likelihood of damage in shipment and handling. Suggestions on packing and shipping are made in some sections of SP 250. In every case, the sender should consider the nature of the apparatus, pack it accordingly, and clearly label shipments containing fragile instruments or materials, such as glass and the like.

(c) To minimize damage during shipment resulting from inadequate packing, the use of strong reusable containers is recommended. As an aid in preventing loss of such containers, the customer's name should be legibly and permanently marked on the outside. In order to prolong the container's use the notation "REUSABLE CONTAINER, DO NOT DESTROY" should be marked on the outside.

(d) Shipping and insurance coverage instructions should be clearly and legibly shown on the purchase order for the calibration or test. The customer must pay shipping charges to and from NIST; shipments from NIST will be made collect. The method of return transportation should be stated, and it is recommeded that return shipments be insured, since NIST will not assume liability for their loss or damage. For long-distance shipping it is found that air express and air freight provide an advantage in reduction of time in transit. If return shipment by parcel post is requested or is a suitable mode of transportation, shipments will be prepaid by NIST, but without covering insurance. When no shipping or insurance instructions are furnished, return shipment will be made by common carrier collect, but uninsured.

(e) NIST will not be responsible for the risk of loss or damage to any item during shipment to or from NIST. Any arrangements for insurance covering this risk must be made by the customer. Return shipment will be made by NIST as indicated in paragraph (d) of this section. The purchase order should always show the value of the equipment, and if transit insurance is carried by the customer, this fact should be stated.

(f) The risk of loss or damage in handling or testing of any item by NIST must be assumed by the customer, except when it is determined by NIST that such loss or damage was occa

sioned solely by the negligence of NIST personnel.

(g) When a test number has been assigned prior to shipment to NIST, this number should be clearly marked on the shipping container. When a test number has not been assigned, an invoice, copy of the purchase order, or letter should be enclosed in the shipment to insure proper identification. The original purchase order should be forwarded as appropriate to:

Office of Measurement Services, National Institute of Standards & Technology, Washington, DC 20234; or to Measurement Services Clerk, National Institute of Standards & Technology, Boulder, CO 80303.

(h) The calibrations listed in SP 250 are performed at Boulder, Colorado and Gaithersburg, Maryland.

§200.110 Priorities and time of completion.

Schedule work assignments for calibrations and other tests will generally be made in the order in which confirmed requests are received. However, Government work may be given priority. On the regular services, the workload is usually such that the turnaround interval, between the date a customer's apparatus is received and the date it is prepared for return shipment, will be not more than 45 days. Some types of instruments may require considerably longer, particularly if their abnormal behavior requires reruns to check reliability. The customer who can spare the instrument for only a short time can usually arrange by letter or telephone call for shipping it to NIST just as the assigned starting date approaches. A notice will be sent acknowledging receipt of the customer's standard and/or purchase order. If both a confirmed purchase order (or equivalent) and the apparatus have been received, estimates of the completion date and the calibration fee will be sent upon request.

§ 200.111 Witnessing of operations.

NIST welcomes scientists and engineers who may wish to visit its laboratories and discuss its methods. Ordinarily visitors will not be permitted to witness the actual carrying out of highly precise measurements because their presence introduces distraction

that may lead to errors or delays. This policy may be waived in those cases where NIST determines that the visitor can be of service in setting up apparatus of a new or unusual nature, in the case of referee tests, or in other cases in which the legal validity of the result may require the presence of duly authorized witnesses.

§200.112 Reports.

(a) Results of calibrations and other tests are issued to the customer as formal reports entitled, "National Institute of Standards & Technology Report of Calibration," "National Institute of Standards & Technology Report of Test," or "National Institute of Standards & Technology Report of Analysis," as appropriate. Copies are not supplied to other parties except under applicable Federal law. Whenever formal certification is required by law, or to meet special conditions adjudged by NIST to warrant it, a letter will be provided certifying that the particular item was received and calibrated or tested, and identifying the report containing the results.

(b) NIST reports of calibration generally include in sentence form a statement of the uncertainty attached to the numerical values reported. Limits of uncertainty usually comprise an estimate of systematic error plus a value of imprecision. Details on how these estimates are arrived at are in many cases included in the calibration report. Additional information may be found in SP 250.

(c) The NIST practice is to express data given in calibration or test reports in the SI or International System of Units. The International System of Units (SI) was defined and given official status by the 11th General Conference of Weights and Measures, 1960. A complete listing of SI units is presented in detail in NIST SP 330. The NIST will express data in SI units unless this makes communication excessively complicated. For example, commercial gage designations, commonly used items identified by nominal dimensions, or other commercial nomenclatures or devices (such as drill sizes, or commercial standards for weights and measures) expressed in customary units are an exception from this prac

tice. However, even in such instances, when practical and meaningful, SI and customary units may be given in parallel. Users of NIST calibration services may specify the units to be used in the calibration, especially for commercial devices and standards using customary units or units having some legal definition.

$200.113 Use of results or reports.

(a) As the national standards laboratory of the United States, NIST maintains and establishes the primary standards from which measurements in science and industry ultimately derive. It is therefore sometimes desirable for manufacturers or users of measurement standards to make appropriate reference to the relationship of their calibrations to NIST calibrations. The following considerations must be borne in mind, and shall be understood as constituting an agreement on the part of the NIST customer to be bound thereby in making reference to NIST calibration and test reports.

(b) The results of calibrations and tests performed by NIST are intended solely for the use of the organization requesting them, and apply only to a particular device or specimen at the time of its test. The results shall not be used to indicate or imply that they are applicable to other similar items. In addition, such results must not be used to indicate or imply that NIST approves, recommends, or endorses the manufacturer, the supplier, or the user of such devices or specimens, or that NIST in any way "guarantees" the later performance of items after calibration or test.

(c) NIST declares it to be in the national interest that it maintain an impartial position with respect to any commercial product. Advertising the findings on a single instrument could be misinterpreted as an indication of performance of other instruments of identical or similar type. There will be no objection, however, to a statement that the manufacturer's primary standards have been periodically calibrated by NIST, if this is actually the case, or that the customer might arrange to have NIST calibrate the item purchased from the manufacturer.

(d) NIST does not approve, recommend, or endorse any proprietary product or proprietary material. No reference shall be made to NIST, or to reports or results furnished by NIST in any advertising or sales promotion which would indicate or imply that NIST approves, recommends, or endorses any proprietary product or proprietary material, or which has as its purpose an intent to cause directly or indirectly the advertised product to be used or purchased because of NIST test reports or results.

In its own activities as a scientific institution, NIST uses many different materials, products, types of equip ment, and services. This use does not imply that NIST has given them a preferential position or a formal endorsement. Therefore, NIST discourages references, either in advertising or in the scientific literature, which identify it as a user of any proprietary product, material, or service. Occasionally, effective communication of results by NIST to the scientific community requires that a proprietary instrument, product, or material be identified in an NIST publication. Reference in an NIST publication, report, or other document to a proprietary item does not constitute endorsement or approval of that item and such reference should not be used in any way apart from the context of the NIST publication, report, or document without the advance express written consent of NIST.

$200.114 Fees and bills.

(a) In accordance with 15 U.S.C. 271 et seq., fees are charged for all measurement services performed by NIST, unless waived by the Director, or the Director's designee, when deemed to be in the interest of the Government. The above-mentioned statutes authorize the issuance from time to time of appropriate regulations regarding the payment of fees, the limits of tolerance on standards submitted for verification, and related matters.

(b) The minimum fee for any service request accepted by NIST is $10, unless otherwise indicated in SP 250. If apparatus is returned without testing, a minimum charge of $10 may be made to

cover handling. Charges commensurate with the work performed will be assessed for calibrations which cannot be completed because of faulty operation of the customer's device. Fees for calibrations or tests include the cost of preparation of an NIST report. Remittances should be made payable to the National Institute of Standards & Technology.

§200.115 Description of services and list of fees, incorporation by ref

erence.

(a) NIST Special Publication 250, "Calibration and Related Measurement Services of the National Institute of Standards & Technology" is hereby incorporated by reference, pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 552(a)(1) and 1 CFR Part 51. SP 250 states the authority under which NIST performs various types of measurement services including calibrations and tests and charges fees therefor, states the general conditions under which the public may secure such services, decribes these services in considerable detail, and lists the fees to be charged, and sets out the instructions for requesting them in an appendix which is reviewed, revised and reissued semi-annually (December and June). The Director, Office of the Federal Register, approved the incorporation by reference on December 28, 1967.

(b) SP 250 is available at the following places:

(1) Superintendent of Documents, Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402.

(2) Technical Information and Publications Division, National Institute of Standards & Technology, Washington, DC 20234.

(3) District Offices of the U.S. Department of Commerce.

(4) Federal Depository Libraries.

(c) Revisions of SP 250 will be issued from time to time by the National Institute of Standards & Technology, Washington, DC 20234.

(d) Further information concerning policies, procedures, services, and fees may be obtained by writing the Office of Measurement Services, National Institute of Standards & Technology, Washington, DC 20234.

Subpart A-General Information

§ 230.1 Introduction.

This part states the procedure for ordering Standard Reference Materials (SRM's) issued by the National Institute of Standards & Technology. SRM's are used to calibrate measurement systems, evaluate measurement methods, or produce scientific data that can be referred to a common base. NIST Special Publication 260, "Catalog of NIST Standard Reference Materials," lists and describes the SRM's issued by NIST. SP 260 is periodically revised to include new SRM's and eliminate those that have been discontinued. Between editions of SP 260, supplements are issued that list new or renewal SRM's not listed in SP 260. In addition, these supplements list the fees charged for available SRM's.

[41 FR 8472, Feb. 27, 1976, as amended at 55 FR 38315, Sept. 18, 1990]

§ 230.2 Identification of Standard Reference Materials.

The SRM's are listed by category in SP 260 and by sequential number in the supplements. The number uniquely identifies a particular SRM. Renewals are indicated by the addition of a letter to the original number. Thus, lla is the first, 11b the second, and 11c the third renewal of SRM 11, Basic Open-Hearth Steel, 0.2 percent carbon. In this way, a particular number or number and letter always represent a material of fixed or approximately fixed composition.

§ 230.3 New Standard Reference Materials.

When new SRM's or renewals of old ones are issued, announcements are made in SP 260, its supplement, and in scientific and trade journals.

Subpart B-Purchase Procedure § 230.4 Ordering.

Orders should be addressed to the Office of Standard Reference Materials, National Institute of Standards & Technology, Washington, DC 20234. Orders should give the amount (number of units), catalog number and name of the standard requested. For example: 1 each, SRM 11h, Basic Open-Hearth Steel, 0.2 percent C. These materials are distributed only in the units listed. [41 FR 8472, Feb. 27, 1976, as amended at 55 FR 38315, Sept. 18, 1990]

§ 230.5 Terms and shipping.

(a) Prices are given in the SP 260 supplement. These prices are subject to revision and orders will be billed for prices in effect at the time of shipment. No discounts are given on purchases of SRM's.

(b) Payment need not accompany a purchase order. Payment is due within 30 days of receipt of an invoice.

(c) SRM's are shipped in the most expeditious manner that complies with transportation and postal laws and regulations.

$230.6 Standard Reference Materials out of stock.

Orders for out-of-stock SRM's will be returned with information as to future availability.

Subpart C-Description of Services and List of Fees

$230.7 Description of services and list of fees, incorporation by reference. (a) The text of NIST Special Publication 260, "Catalog of NIST Standard Reference Materials," and its supplement are hereby incorporated by reference pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 552(a)(1) and 1 CFR Part 51.

(b) SP 260 describes the SRM's that are available and states the procedure

for ordering the materials. SP 260 is available at the following places:

Superintendent of Documents, Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402. Office of Standard Reference Materials, National Institute of Standards & Technology, Washington, DC 20234.

(c) Supplements are issued when needed to reflect additions, deletions, and corrections to SP 260, and to list fees charged for the SRM's. Supplements are available from the Office of Standard Reference Materials, National Institute of Standards & Technology, Washington, DC 20234.

[41 FR 8472, Feb. 27, 1976, as amended at 55 FR 38315, Sept. 11, 1990]