Calibration and Services – Calibration Materials

Production facilities throughout the World rely on refractometers and polarimeters for quantity and quality control.  No matter what the make or type of instrument, results are only as good as the calibration regime behind the measurement. GLP dictates that instruments should be kept in good working order and be regularly calibrated using traceable standards.

Bellingham + Stanley Ltd., a UKAS accredited calibration laboratory No. 0834, offer a choice of materials suitable for use with different instrument types and applications. 

Calibration Oils and AG Fluids are organic compounds that cover the range 1.33-1.51 RI (or 0-80 °Brix) and have a shelf life of 12-months. They are ideal for calibrating refractometers that have temperature control in both food and industrial applications.

Sucrose Solutions offer ease of use when calibrating instruments that do not incorporate temperature control but rely on temperature compensation. They are also preferred by beverage, sugar and food producers as their components typically match the product under test.  However, sucrose solutions have a short shelf life, so customers tend to opt for a supply contract to ensure regular supply with minimal logistical expense.

Solid Test Plates are sometimes used to calibrate refractometers where liquid samples are not ideal or where the instrument type dictates there use. Because of their low accuracy, Bellingham + Stanley supply a certificate of verification at point of order for all plates and offer recertification of silica test plates only. The certificates of verification are not covered by the UKAS scope and as such customers requiring a higher level of service should adopt liquid reference materials.

ALL Refractometer calibration materials are traceable to NIST and ICUMSA and are calibrated in accordance with EN ISO/IEC 17025:2005

Calibration of Quartz Control Plates, used to verify polarimeters and saccharimeters,is offered from point of sale and by retrospective test as part of a customer calibration regime.

Calibration Materials – Refractometers
  Distilled Water
  AG Fluids
  Sucrose Solutions
  Calibration Oils
  Solid Test Plates

Calibration Materials – Polarimeters
  Sucrose
  Quartz Plates

Calibration Selection Guide
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