(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 equipment, 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.