Legal metrology

Legal metrology deals with measurements, measurement units, methods, and measuring instruments related to legal requirements. It deals with public interest measurements, public health, safety, order, environmental protection, taxation and excise duties, consumer protection, and fair trading.

The Consumer Protection and Technical Regulatory Authority monitor compliance with the requirements for the placing on the market, putting into use and using measuring instruments, the traceability of measurement results, the activities of conformity assessment bodies and laboratories, the use of mandatory units of measurement.

One of the surveillance objects is measuring instruments used in, for example, customs and excise warehouses, petrol stations, shops, transport, traffic monitoring, for measuring quantities of water, electricity, gas, etc. The Authority will also monitor the conformity of measuring instruments used in water, electricity, and gas.

We also check undertakings who manufacture or import pre-packed products – products placed in a pre-determined nominal quantity of packaging, the contents of which cannot be altered without damaging the packaging.

An example of a pre-pack is an oil bottle, a sugar packet, chocolate box, etc. If the packaging is marked with the symbol ℮, this means that the EU Member State on whose territory the packer is operating has implemented appropriate requirements and control measures to ensure that the contents of the packaging comply with the requirements. Pre-packages with the ℮-mark are exempted from controlling the contents in the purchasing country in the EU internal market. Even in the absence of a label, the contents of the pre-package must comply with the requirements.

Guarantee labels

The validation result shall be formatted using validation marks. Validation marks are the validation sticker, stamp, and digital validation stamp. Validation stickers are the information sticker and the closure sticker. A back stamp is a seal with a matrix imprint or an imprint on a measuring instrument or seal. MTR Regulation regulates certification marks and their use under No. 14 of 05.02.2019 "Requirements for certification marks, procedures for ordering, using and storing certification marks, and compulsory data for the certificate of conformity and the certificate of non-compliance."

Until 31.12.2018, retroactive labels may be used until the end of the period of use printed on them, as per Regulation No 56 of the Minister of Economic Affairs and Communications.

Kasutusel olevate taatlusmärgiste kujundus.
The design of guarantee labels in use.
Sulgemiskleebis (soovituslikud mõõdud 30x10 mm).
Closure sticker (recommended dimensions 30x10 mm).

Individual Directives

List of Directives and their validity conditions for EC type-approval certificates issued before the entry into force of the Measuring Instruments Directive 2004/22/EC.

1.1 Gas meters

  • COUNCIL DIRECTIVE 71/318/EEC of 26 July 1971 on the harmonization of the laws of the Member States relating to gas meters
  • adapting to technical progress Council Directive 74/331/EEC of 12 June 1974 on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to gas meters
  • adjusting for the second time to technical progress Council Directive 71/318/EEC on the approximation of the Member States laws relating to gas meters (OJ L 78, 31.3.1978, p. 1).
  • adapting to technical progress for the third time Council Directive 71/318/EEC on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to gas meters (1 )

1.2 Coldwater meters

  • COUNCIL DIRECTIVE 75/33/EEC of 17 December 1974 on approximating the laws of the Member States relating to cold-water meters (the Directive applies only to mechanical meters.). It does not apply to water meters with other operating principles or combined water meters consisting of two mechanical meters).

1.3 Hot water meters

  • COUNCIL DIRECTIVE 79/830/EEC of 11 September 1979 on the approximation of the Member States laws relating to hot-water meters (the Directive only applies to mechanical meters). It does not apply to water meters with other operating principles or volume converters included in a set of heat meters).

1.4 Liquid inventories

  • COUNCIL DIRECTIVE 71/319/EEC of 26 July 1971 on approximating the laws, regulations, and administrative provisions of the Member States relating to totalizers for liquids other than water (Directive only applies to mechanical meters and tank gauges and their accessories). It does not apply to electronic liquid metering systems, including fuel dispensers).
  • on the approximation of the Member States laws relating to measuring instruments for liquids other than water (Council Directive 77/313/EEC of 5 April 1977).
  • adapting to technical progress Council Directive 77/313/EEC on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to non-aqueous measuring instruments for liquids other than water
  • COUNCIL DIRECTIVE 71/348/EEC of 12 October 1971 on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to ancillary equipment for meters for liquids other than water

1.5 Electricity meters
(The Directives apply to direct-connection active electricity meters operating on the induction principle. It does not apply to electronic meters or transformer-connected and reactive induction meters).

  • COUNCIL DIRECTIVE 76/891/EEC of 4 November 1976 on harmonizing the laws of the Member States relating to electricity meters.
  • adapting to technical progress Council Directive 76/891/EEC on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to electricity meters (OJ L 76, 31.7.1976, p. 1)

1.6 Length dimensions

  • on approximating the Member States' rules, regulations, and administrative provisions relating to material measures of length (the Directives apply to measuring tapes, tape measures, discs).
  • COUNCIL DIRECTIVE 78/629/EEC of 19 June 1978 adapting to technical progress Directive 73/362/EEC on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to material measures of length
  • adapting to technical progress Council Directive 73/362/EEC on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to material measurements of length

1.7 Alcohol hydrometers and alcohol hydrometers

  • COUNCIL DIRECTIVE (76/765/EEC) of 27 July 1976 on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to alcoholometers and alcohol hydrometers
  • adapting to technical progress Council Directive 76/765/EEC on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to alcoholometers and alcohol-flowmeters (OJ L 76, 27.7.1976, p. 1)

1.8 Tyre pressure gauges

  • on the approximation of the Member States laws relating to tire pressure gauges for motor vehicles 86/217/EEC of 26 May 1986.
  • on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to non-automatic weighing instruments (Council Directive 90/384/EEC of 20 June 1990 on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to non-automatic weighing instruments)
  • COUNCIL DIRECTIVE 93/68/EC OF 22. Council Directive 93/59/EEC of 22 July 1993 amending Directives 87/404/EEC (simple pressure equipment), 88/378/EEC (safety of toys), 89/106/EEC (construction products), 89/336/EEC (electromagnetic compatibility), 89/392/EEC (machinery and equipment), 89/686/EEC (personal protective equipment), 90/384/EEC (non-automatic weighing instruments), 90/385/EEC (active implantable medical devices), 90/396/EEC (gas-burning appliances), 91/263/EEC (telecommunications terminal equipment), 92/42/EEC (new hot-water boilers fired with liquid or gaseous fuels) and 73/23/EEC (electrical equipment designed for use within certain voltage limits).

II Markings on measuring instruments


1. EC type-approval marks

EC type-approval mark for measuring instruments that satisfy the requirements of the Directives listed in Section I.1.1 to 1.8, has the distinguishing number of the EU Member State that has granted type-approval and the last two digits of the year of issue (in the example, the upper line of the 1971 type-approval mark in Germany) on the upper line, and the type-approval number on the lower line.

Note: EC type-approval certificates are valid for ten years. Check with the manufacturer or their authorized representative in Estonia whether the type-approval of the measuring instrument you offer is still valid (whether it has been extended if the year was earlier than ten years ago). Remember that the person who places a measuring instrument subject to verification on the market is obliged to hold and provide a copy of the EC type-approval certificate to the purchaser of the measuring device, the verification laboratory, and the national supervisory authority at their request (Measurement Act § 8(2)).

Limited EC type-approval mark. Refers to a shorter type-approval period than ten years, a narrow field of use, or a limited quantity of measuring instruments.

Marking of measuring instruments exempted from the type-approval procedure.
In practice, this mark is used to identify bottles and jars manufactured in conformity with the requirements of "COUNCIL DIRECTIVE 75/107/EEC of 19 December 1974 on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to measuring containers".

Marking of instruments exempted from EC initial verification.

The EC initial verification mark on measuring instruments that satisfy the Directives' requirements listed in Section I.1.1 to 1.8. The marking shall consist of two characters:

Left label: a stylized 'e' with, on the upper side, the EU Member State symbol, which may be supplemented by a one- or two-digit number identifying the territorial unit of the country; on the lower side, the identification number of the certification laboratory. Right label: stylized hexagon containing the last two digits of the year of the EC initial verification.

Note: If the measuring instrument has only the left-hand mark, this means that the initial verification has not been fully completed and must be completed in Estonia. The left EC initial verification mark may also be used to close the instrument. For example, it may appear on the seal. It is mandatory to use this mark to close the instrument when it passes the first stage of the two-stage verification. Stickers or seals of any other shape or with other inscriptions do not indicate EC initial verification, in which case the measuring instrument must be submitted for initial verification in Estonia. The EC initial verification shall be valid until the end of the calendar year following the year indicated on the right-hand label (Article 8(3) of Directive 71/316/EEC).

The EC conformity markings of weighing instruments which comply with the requirements of the Directives referred to in Section I, point 2 and with the provisions of § 21 and § 22 of the Weights and Measures Act are:

the EC conformity mark, consisting of the CE marking followed by the last two digits of the year of affixing of the conformity mark and the number of the notified body that has carried out the EC surveillance or EC initial verification, a green square sticker with the letter 'M' printed in black:

Last updated: 08.04.2021