# Traceability

> Traceability is the ability to relate a result to a reference through an unbroken, documented chain: metrological traceability links an instrument reading to national or international measurement standards, while material traceability links a component to its heat number, certificates and inspection records.

- Source: https://amps.global/glossary/traceability/
- Type: Glossary
- Published: 2026-09-05
- Tags: quality, calibration

## Key facts

- Metrological traceability requires calibration by accredited laboratories with stated uncertainty at each step (ISO/IEC 17025 clause 6.5)
- Material traceability: mill certificates, heat numbers transferred to cut pieces, weld maps linking welds to welders, WPS and NDT reports
- Document traceability: report number to job, procedure revision, instrument serial numbers and technician
- Auditors follow one chain end to end during assessments

Also known as: metrological traceability, material traceability, heat number.

## In an inspection company

A UT thickness reading is only meaningful if the gauge was calibrated against a traceable step wedge and the reading is tied to a location on a specific asset. A weld report is only useful if it can be tied to the weld number, the welder and the procedure. Both chains are records.

## Traceability in AMPS

AMPS ties each report to its job, the job to its asset (with QR code and job history) and every action to a user through the history feature. Instrument serial numbers and calibration due dates live on the equipment page. Documents saved through AMPS live in your own OneDrive, SharePoint or Google Drive, not on AMPS servers, so an existing QA folder structure keeps working unchanged and everything stays yours if you ever stop using AMPS.

## Related pages

- [Calibration certificate](https://amps.global/glossary/calibration-certificate/)
- [Audit trail](https://amps.global/glossary/audit-trail/)
- [Asset register](https://amps.global/glossary/asset-register/)

## Sources

- [Traceability on Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traceability)
- [ISO/IEC 17025:2017 at iso.org](https://www.iso.org/standard/66912.html)