Government opens applications for legal-metrology test-centre recognition
The Department of Consumer Affairs will accept online applications from August 17–31 to recognise Government Approved Test Centres, potentially expanding verification capacity for weighing and measuring instruments used by retailers.
What happened
Department of Consumer Affairs · The government will accept online applications to recognise Government Approved Test Centres, expanding verification capacity
Key facts
- August 17-31, 2026
- 51 recognised GATCs
- 23 categories of weighing and measuring instruments
Why this matters
Providers of weighing equipment, calibration and compliance services may find partnership or network-expansion opportunities as newly recognised test centres enter the market.
What to watch
- Number, geography and operating start dates of newly recognised Government Approved Test Centres.
- State legal-metrology department notices on verification backlogs, inspection drives or revised fees.
- Changes in turnaround times for scale stamping, calibration and certificate issuance.
- Enforcement actions involving short weight, inaccurate measuring devices or packaged-commodity labelling.
- Retailer reports of lower service downtime or, conversely, increased inspection notices after centre expansion.
- Map all store, warehouse and distribution-centre measuring instruments against verification-expiry dates and state-specific requirements.
- Pre-book verification slots where possible and prioritise high-volume stores, fresh-food counters, jewellery, pharmacy and warehouse operations.
- Ask approved service vendors whether they are applying for test-centre recognition and negotiate multi-state service-level agreements.
- Update compliance dashboards to track certificate validity, calibration records, instrument serial numbers and corrective-action closure.
- Prepare store-manager guidance on seal integrity, display accuracy, packaged-commodity declarations and escalation procedures for failed tests.