Metrological value of participating in interlaboratory comparisons

Quality of chemical measurement is a central issue nowadays with social, political and economic implications. This paper aims to describe how interlaboratory comparisons (ILCs) can contribute towards better quality of chemical measurements. The importance of ILCs as well as the different types and the requirements for proper organization of ILCs are explained. The international structure and organization of metrology is given, highlighting the activities related to chemical measurements. Particularly the use of ILCs in the service of metrology in chemistry is highlighted. A very important discussion concerning ILCs is how they can (or cannot) establish traceability. The view of the authors is that traceability cannot, as such, be established through ILCs. On the other hand, participation in ILCs can clearly support the claims for quality measurements, as ILCs are experimental and objective demonstrations of measurement capability.