ISO/IEC 17025 was first issued in 1999 by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Electro technical Commission (IEC). It is the single most important standard for calibration and testing laboratories around the globe. Laboratories that are accredited to this international standard have demonstrated that they are technically competent and capable to produce precise and accurate test and/or calibration data.
ISO/IEC 17025:2005 specifies the general necessity for the competence to carry out tests and/or calibrations, including sampling. It covers testing and calibration performed using standard methods, non-standard methods, and laboratory-developed methods.
ISO 17025 is a regular and extensive review of a vendor’s quality management system.
ISO 17025 is not necessary. To enlarge trust, calibration labs volunteer to be reviewed by a third-party accreditation body based on their adherence to ISO 17025 standards.
ISO 17025 certifies that a lab has demonstrated an ability to produce correct tests and calibration data and has displayed excellence in technical and management competence. (It is silent, however, on the methods and processes that must be used to calibrate since it is device agnostic.