Uncertainty calculations in the certification of reference materials - 4. Characterisation and certification

The main objective of the certification of a reference material is to deter mine its property values including their uncertainty. In the previous parts of this series, the basis for the evaluation of measurement uncertainty of the property values has been examined, including the conversion of homogen eity and stability study data into standard uncertainties. In this final pa rt, the determination of the property values and the modelling of the certi fication process is discussed. It is noted that the characterisation of a r eference material can be modelled in some cases using analysis of variance statistics, but a more generally applicable model can be developed based on chi (2)-fitting. Furthermore, it is concluded that there is an advantage i n using absolute standard uncertainties instead of relative ones when model ling the certification process.