Measurement Units, Standards and Services Department (MUSSD) is established under the Measurement Units, Standards and Services Act No. 35 of 1995. MUSSD functions under the purview of the Ministry of Trade, Commerce, and Food Security. MUSSD situated at the new premises in Techno City in Mahenawatta, Pitipana, Homagama since December 2015.
Metrology is the subject of interest of the MUSSD. The science of measurements and its applications are generally called Metrology. As every country in the world has a specific establishment called National Metrology Institute (NMI) MUSSD has been recognized to be the NMI in Sri Lanka. MUSSD has established under the same act the National Measurement Laboratory (NML) as its main body which is responsible for the establishment and maintenance of the National Measurement Standards, and International System of Units (SI) in Sri Lanka.
Measurements related to various physical quantities such as mass, length, time, temperature, pressure, volume, electric current, voltage & electric resistance, humidity, chemical measurements, etc. are frequently necessary for daily life activities. All the scientific research and regulatory activities carried out internationally and locally for sustaining a unity of physical quantities and measurement units can be defined as Metrology.
Can be mainly divided into three categories as Scientific Metrology, Industrial Metrology, and Legal Metrology. Establishment of the National Measurement System of the country via the National Measurement Laboratory (NML), Representation, establishment, maintenance, and dissemination of National Measurement Standards for various physical quantities, Implementation of the International System of Units (SI) in Sri Lanka, Maintenance of international measurement traceability through periodic calibrations of the National Measurement Standards, Upgrading the calibration and measurement capabilities (CMC) by participating in international bilateral and multilateral inter-comparisons related to various physical quantities, Metrology research activities, Generating Sri Lanka Standard Time and broadcasting via www.sltime.org, Providing calibration services for the industrial community in Sri Lanka, Dissemination and promotion of measurement parameters and technology necessary for different fields, Providing Type Approval for weight, measures, weighing and measuring instruments in the trade sector, Verification of weights, measures, weighing and measuring instruments used in the trade sector in the country are main activities which is carried out by the MUSSD as vested by the said act 35 of 1995.
MUSSD maintains international collaboration in Metrology being an associated member of the General Conference on Weights and Measures (CGPM), a full member of the International Organization of Legal Metrology (OIML), and a full member of the Asia Pacific Metrology Program (APMP). Further MUSSD is a signatory of the Mutual Recognition Arrangement of the International Committee on Weights and Measures (CIPM MRA).