Calibration is comparing a measuring instrument with a reference of known, better accuracy to find out how far off the instrument reads, and adjusting it if needed. The reference is itself linked through a chain of calibrations to national or international standards. Each calibration produces a record showing the readings found, whether they were within tolerance, any adjustment made, the reference used and the date the next calibration is due. Gauges are usually labeled with their ID and that due date.
Example: A micrometer is checked against gauge blocks at 5, 10 and 25 mm. It reads 0.004 mm high at 25 mm, outside its 0.002 mm limit, so the lab adjusts it, checks it again, records both sets of readings and labels it with the next due date.
Every accept or reject decision is only as good as the gauge that made it. When a gauge is found out of tolerance, the company has to work out which parts it measured since its last good calibration and whether any bad parts were accepted, which can lead to a recall.
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