Country Information

The Romanian Bureau of Legal Metrology (BRML) was established by Government Ordinance no. 20/1992 regarding the metrological activities. It is a specialized body of central public administration, in charge with the national coordination and control of legal metrological activities, which ensures the metrological regulations, technical means and actions needed to provide credibility to the measurement results throughout the country.

BRML is a public institution with legal personality, subordinated to the Ministry of Economy.

The main competences and tasks of BRML are established by Government Decision no. 193/2002, regarding the organization and operation of the Romanian Bureau of Legal Metrology, as subsequently amended.

BRML has the competence to:

• lay down technical and metrological requirements for measuring instruments subject to legal metrological control and contribute to the development of the legal metrological framework by approximation to the European regulations and international practices
• attest national standards and assure dissemination of measurement units
• hold, improve, preserve and use national standards
• evaluate measuring instruments against technical and metrological requirements established in the applicable regulations
• carry out legal metrological control of measurements, measuring instruments and activities related to measurements and measuring instruments
• ascertain contraventions and apply penalties in the fields for which it was nominated according to the legislation in force

BRML has the following main tasks:

• elaborates development strategies and programs on metrology
• supervises and controls the national implementation of the regulations contained in its sphere of competence
• contributes to the elaboration of normative drafts on metrology and monitors their correlation with other applicable norms in the field
• elaborates legal metrology instructions and legal metrology norms
• participates in the technical assessment of bodies seeking recognition for notification
• disseminates measurement units to measuring instruments which are not subject to legal control
• ensures traceability of national standards to international standards
• represents the Romanian interests to international and regional metrology bodies and organizations and co-operates with similar institutions from other countries or international bodies
• performs scientific research in the metrology field
• coordinates and carries on national metrology programs with national and/or international financing
• concludes, under the law conditions, conventions, protocols or other documents for recognition of other metrological documents or activities

These competences and tasks are carried out through an organisational structure where an important position is occupied by the National Institute of Metrology (INM), a distinct entity subordinated to BRML.

Upon regional level, BRML exercises its authority through 8 regional divisions of legal metrology – named DRMLs (Bucuresti, Bacau, Brasov, Cluj-Napoca, Constanta, Craiova, Ploiesti, Timisoara).

BRML also comprises the Unit for Inspection and Market Surveillance (UIMS) which is designated as a market surveillance authority for non-automatic weighing instruments and measuring instruments.

Further information on BRML and INM is available at www.brml.ro and www.inm.ro.

The first Romanian metrology act, 'Law on the adoption of the metric system of weights and measures', was adopted in 1864. In 1883, Romania joined the Metre Convention. At present, Romania is an OIML member and a WELMEC member, while the National Metrology Institute is a signatory of the CIPM-MRA and EURAMET member. The metrological activity in Romania is regulated by the Government Ordinance no. 20/1992 approved by Law no. 11/1994, as subsequently amended.

The first national metrological authority was the Central Department of Weights and Measures established in 1889. It operated under various denominations and with different organizational structures, being the predecessor of the present Romanian Bureau of Legal Metrology.

• Electronic equipment for round wood measuring
• Material measures of length
• Dimensional measuring instruments
• Measuring instruments for liquids level
• Liquid volume measures
• Road tanks
• Liquid storage tankers
• Systems for continuous and dynamic measurement of quantities of liquids other than water
• Water meters
• Gas meters
• Systems for measurement of fuel gas quantities
• Radar equipment for the measurement of the speed of road vehicles (cinemometers)
• Equipments for the measurement of the speed of locomotives for railway and metro networks
• Taximeters
• Weights for working use
• Measuring instruments for the hectolitre mass of cereals
• Non-automatic weighing instruments
• Automatic weighing instruments
• Weighing instruments for in motion road vehicles
• Roll rigs for verification of breaking systems of road vehicles
• Manometers
• Heat meters
• Heat meters in open circuit
• Electrical measuring transformers
• Active electrical energy meters
• Reactive electrical energy meters
• Opacimeters
• Dioptimeters
• Sound level meters for labor and environment protection purposes
• Refractometres and polarimetres for the measurement of sugar content
• Alcohol meters
• Moisture meters
• Gas analysers
• Gas chromatography instruments
• Etilometers
• Contaminometers
• Dosimeters/radiation meters

The measuring instruments subject to legal metrological control as well as the applicable control methods are contained in the Official List approved by Order no. 148/2012 of the BRML Director General, published in the Official Journal of Romania, Part I, no. 361/29.05.2012, with subsequent additions and amendments. The Official List is updated periodically. Most of the measuring instruments are subject to type approval, initial verification and mandatory re-verification.

In Romania, the type approval certificates are issued by BRML. In principle, the tests are performed by the INM laboratories. In some cases, BRML recognizes the test results provided by other laboratories from Romania or from other countries.

The initial verification of the categories of measuring instruments is performed in the laboratories of the 8 regional legal metrology divisions of BRML, in the INM laboratories or in other laboratories authorised by BRML.

The EEC initial verification is performed only in the BRML laboratories.

The verification fees are indicated in the Tariff List LT 2009 approved by Government Decision no. 712/2009 with subsequent additions and amendments.

A mandatory re-verification system operates through periodical verification and verification after repair / modification. These verifications are performed in the BRML laboratories or in laboratories authorised by BRML.

The maximum verification intervals are indicated in the Official List approved by the Director General of BRML.

Here are a few examples:

• Taximeters: 1 year
• Weights of classes E2, F1, F2, M1, M2, M3: 1 year
• Weighing instruments: 1 year
• Fuel dispensers: 1 year
• Cold water meters: 7 years
• Gas meters: 8 years
• Electricity meters: 10 years
• Heat meters: 4 years

The maximum permissible errors on re-verification are mainly the same as on initial verification.

Besides re-verification, the legal metrological control of measuring instruments in use is performed through inspection, unannounced inspection and market surveillance by DRMLs and UIMS inspectors.

The metrological control of pre-packages is performed by DRMLs inspectors. The fees charged for the verification of pre-packages actual content are indicated in the Tariff List approved by Government Decision no. 97/2011 and are paid by packers/importers.

According to the legal regulations in force, the maximum number of employees that BRML can have amounts to 659, of which 106 in the National Metrology Institute (INM).

The INM carries out research activities, calibrations and type evaluation testing.

The BRML inspection officers report the metrological legislation infringements and apply penalties. The maximum amount of a penalty is about 4500 euro.

In some cases, the measuring instruments which are object of a sanction are sealed and confiscated in order to prevent their future use. The cases of fraudulent use of measuring instruments are taken to the law court.

Romania has transposed and implemented the whole European Acquis in metrology and pre-packages field.

The conformity assessment of the non-automatic weighing instruments under the European Directive 2014/31/EU and of the measuring instruments under European Directive 2014/32/EU is carried out by notified bodies.

The market surveillance of these measuring instruments is performed by UIMS inspectors.

In Romania all the measuring instruments under the European Directive 2014/32/EU are subject to legal metrological control.

Gravity information not yet available for this country on this website.

Romanian Bureau of Legal Metrology
Sos. Vitan Barzesti 11, Sector 4,
042122, Bucuresti, Romania
Phone: +4021 332 09 54
Fax: +4021 332 06 15
E-mail: office@brml.ro