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Gauge calibration log
A gauge calibration log is the record that every gauge, instrument and test device whose readings you rely on is calibrated on time and fit to use. Calibration compares the gauge with a reference standard of known value and records the readings as found, before any adjustment, and as left, after it. The log has two parts: a register of every gauge with its interval, last calibration, next due date and status, and a record of each calibration. Where measurement traceability is needed, ISO 9001 asks for calibration or verification at set intervals against standards traceable to national or international standards, and for action when a gauge is found unfit; IATF 16949 adds what the records must hold. Page 1 of the PDF is the register for 18 gauges with a status to circle: in use, due soon, overdue or out of service. Page 2 is a calibration record for up to 6 check points with as-found and as-left readings, error and pass or fail, the steps when a gauge fails, a product assessment box, a short summary of what the two standards ask, and a worked example. The Excel version works out each gauge's next due date from the last calibration and an interval in days or months, the days to due and the status against a due-soon window, with counts by status and an overdue list. Its calibration record works out the error and pass or fail at each point and the overall results, and its history log gives the as-found pass rate and flags failures with no product check noted. Each part has a worked example sheet.
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When to use it
When to use a gauge calibration log
- For every gauge, instrument and test device used to accept parts, set a process or check a characteristic in the control plan, including gauges owned by employees or customers.
- Before an ISO 9001 or IATF 16949 audit, where auditors pick gauges on the floor and ask for their status and records.
- When a gauge is found out of tolerance, to record the readings as found and the assessment of the product it measured.
- To review intervals: the as-found pass rate shows which gauges drift and which could be checked less often.
How to fill it in
- 1
List every gauge
One line per gauge, with a unique ID marked on it, its type, range, resolution, location and owner.
- 2
Set the intervals
From the maker's advice, how often and how hard the gauge is used, and its history. Days suit heavily used items, months most hand gauges.
- 3
Check the register every week
Next due = last calibration + interval. Calibrate the gauges that are due soon, and pull any overdue gauge from use until it is done.
- 4
Record each calibration
Readings as found, before any adjustment, and as left, at several points across the range, against a reference standard whose certificate shows traceability.
- 5
Act on a failure
Tag the gauge, then assess everything measured with it since the last good calibration: re-check suspect product on site and, if any has shipped, follow your customer notification process.
- 6
Label and update
Fit a label that shows the status and the next due date, update the register and log the result in the history.
Status
Gauge status in the register
The due-soon window is set by the site, for example 30 days. Out of service overrides the dates.
| Status | When | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| In use | Next due is further away than the due-soon window | Use it, and check the label is in date |
| Due soon | Next due falls within the window | Book the calibration or send the gauge to the lab |
| Overdue | Past the next due date | Do not use it: tag it until it is calibrated |
| Out of service | Damaged, lost, failed or retired | Tag it, keep it away from use and record why |
In use
- When
- Next due is further away than the due-soon window
- What to do
- Use it, and check the label is in date
Due soon
- When
- Next due falls within the window
- What to do
- Book the calibration or send the gauge to the lab
Overdue
- When
- Past the next due date
- What to do
- Do not use it: tag it until it is calibrated
Out of service
- When
- Damaged, lost, failed or retired
- What to do
- Tag it, keep it away from use and record why
A filled-in example
Illustrative, not a benchmarkAn example: eight gauges in a machining and assembly plant, checked on 1 Oct 2026 with a 30-day due-soon window, and the calibration of one micrometer (illustrative). The Excel version's example sheets have the same gauges, readings and history.
- CAL-014, a digital caliper calibrated on 2 Apr 2026 every 6 months, is due on 2 Oct 2026, 1 day away: due soon. HG-008 is due in 19 days: due soon too.
- PIN-105 (due 15 Sep 2026) and SC-002 (due 13 Sep 2026, 90 days after 15 Jun) are overdue. Three gauges are in use, and CAL-009 is out of service with a damaged jaw.
- Micrometer MIC-022, 25 to 50 mm, was checked on 24 Sep 2026 against gauge blocks at 6 points, tolerance ± 0.003 mm. As found it read +0.003 mm from 25 to 40 mm and +0.004 mm at 45 and 50 mm: a fail. After a zero reset it read within +0.001 mm at every point.
- In the history, 6 of 8 calibrations passed as found: a 75.0% as-found pass rate. Both failures have a product check noted.
Since MIC-022's last good calibration on 24 Sep 2025, 4 of the 1,240 readings taken with it were less than 0.004 mm above a lower limit. Those 4 parts were all still in stores; re-measured with the adjusted micrometer, all were in specification, and none had shipped. The interval was cut from 12 to 6 months, so the micrometer is next due on 24 Mar 2027.
Common mistakes
Recording only the as-left result
If the gauge was adjusted and only the after readings are kept, nobody can tell whether the parts measured before were good. Record as found first.
No product check after a failure
A failed calibration puts every result since the last good one in doubt. Assess it and record the decision, even when the answer is no impact.
Gauges missing from the register
Personal tools, customer gauges and spares in a drawer get used too. Register every device that measures product, or mark it for reference only.
One interval for everything
A caliper used all day drifts faster than a height gauge used once a week. Set intervals by use and history, and review them with the as-found pass rate.
Download the template
Free to use: print it, copy it and edit it for your team. Enter your name and work email once to download.
Run this template in LeanSuite
In LeanSuite any recurring check is built in Lean Creator and scheduled in Daily Standard Work to a person, a role or a machine with a repeat rule; missed checks show in red, and every check leaves a time-stamped record for internal and external audits.
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FAQ
Gauge calibration log: common questions
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A shift handover sheet, a red tag log, a changeover checklist for one machine: if your team uses it on the floor, ask.