Country Information

Denmark has had a centralised metrological structure for more than 300 years. In 1983 it began the privatization of its metrological control services. Central responsibility is maintained by Sikkerhedsstyrelsen (The Danish Safety Technology Authority), www.sik.dk, within the Erhvervsministeriet (Ministry of Industry, Business and Financial Affairs), www.em.dk. 

The Danish Safety Technology Authority is in charge overseeing arrangements for traceability of standards and securing international liaison and of issuing national type approvals, verifications and establishing of systems for in-service control of measuring instruments. The initial and mandatory verification work is devolved to approximately 25 laboratories, appraised and accredited by DANAK - The Danish Accreditation Fund, and appointed for this work by The Danish Safety Technology Authority. In addition type approvals are issued under Directive 2014/31/EU, and the Measuring Instrument Directive 2014/32/EU by notified bodies.  

DANAK is also responsible for accreditation of certification bodies and for laboratory accreditation. Danish Fundamental Metrology (DFM), a private non-profit organization, provides with 5 other institutes the primary standards and other high level metrology service to the Danish Safety Technology Authority. DFM performs research, builds up primary standards, and disseminates traceable measurements.

• Medium accuracy weights
• Liquid volume metering instruments
  • Petroleum
  • Liquefied petroleum gas
  • Lubricating oil
  • Heating oil
• Gas volume meters
• Non-automatic weighing instruments
• Automatic weighing instruments
  • Discontinuous totalising
  • Continuous totalising (beltweighers)
  • Gravimetric filling
  • Rail weighbridges
  • Catch weighers
  • Checkweighers
  • Weigh/price labeller and weigh labeller
• Heat meters and heat allocation meters
• Cold and warm water meters for consumption
• Electricity meters
• Multidimensional measuring instruments
• Test meters for size of fish nets
• EC average control of e-marked prepackages

National type approval certificates on meters used for measuring consumption of cooling energy in district cooling systems and central cooling systems are issued by The Danish Safety Technology Authority. 

Fees for type approvals are based on a full cost recovery principle, as required by Danish executive order. The bodies retain all fees charged by them.

The initial verification function is performed by some 25 private and accredited laboratories, each being concerned with specific types of instruments. Accreditation by DANAK is based on ISO 17025. Some of the laboratories are owned by manufacturers. Auditing teams are being required to involve legal metrology expertise.

Fees for initial verification are required by executive order to be based on full cost recovery.

The owner of the measuring instrument has the responsibility to ensure that mpe x 2 is not exceeded. He can setup a self-monitoring system or have reverification performed. The interval for these inspections is decided by the owner of the instrument.

As regards utility meters a statistical control system has to run in order to assure that the meters continue to perform within MPEs. The testing of the sampled meters is carried out by accredited laboratories.

The user is obliged to secure that reverification has been done before mpe x 2 is exceeded.

The Danish Safety Technology Authority operates risk based market surveillance. Inspection is basically visual and limited to ensure that instruments bear the prescribed seals and marks and that weighing instruments are zeroed and adjusted to correct gravity.

Before the cancelling of periodical reverification in 2018, the latest figures show that some 8000 non-automatic and automatic weighing instruments were annually reverified, and almost 10,000 measuring systems for liquids other than water plus 100,000 heat meters. Errors are based on mpe x 1 for reverification and mpe x 2 for random inspection purposes. A fee is charged for reverification based on that for initial verification. 

Staffs generally operate under the control of the laboratories under the contracting out approach. Competence is adjudged against the ability of a laboratory to satisfy the criteria of ISO 17025. There is no government led qualifications or formal training programme in legal metrology or quality assurance.

DANAK examines the competence of technicians employed by laboratories prior to allowing them to apply the verification label and collect a fee. This is done as part of the laboratory accreditation process.

EC average quality controls on e-marked prepackages are enforced by accredited, authorised private laboratories.

No system of administrative fines operates in Denmark and any prosecutions would be taken to court by the police. Such prosecutions are very rare, numbering less than ten a year, and generally relates to situations where equipment is used fraudulently or traders have refused to have their instruments verified. The system generally works on the basis of written warnings to the owner of the instrument, and a return visit on the premises if the owner does not react to the warnings. If the instrument has not been corrected, the inspector will report the details to the Danish Safety Technology Authority, who may submit the case to the police for possible prosecution.

Directive 2014/31/EU was implemented in Denmark by executive order No. 544 of 28/05 2018. No gravity zones are identified for the purposes of this Directive. Inscriptions required are:

• Denmark: 981584 milligal
• Faroe Islands: 982077 milligal
• Greenland south of 680: 982111 milligal
• Greenland between 680 and 760: 982587 milligal
• Greenland north of 760: 983036 milligal

According to the Danish executive order, it is not legal to use a weighing instrument outside its marked weighing range.

Accuracy classes are specified for particular applications and details are published by the Danish Safety Technology Authority:

• Precious metals and stones: Class II or better
• Waste, sand, gravel, concrete etc. and transport charges (except post): Class IIII or better
• All others: Class III or better

Directive 2014/32/EU was implemented in Denmark by Executive order No. 1381 of 25/11 2016. Mandatory for Denmark are:

• Water Meters
• Gas Meters
• Electricity Meters
• Heat Meters
• Measuring Systems for Liquids other than Water
• Automatic Weighing Instruments
• Multidimensional Measuring Instruments
• Taximeters

Special requirements for use of specific accuracy classes for different applications do exist.

The following is for information only:

Denmark has no gravity arrangement.
For information the following values could be given:

• Denmark: 981584 milligal
• Faroe Islands: 982077 milligal
• Greenland south of 680: 982111 milligal
• Greenland between 680 and 760: 982587 milligal
• Greenland north of 760: 983036 milligal