Adopted at the 12th Session of the Standing Committee of the 6th National People’s Congress on September 6, 1985; amended in accordance with the Decision on Amending the Metrology Law adopted at the 5th Session of the Standing Committee of the 11th National People’s Congress on December 27, 2009; amended for the second time in accordance with the Decision on Amending the Metrology Law adopted at the 12th Session of the Standing Committee of the 12th National People’s Congress on December 28, 2013; amended for the third time in accordance with the Decision on Amending the Metrology Law adopted at the 31st Session of the Standing Committee of the 12th National People’s Congress on December 27, 2017; amended for the fourth time in accordance with the Decision on Amending the Metrology Law adopted at the 6th Session of the Standing Committee of the 13th National People’s Congress on October 26, 2018
Effective: July 1, 1986 (original); October 26, 2018 (latest amendment)
Table of Contents
Chapter I — General Provisions
Article 1 — This Law is enacted for the purposes of strengthening metrological supervision and administration, ensuring the uniformity of the national system of units of measurement and the accuracy and reliability of measurement values, and contributing to the development of production, trade, and science and technology.
Article 2 — This Law applies to the establishment of national primary standards of measurement and standards of measurement, metrological verification, and the manufacture, repair, sale, and use of measuring instruments within the territory of the People’s Republic of China.
Article 3 — The state shall adopt the International System of Units (SI). The International System of Units and other units of measurement selected by the state shall be the statutory units of measurement of the state.
Chapter II — Primary Standards of Measurement, Standards of Measurement, and Metrological Verification
Article 4 — The metrological administrative department under the State Council shall be responsible for establishing various types of primary standards of measurement, which shall be the highest standards of measurement in the country. The metrological administrative departments of local people’s governments at or above the county level shall establish public standards of measurement.
Article 5 — The metrological administrative department under the State Council and the relevant competent departments shall carry out compulsory verification of public standards of measurement, working standards of measurement of the highest grade, and working measuring instruments used for trade settlement, safety protection, medical and health services, and environmental monitoring.
Chapter III — Administration of Measuring Instruments
Article 6 — The manufacture or repair of measuring instruments shall be subject to a permit system. Enterprises or individuals engaged in the manufacture or repair of measuring instruments shall obtain a permit for manufacturing or repairing measuring instruments.
Chapter IV — Metrological Supervision
Article 7 — Metrological administrative departments shall supervise and inspect the manufacture, repair, sale, and use of measuring instruments, as well as metrological verification activities, in accordance with the law.
Chapter V — Legal Liability
Article 8 — Where an entity or individual manufactures or repairs measuring instruments without a permit, the metrological administrative department shall order the entity or individual to cease such manufacture or repair, confiscate the illegal gains, and impose a fine.
Chapter VI — Supplementary Provisions
Article 9 — This Law shall come into force on July 1, 1986.
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