NIST Hand‐

book 130, Uniform Laws and Regulations in the Areas of Legal Metrology and

Engine Fuel Quality, a revised test procedure for NIST Handbook 133 relating

to the verification of the compressed volume of Peat Moss (which has been

used with animal bedding), new test procedures for measuring the com‐
W&M Connection 2 Volume 6 Issue 2

Training and Events

Calendar 

2015

Registration for training in the NIST Office of

Weights and Measures is handled by Yvonne

Branden at yvonne.branden@nist.gov.

Course descriptions can be viewed on the Of‐

fice of Weights and Measures website at

http://www.nist.gov/pml/wmd/calendar.cfm

and clicking on the name of the course. 

February 26

NTEP Belt‐Conveyor Sector Meeting

St. Louis, MO

Contact: info@ncwm.net

February 26 (2 hr)

Webinar ‐ Internal Auditing Best Practices

2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Class No. 5296

March 2 ‐ 6 (5 days)

Fundamentos de Metrología

Class No. 5348

NIST/Gaithersburg, MD

March 9 ‐ 12 (4 days)

Handbook 133, “Checking the Net Contents

of Packaged Goods,” Basic

Class No. 5363

South Gate, CA

March 16 ‐ 27 (2 weeks)

Mass Metrology Seminar

Class No. 5333

NIST/Gaithersburg, MD

March 17 ‐ 19 (3 days)

Administrator Workshop

Class No. 5368

NIST/Gaithersburg, MD

March 19 (2 hr)

Webinar ‐ Contract Review

2:00 p.m. ‐ 4:00 p.m.

Class No. 5343

March 24 ‐ 26 (3 days)

Livestock and Animal Scales

Class No. 5369

Nashville, TN

March 26 (2 hr)

Webinar ‐ Document Control and Record

Keeping

2:00 p.m. ‐ 4:00 p.m.

Class No. 5344

(continued pg 3)

pressed and uncompressed volumes of animal bedding, suggested test equip‐

ment, and a gravimetric auditing procedure that allows inspectors to avoid

destroying all of the packages. 

The complete proposal at www.nist.gov/pml/wmd/pubs/hb133.cfm provides

background information to the proposed amendments to the Method of Sale

of Commodities Regulation in NIST Handbook 130 and the recommended test

procedures in NIST Handbook 133.

For more information please contact the Technical Advisors for the NCWM

Laws and Regulations Committee: Lisa Warfield, at Lisa.warfield@nist.gov,

(301) 975‐3308, or David Sefcik, David.sefcik@nist.gov, (301) 975‐4868.

Calibration Procedures Updated

Byline: Georgia Harris

Please be sure to regularly check the Calibration Procedures pages on the

NIST website for updates (the short‐cut is www.nist.gov/pml/wmd/labmetrol‐

ogy/index.cfm, and then select Calibration Procedures). During the 2014

Combined Regional Measurement Assurance Program (C‐RMAP) training ses‐

sion in October 2014, printed copies of NISTIR 5672, Advanced Mass Calibra‐

tions and Measurement Assurance Program for State Calibrations

Laboratories, NISTIR 6969, Selected Laboratory and Measurement Practices,

and Procedures to Support Basic Mass Calibrations, and NISTIR 7383, Selected

Procedures for Volumetric Calibrations were provided to participants. Sub‐

sequently, a new NISTIR 8028, Selected Laboratory and Measurement Prac‐

tices and Procedures for Length Calibrations, was approved and circulated to

all participants. Please see additional information for updates to each publi‐

cation with associated history regarding OWM calibration procedures. Also,

please be aware that the documents published on the web page are consid‐

ered the “Official” versions of the documents and print copies are provided

only as a convenience during training. Updates to the documents will be

posted on the website with updated document control, but hard copies will

not necessarily be provided for updates. Laboratory references to the docu‐

ments, for example, Master List, must be updated to match the Official ver‐

sion of the documents.

Handbook 145 – Will not be updated.

NBS Handbook 145 (1986), Handbook for the Quality Assurance of Metrolog‐

ical Measurements, by John K. Taylor and Henry V. Oppermann has been out

of print for many years. The majority of content has been updated and pub‐

lished in the publications noted below. Handbook 145 was developed as a

source of calibration procedures for weights and measures laboratories and

covered mass, length, and volume calibrations for field standards used in the

commercial marketplace. The original Table of Contents and several Legacy

sections are provided on the OWM website as reference only. The Good Lab‐

oratory Practices (GLPs), Good Measurement Practices (GMPs), and Standard

Operating Procedures (SOPs) that have not been updated are available on

the linked pages as scanned PDF copies and are dated 1986. The entire col‐

lection of SOPs, GLPs, and GMPs are all presented together for consistency
W&M Connection 3 Volume 6 Issue 2

April 1 (2 hr)

Webinar ‐ NISTIR 6969, SOP 8, Part 1

2:00 p.m. ‐ 4:00 p.m.

Class No. 5364

April 2 (2 hr)

Webinar ‐ NISTIR 6969, SOP 8, Part 2

2:00 p.m. ‐ 4:00 p.m.

Class No. 5365

April 8 (2 hr)

Webinar ‐ NISTIR 7383, SOP 19 (18) Part 1

2:00 p.m. ‐ 4:00 p.m.

Class No. 5366

April 9 (2 hr)

Webinar ‐ NISTIR 7383, SOP 19 (18)

Part 2

2:00 p.m. ‐ 4:00 p.m.

Class No. 5367

April 13 ‐ 17 (5 days)

Handbook 133, “Checking the Net Contents

of Packaged Goods,” Basic

Class No. 5362

Indianapolis, IN

April 13 ‐ 16 (4 days)

SEMAP**

Class No. 5357

Tallahassee, FL

April 14 ‐ 16 (3 days)

Train the Trainer

Class No. 5353

NIST/Gaithersburg, MD

April 20 ‐ May 1 (10 days)

Mass Metrology Seminar

Class No. 5374

NIST/Gaithersburg, MD

May 4 ‐ 7 (4 days)

WRAP**

Class No. 5358

Olympia, WA

May 4 ‐ 8 (5 days)

Northeast Weights and Measures Associa‐

tion (NEWMA) Annual Meeting

Saratoga Springs, NY

Contact: James Cassidy, 

jcassidy@cambridgema.gov

May 18 ‐ 22 (5 days)

Central Weights and Measures Association

(CWMA) Annual Meeting

Columbus, OH

Contact: Sherry Turvey, 

sherry.turvey@kda.ks.gov

June 1 ‐ 5 (5 days)

Handbook 133, “Checking the Net Contents

of Packaged Goods,” Basic

Class No. 5345

Indianapolis, IN

June 1 ‐ 11 (9 days)

Advanced Mass Seminar (Rev 2015)

Class No. 5349

NIST/Gaithersburg, MD

(continued page 4)

in numbering; however, updates are published through the NISTIR series of

publications with “selected procedures” combined by measurement param‐

eters as shown below and described in subsequent sections. 

NISTIR 6969, 2014, Selected Laboratory and Measurement Practices,

and Procedures to Support Basic Mass Calibrations, Georgia L. Har‐

ris.

NISTIR 5672, 2014, Advanced Mass Calibrations and Measurements

Assurance Program for the State Calibration Laboratories, Kenneth

L. Fraley, Georgia L. Harris.

NISTIR 7383, 2013, Selected Procedures for Volumetric Calibrations,

Georgia L. Harris

NISTIR 8028, 2014, Selected Laboratory and Measurement Practices

and Procedures for Length Calibrations, Jose A. Torres, Georgia L. Har‐

ris

Suggested Action Item: Laboratories need to be sure their Quality Manage‐

ment Systems reference the correct publications, correct dates, and do not

reference older or out of date publications in their Master List.

Suggested Action Item: Review and update the Master List to ensure that

only procedures used by the laboratory are listed. GMPs, GLPs, and SOPs

that don’t support the laboratory measurement scope should not be listed. 

NISTIR 6969, Selected Laboratory and Measurement Practices, and Proce‐

dures to Support Basic Mass Calibrations – Updated September 2014. 

The collection of GLPs, GMPs, and SOPs published in this NISTIR were first

published in 2003 in association with SP 1001, Basic Mass Metrology CD‐ROM

course. If downloading and using the Basic Mass course, be sure to reference

the latest procedures rather than those that are integrated in the program

files. This publication was also updated in 2012 with training provided at all

of the Regional Measurement Assurance Program training sessions in 2012,

where input was collected from laboratories regarding deviations from the

procedures. Updates in 2014 included modifications that were appropriate

based on laboratory applications of these procedures. Additional content

from the OIML R111, Weights of classes E1, E2, F1, F2, M1, M1–2, M2, 

M2–3 and M3, Part 1: Metrological and technical requirements was incor‐

porated in the 2012 version as well, along with the latest internationally ac‐

cepted calculations for air density. Updates in 2014 included: 1) removal of

all example calculations because prior calculated values were rounded to dig‐

its appropriate for handheld calculators but not adequate for computerized

calculations, and 2) the addition of detailed uncertainty budget tables for

each SOP. Updates were also included to ensure consistency with the content

presented in the updated two‐week Mass Metrology Seminar.

Key procedures in this publication that were new to the GLP, GMP, and SOP

series and not part of the original Handbook 145 include the following:

GMP 11, Assignment and Adjustment of Calibration Intervals for Lab‐

oratory Standards

GMP 12, Standard Operating Procedure Selections
W&M Connection 4 Volume 6 Issue 2

July 18 ‐ 21 (4 days)

National Conference on Weights and Meas‐

ures (NCWM) Annual Meeting

Philadelpha, PA

Contact: info@ncwm.net

July 19 ‐ 23 (5 days)

NCSL International Conference 2015

Metrology and the Quality of Life

Grapevine, TX

Information: www.ncsli.org

August 10 ‐ 14 (5 days)

Fundamentals of Metrology

Class No. 5373

NIST/Gaithersburg, MD

August 13 (2 hr)

Webinar ‐ Contract Review

2:00 p.m. ‐ 4:00 p.m.

Class No. 5334

August 17 ‐21 (5 days)

Volume Metrology Seminar

Class No. 5356

NIST/Gaithersburg, MD

August 19 ‐ 20 (2 days)

NTEP Grain Analyzer Sector Meeting

Live Web Meeting

Details unavailable at this time.

Information to be posted at:

https://www.ncwm.net/ntep/sectors/grain‐

analyzer/registration

August 25 ‐ 26 (2 days)

Weighing Sector Meeting

Denver, CO

Information at: 

http://www.ncwm.net/sems/event_detail/201

5_weighing

August 27 (2 hr)

Webinar ‐ Document Control and Record

Keeping

2:00 p.m. ‐ 4:00 p.m.

Class No. 5335

September 14 ‐ 17 (4 days)

NEMAP**

Class No. 5359

Needham, MA

September 15 ‐ 16 (2 days)

NTEP Measuring Sector Meeting

Denver, CO

Information at:

http://www.ncwm.net/meetings/ntep/mea

suring

September 16 ‐ 17 (2 days)

NTEP Software Section Meeting

Denver, CO

Information at:

http://www.ncwm.net/meetings/ntep/soft

ware

September 24 (2 hr)

Webinar ‐ State Laboratory Annual Submis‐

sion Process**

2:00 p.m. ‐ 4:00 p.m.

Class No. 5355 (continued page 5)

GMP 13, Ensuring Traceability

SOP 29, Assignment of Uncertainty

SOP 30, Process Measurement Assurance Program

SOP 33, Calibration of Weights Carts (first published in 2012)

SOP 34, Selection and Use of Sensitivity Weights and Tare Weights in

Weighing Procedures (originally published as GMP 14, converted to

SOP in 2014)

NISTIR 5672, Advanced Mass Calibrations and Measurements Assurance Program for the State Calibration Laboratories – Updated

September 2014.

This publication includes SOPs 5 and 28 that are applicable for advanced dis‐

semination and weighing designs. These procedures reference those in NISTIR

6969 with similar changes in the 2014 versions (examples were removed and

uncertainty budget tables were added). Content from this publication is also

used in the two‐week Mass Metrology Seminar, but the 2014 updates also in‐

cluded the changes to support the Advanced Mass Metrology Seminar that

will be presented in June 2015. SOP 5 was originally part of NIST Handbook

145, but SOP 28 was new to address advanced mass calibration methods. 

NISTIR 7383, 2013, Selected Procedures for Volumetric Calibrations – April 2013.

This publication and the associated procedures were first published in 2006,

again in 2012, and then in 2013 for the updated Volume Metrology Seminar.

Updates in 2014 included: 1) removal of all example calculations because

prior calculated values were rounded to digits appropriate for handheld cal‐

culators but not adequate for computerized calculations, and 2) the addition

of detailed uncertainty budget tables for each SOP, just like the procedures

for mass calibrations.

A key Standard Operating Procedure that is included in the publication was

new to the SOP series in 2006 and underwent significant updates for the 2012

and 2013 versions: SOP 26, Gravimetric Calibration of Dynamic Volumetric

Systems used as Standards. SOP 13 and 15 were combined in SOP 14 to main‐

tain one calibration procedure for gravimetric volume calibrations, which was

also updated to ensure greater consistency with the uncertainty components

used in other international calibration guides. SOP 13 was based on single‐

pan mechanical balances and SOP 15 was based on equal‐arm balances; how‐

ever, most gravimetric calibrations in the past 20 years have been performed

on electronic balances and mass comparators. GLP 10 on the purity of water

needed for volume calibrations was updated in 2012 and in 2013 to adopt

the latest versions of the internationally accepted water density calculations. 

NISTIR 8028, Selected Laboratory and Measurement Practices and

Procedures for Length Calibrations – Updated October 2014.

Draft versions of length procedures were presented in 1996, but based on the

number of laboratories continuing to perform length calibrations, and limited

use of the procedures, limited effort was put into finalizing and publishing the

SOPs associated with length. These have now been updated and published.
W&M Connection 5 Volume 6 Issue 2

September 27 ‐ October 1 (5 days)

Western Weights and Measures Association

(WWMA) Annual Meeting

Boise, ID

Contact: Jerry Buendel, 

jbuendel@agr.wa.gov

September 28 ‐ October 1 (4 days)

SWAP**

Class No. 5360

Columbia or Jefferson City, MO

October 5 ‐ 7

Central Weights and Measures Association

(CWMA) Interim Meeting

St. Charles, MO

Contact: Sherry Turvey,

sherry.turvey@kda.ks.gov

October 5 ‐ 8 (4 days)

MidMAP**

Class No. 5361

Madison, WI

October 19 ‐ 23 (5 days)

CaMAP**

Class No. 5372

San Juan, PR

October 19 ‐ 23 (5 days)

HB 133, “Checking the Net Contents of Pack‐

aged Goods,” Basic

Class No. 5346

Frankfort, KY

October 22 (2 hr)

Webinar ‐ Internal Auditing Best Practices

2:00 p.m. ‐ 4:00 p.m.

Class No. 5339

October 26 ‐ November 6 (2 weeks)

Mass Metrology Seminar

Class No. 5340

NIST/Gaithersburg, MD

2016

January 10 ‐ 13

National Conference on Weights and Meas‐

ures (NCWM) Interim Meeting

San Diego, CA

Information at: 

http://www.ncwm.net/sems/event_detail/2

016‐interim‐meeting

February 11 (2 hr)

Webinar ‐ Conducting an Effective Management

Review

2:00 p.m. ‐ 4:00 p.m.

Class No. 5336

March 3 (2 hr)

Webinar ‐ Internal Auditing Best Practices

2:00 p.m. ‐ 4:00 p.m.

Class No. 5337

*Invitation Only

**Limited to State Laboratory Program Par‐

ticipants

SOP 23 was not part of the original Handbook 145 and covers the calibration

of Pi Tapes. 

Miscellaneous SOPs and OWM Input

A number of individual publications are in use in the laboratories, and have

been through review among the laboratories and by NIST, but have never

been officially published. Those procedures include the calibration of tuning

forks, timing devices, and thermometers. Additional working groups and ef‐

forts will be established to review, update and publish these as a miscella‐

neous collection of SOPs. If you have suggestions for new SOPs or drafts of

procedures that you would like considered for national publication, please

submit them to Georgia Harris for review. Questions or comments regarding

current calibration procedures may be directed to Georgia Harris at

gharris@nist.gov or to Val Miller at val.miller@nist.gov. 

New Best Practices Guide Shows Unit Pricing

Is a Great Deal

Byline: Mark Esser

In an effort to help shoppers everywhere get the best value for their money,

researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have

produced a best practices guide for the layout and design of unit price labels.

Based on the results of a two‐year collaboration among industry and con‐

sumer groups, the guide can help retailers and governments improve the ac‐

curacy and usability of unit pricing information offered in retail stores, and

ensure uniformity of unit pricing across participating retailers and states. 

Shoppers have seen them before at the grocery store and many other retail

outlets where products are sold by some unit of measure such as weight, vol‐

ume, length, or count. For the most part, unit pricing labels usually display

the name and size of the product; the price; the price per unit, e.g., how much

you pay per gram or liter or ounce; and other information. Customers can

use this information to make value comparisons. 

For instance, shoppers wanting to buy a bottle of ketchup might think that

buying the larger size will give them the best value, and for the most part

that’s true. However, stores sometimes levy a surcharge on larger items.

Using the unit price labels, a consumer would quite easily be able to see that

a 64‐ounce bottle of ketchup selling for $4.49 ($0.07 per ounce) was not as

good of a deal as a 38‐ounce bottle selling for $2.29 ($0.06 per ounce).

Unit pricing also helps consumers make value comparisons in the age of pack‐

age “downsizing,” a practice where the package content is reduced without

changing the price of the product.

Unit pricing has been around since the 1970s. Nine states and the District of

Columbia require its use. Another 10 states have stipulated that, if a retailer

chooses to use unit pricing labels, they have to use guidelines outlined in the

Uniform Unit Pricing Regulation (UUPR) in NIST Handbook 130. 

According to NIST researcher David Sefcik, the best practices guide was de‐
W&M Connection 6 Volume 6 Issue 2

veloped using the existing

state mandatory unit pric‐

ing regulations, the UUPR

from NIST Handbook 130,

research and surveys done

by Consumer Reports

(May 2012 issue), the Na‐

tional Consumers League,

the Australian Queensland

Consumers Association, a

Canadian Report on Unit

Pricing, researchers at

Michigan State University

and the University of

South Australia, and the

knowledge and expertise

of the Unit Pricing Best

Practices Workgroup. 

The guide will help ensure

that unit price labels are

as easy to read, informa‐

tive, and as understand‐

able as possible, which,

incidentally, is something

that consumers want.

And giving consumers

what they want turns out

to be good for business.

“Many retailers don’t know the extent that consumers like and use unit pricing when it’s available,” says Sefcik. “And many

don’t realize how unit price labels could benefit them (the retailers) as well. Retailers that use unit pricing are perceived

as being consumer friendly, improving customer satisfaction, and the shopping experience, which keeps customers coming

back.”

According to the guide, the unit price label has other benefits for retailers, including improved ordering, inventory control,

pricing accuracy, and often eliminates the need for item pricing (the little price tag stickers put on the individual items),

which saves money.

Unit price labels also can be used to promote special programs such as WIC (Women, Infants and Children), and to display

certain kinds of nutritional information such as low‐sodium or high‐fiber foods. 

Their research also revealed that unit pricing promotes and increases sales of store‐brand items because they make it easier

for consumers to see that they are getting the same amount of a virtually identical product, as compared to another brand,

for less money.

“While many grocery stores already use unit pricing labels, there is room for improvement,” Sefcik says. He also hopes

that the new guide will inspire more retailers, such as auto part stores and drugstores, to adopt them.

Read NIST Special Publication 1181, Unit Pricing Guide, “A Best Practice Approach to Unit Pricing.” (PDF)

Source: NIST Tech Beat, February 3, 2015

View hi‐resolution image: http://patapsco.nist.gov/imagegallery/details.cfm?imageid=1404