Sweden has a population of 8.9 million and covers a land area of 450,000 sq km. About 85% of the population live in the southern part of Sweden around the city areas of Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmoe.

During the last decade The Swedish Government has pursued privatisation and deregulation in several sectors, which has considerably changed the infrastructure and implementation of public service provision.

Organisational Structure and Background

Sweden has a long history in legal metrology. The Royal Decree on Measures and Weights in 1665 stipulated that important instruments used for measuring length, volume and weight should be controlled by a public authority and provided with a certificate to that effect.

The Swedish Board for Accreditation and Conformity Assessment (SWEDAC) is the central authority in the field of legal metrology. SWEDAC is also the national accreditation body. However, there are other central governmental authorities responsible for issuing regulations and the enforcement of legal metrology provisions.

Most measuring instruments used for determination of volume or weight are, when used in connection with sale to private consumers, subject to compulsory type examination, initial verification (or EC-verification) and periodic reverification.

Since 1993, the system for conformity assessment in Sweden is open. It means that private accredited laboratories and inspection bodies perform checks according to regulations.

The aim of the open system is to promote competition and to create a free market based on accreditation. Users of measuring devices can order the verification service from any of the accredited bodies operating on the market.

National Metrology Institute
A National Metrology Institute is an institution, which within a specific metrology field has the best available resources, knowledge and experience. It is appointed by the government and has the ultimate responsibility for the quantities concerned and for calibrations at the highest level. The National Metrology Institutes in Sweden are under surveillance of SWEDAC.

A National Metrology Institute is responsible for maintaining the national standards within its field of activity and maintaining them traceable to the internationally accepted definitions of units. This is done by calibration at the BIPM or at a foreign national metrology institution participating in the work of the relevant Consultative Committee of the CIPM.

Equipment Subject to National Controls

In Sweden, the main reason for having regulations for measuring instruments is to protect the private consumer in trade situations. There are, however, provisions for other types of meters and measuring equipment used in production or running of infrastructure establishments such as airports etc. Note that the instruments listed below are exclusively instruments used in situations where the private consumer is involved. For those instruments type examination is required and practically all of the instruments are subjected to compulsory periodical checks.

• non-automatic weighing instruments (NAWI)
• meters for other liquids than water
• water meters
• heat meters
• electricity meters
• taximeters
• weighing instruments for waste from households
  

Type Approvals

Type examination is done by an accredited certification body or, for new approach directive (e.g. NAWI), by a notified body. Assessment for accreditation is done by SWEDAC and designation of notified bodies are done by SWEDAC in consultation with competent authority for the specific field.

Initial Verification

Initial verification of instruments in trade use is performed by SP, again by way of SWEDAC accreditation. Manufacturers are able to self-verify their instruments subject to certification based on EN29000 requirements. SWEDAC and SP have trained quality assurance assessors on their staff. Fees for initial verification are determined by SP and are based on full cost recovery.

Inspection and Reverification

Sweden operates a mandatory reverification scheme for all measuring instruments used for sale or transactions to consumers. Reverification of meters is performed by accredited laboratories according to EN 45 001/ISO 17 025, while weighing instruments are reverified by accredited inspection bodies EN 45 004 (type C bodies).

Reverification period

non-automatic weighing instruments*	2 years
meters for other liquids than water	2 years
water meters	3-9 years
heat meters	5-12 years
electricity meters	6-18 years
taximeters	1 year

*Non-automatic weighing instruments used outdoors shall be reverified annually. Mechanical weighing instruments should be verified every four years.

Legal Metrology Practitioners and Scope

The accredited laboratories, accredited certification bodies and notified bodies are assessed by SWEDAC with the above mentioned standards or corresponding national legislation as a base. During the general accreditation assessment, a technical metrology expert assess the competence of the personnel by a practical demonstration of the verification process.

The compulsory sector covers weighing instruments, meters in petrol pumps and on road tankers distributing to consumers. Prepackages intended for sale to consumers (<5ml/g-10 000 ml/g) are also considered as legal metrology. SWEDAC is a regulatory and supervisory body for non-food pre-packages. The supervision of prepackages containing food is carried out by National Food Administration.

Sanctions

Most instruments used in economic activities to consumers are covered by the Act (1992:1514) on Quantity Units, Measurements and Measuring Devices. In order to make sure that the law is respected, authorities carry out market surveillance. Within the scope of SWEDACs responsibilities, there are weighing instruments, meters in petrol pumps and on road tankers distributing to consumers and prepackages. Market surveillance activities are mainly performed in retail shops or at oil depots for road tankers. Thus, checks are focused on instruments taken into use, or, for prepackages, put on the market. However, SWEDAC also carries out checks on instruments (NAWIs) put on the market but not taken into use.

When an instrument or a prepackage is found not to fulfil the requirements, the person responsible for the instrument or prepackage is contacted and informed about the requirements. The owner is then requested to take actions to get the instrument/prepacking line in order. If the instrument is lacking a type examination, the instrument must immediately be taken out of use. Correspondingly, in case a batch of prepackages are found to be significantly under-filled, the seller must withdraw the products from the market. SWEDAC is entitled to enforce regulations by injunctions and, in the case of non-compliance, injunctions combined with an administrative fine. However, the Swedish legislation emphasizes correction rather than punishment.

The responsible authority for heat- and water meters is the National Board of Housing, Building and Planning. Heat and-water meters are also covered by The Act on Quantity of Units, Measurements and Measuring Devices and the same procedures of sanctions are applied.

Electricity meters, which are handled by the Energy Administration, are subjected to the Swedish Electricity Act (1997:857). The supervisory authority is the Network Authority, a sub authority of the Energy Administration. The Network Authority can, in the case of non-compliance, issue injunctions combined with a penalty.

Taximeters are subject to The Ordinance (1998:779) concerning Commercial Traffic. Offences to the regulations on taximeters are fined.

Directive 90/384/EEC

The Directive is implemented by the SWEDAC regulation STAFS 1998:7 concerning administrative regulations on Non-Automatic Weighing Instruments.
Accuracy classes
Concerning accuracy of the instruments, there are four different classes. The regulation specifies which (minimum) class of accuracy is required for different types of use. When weighing precious metals e.g, at least class II shall be used.

Gravity zones (extract from regulation)

If the instrument's performance is sensitive to gravity variations the procedures referred to in may be carried out in two stages, where the second stage shall comprise all examinations and tests of which the outcome is gravity-dependent, and the first stage all other examinations and tests. Depending on where the instrument is tested and on the number of verification scale interval (n), the results of the second stage of verification permit the weighing instrument to be used in the geographical gravitation zones listed below. A weighing instrument having a device for compensating the effect of gravity variations is not regarded as being affected by the local value of gravity.

If the number of verification scale intervals (n) for a weighing instrument is equal to or less than 1000, the instrument may be used anywhere in Sweden, regardless of where it is verified.

For weighing instruments for which 1000<n< 3000, approved instruments may be used in their verification zone and in the zone on each side of the verification zone, as shown in the list at the bottom of this page.

For weighing instruments for which 3000<n< 6000, approved instruments may be used only in their verification zone.

For weighing instruments for which n > 6000, approved instruments may be used only at the site where they have been verified.

Convert the reading of the weighing instrument in the zone in which it is verified to the corresponding reading in the zone where it is to be used by multiplying the display value by a correction factor (k) as shown in the table below:

Value of g at the centre of the zone,(m/g²)	9,81666	9,81840	9,82008	9,82181	9,82279	9,82432
Verification district:  ðDistrict where used:  ò	Zone 1:	Zone 2:	Zone 3:	Zone 4:	Zone 5:	Zone 6:
Zone 1:	1.000000	0,999823	0,999652	0,999476	0,999376	0,999220
Zone 2:	1,000177	1,000000	0,999829	0,999653	0,999553	0,999397
Zone 3:	1,000348	1,000171	1,000000	0,999824	0,999724	0,999568
Zone 4:	1,000525	1,000347	1,000176	1,000000	0,999900	0,999745
Zone 5:	1,000624	1,000447	1,000276	1,000100	1,000000	0,999844
Zone 6:	1,000780	1,000603	1,000432	1,000256	1,000156	1,000000

Zone 1: Counties/districts of Skåne, Blekinge, Halland, Jönköping, Kronoberg, Kalmar and Gotland.

Zone 2: Counties/districts of Värmland, Östergötland, Södermanland, Örebro, Västmanland, Stockholm, Uppsala and Västra Götaland.

Zone 3: Counties/districts of Dalarna and Gävleborg.

Zone 4: Counties/districts of Västernorrland and Jämtland.

Zone 5: Counties/districts of Västerbotten.

Zone 6 Counties/districts of Norrbotten

Marking
Weighing instruments for which 1000 < n < 6000 shall be marked to show the zones in which their use is valid: Those for which n < 6000 shall be marked to show the place at which their use is valid. Weighing instruments have a device for compensating the effect of gravity variations do not need to be marked to show either the zone or the place of use.

Contact points:

SWEDAC
Box 878
501 15 BORÅS
SWEDEN
Phone number: + 46 33 17 77 00
Home page: www.swedac.se
E-mail: registrator@swedac.se