Gas and air flow calibration from 0.024 mL/min to 12,983 L/min
UKAS-accredited calibration for mass flow meters and controllers, rotameters, laminar flow elements and other gas flow instruments, carried out in Lymington by Labcal, the Gill Group's calibration laboratory.
What is gas flow calibration?
Gas flow calibration passes a known flow through an instrument and compares its reading with a traceable reference. The result is the flow error and its uncertainty at each point, for the gas the instrument will actually measure, which is what an auditor or a process specification will ask to see.
Labcal uses prover and reference meter methods with air as the calibration medium. Other gases, including argon, carbon dioxide, helium, oxygen and nitrogen, can be used up to 150 L/min. Results are gas specific, so an instrument calibrated on air needs a conversion factor if it is used on another gas.
From microlitres to thousands of litres a minute
Six accredited bands cover flow rate and quantity passed, so laboratory dosing instruments and high-flow industrial meters can be calibrated under the same laboratory number.
| Instrument or quantity | Range | Expanded uncertainty (k=2) |
|---|---|---|
| Gas flow rate and quantity passed | 0.024 to 0.5 mL/min | Q[1.4 %, 0.0016 mL/min] |
| Gas flow rate and quantity passed | 5 to 600 mL/min | 0.18 % |
| Gas flow rate and quantity passed | 5 mL/min to 10 L/min | 0.15 % |
| Gas flow rate and quantity passed | 0.5 to 250 L/min | 0.18 % |
| Gas flow rate and quantity passed | 1 to 2,000 L/min | 0.17 % |
| Gas flow rate and quantity passed | 500 to 12,983 L/min | 0.30 % |
Ranges and best measurement capability from the UKAS schedule of accreditation for laboratory 0625, issue 055, 18 August 2026. Q[a, b] means the two terms are combined in quadrature. The uncertainty on your certificate depends on the instrument under test.
Flow instruments from the bench to the plant
Mass flow meters and controllers
Thermal and Coriolis mass flow instruments used for gas dosing, process control and laboratory work.
Variable area flow meters
Rotameters and other variable area meters, calibrated on air or on the gas they are used with where that is within scope.
Laminar flow elements
Laminar flow elements and the differential pressure readouts that go with them.
Dry and wet gas meters
Volumetric gas meters used for sampling, metering and environmental monitoring.
Primary and piston flow meters
Piston provers and bubble flow meters, often used themselves as working references.
Orifice plates, nozzles and vortex meters
Differential and vortex shedding devices. Devices with an electrical output can also be calibrated.
Typical makes include Aalborg, Alicat Scientific, BIOS, Brooks Instrument, Cole-Parmer, Endress+Hauser, Honeywell, KDG, MKS Instruments, Omega and Sierra Instruments.
From your bench to a certificate and back
Tell us what needs calibrating
Use the form on this page with the instrument, the quantity and the points you need. If you are moving from another laboratory, your current certificate is enough for a like-for-like quote, usually within 24 hours.
Send it to Lymington
Instruments come to the Labcal laboratory at Ampress Park, Lymington. Calibration is laboratory based rather than on site. Courier collection can be arranged for regular and high-volume customers.
Calibration against traceable references
Turnaround averages 8 working days from the day the instrument arrives, with a 3-day fast track available by arrangement. Where an instrument can be adjusted, it is recorded as found, adjusted and recorded again as left.
Certificate and return
A UKAS certificate states the measured values, the expanded uncertainty at k=2 and the traceability to national standards, with as-found and as-left results where adjustment was made.
Request a quote
Tell us what needs calibrating
The instrument, how many and the points you need are enough to start. If you are switching laboratory, mention it and we will ask for your current certificate so the quote matches it like for like.
UKAS accredited. Labcal, laboratory 0625, ISO/IEC 17025:2017.
We aim to respond in one working day. Turnaround averages 8 working days from arrival, with a 3-day fast track by arrangement.
Switching laboratory? Send your current certificate for a like-for-like quote.
Frequently asked questions
Gas flow calibration at Labcal uses air as the standard calibration medium across the full accredited range. Other gases, including argon, carbon dioxide, helium, oxygen and nitrogen, can be used for flows up to 150 L/min. Tell us the gas the instrument measures in service so the calibration matches it.
A meter calibrated on air can be used on another gas only if the appropriate gas conversion factor is applied, because flow results are specific to the gas. Where the conversion would add too much uncertainty for your application, calibrating on the service gas is the better route if it is within scope.
The lowest accredited gas flow on Labcal's UKAS schedule is 0.024 mL/min, with an expanded uncertainty of Q[1.4 %, 0.0016 mL/min]. That band suits very low-flow laboratory and dosing instruments. The accredited range then continues in overlapping bands up to 12,983 L/min.
The calibration interval for a gas flow meter depends on how critical the measurement is and what your quality system or protocol requires. Annual calibration is common in GMP-regulated manufacturing and general laboratory use, while some sampling protocols ask for a check before and after each sampling campaign.
Yes. Labcal's UKAS schedule notes that pressure and flow devices with an electrical output may be calibrated. That covers transmitters and mass flow controllers that report flow as an analogue or digital signal rather than on a local display. Tell us the output type when you ask for a quote.
Talk to an engineer
Tell us what you need to measure, where and under what conditions. We’ll help you work out the appropriate approach.