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Legal Metrology Act, 2014 (Act No. 9 of 2014)

Regulations

Legal Metrology Regulations, 2017

Part XI : Measuring instruments and containers used for prescribed purposes

97. Area-measuring instruments

 

(1) The measuring capacity of an area measuring instrument and value of the smallest graduation of indication must be indelibly marked on the indicating dial or on a non-destructible plate permanently secured to an essential part of the measuring instrument and in a prominent position.

 

(2)
(a) An area-measuring instrument of the multi-roller type must be so constructed that the material to be measured is flattened but not stretched or damaged when fed through the measuring rollers.
(b) The correct adjustment of any device for resetting the indicating mechanism of an area measuring instrument or for setting the adjusting shaft which effects the raising and lowering of the rollers must be ensured by means of lock nuts or by other satisfactory means.
(c) An area-measuring instrument of which the measuring device does not comprise of measuring rollers must be so constructed that the material to be measured is not stretched or damaged when fed through the measuring device, provided that the transporting device may be so arranged as to flatten the material without interfering with its makeup.

 

(3)
(a) The measurement unit for the indication of the area measured by an area-measuring instrument must be the dm2.
(b) An area-measuring instrument referred to in subregulation (2)(c) which does not flatten the material being measured may be provided with a device for compensating, in the indication of area, for unevenness or wrinkling of the material:

Provided that such compensation must not exceed 0,5% of the area measured.

 

(4)
(a) An area-measuring instrument must be tested for accuracy of measurement by means of measurement standard templates that comply with the requirements in Part III of these regulations.
(b) Each template must be passed through an area measuring instrument at least five times in various positions, the indication being reset to zero before each pass, and the error in respect of each pass must not exceed the allowance of error prescribed in subregulation (5) of this regulation, while the average error in respect of the five or more passes must not exceed one half of such prescribed allowance of error.
(c) A template may also be passed through an area measuring instrument several times without the indication being reset to zero, and the total error must not exceed the allowance of error prescribed in subregulation (5) of this regulation.
(d) For an area-measuring instrument having a sufficiently large capacity a combination of the templates may be used and such combination of templates may be passed through the measuring instrument successively, or together without overlapping, in such a manner as to pass under as many sets of measuring rollers as possible, or through as wide a section of a measuring device not provided with rollers as possible, the indication in either case not being reset to zero until all templates used in combination have been passed through the measuring instrument, provided that only templates of the same thickness must be used in such a combination.

 

(5) The errors permitted on area measuring instruments are shown in Table 13:

1

2

TABLE 13

Area tested

Error permitted in excess (under registration) or in deficiency (over registration)

Up to 100 dm2

1,5 dm2

Over 100 dm2  to 200 dm2

2 dm2

Over 200 dm2 to 500 dm2

2,5 dm2

Over 500 dm2

0,5% of area measured

 

(6)
(a) The verification mark must be applied in a position as described in the type approval documentation, if not described, it shall be applied in a conspicuous, essential and accessible part of the area measuring instrument or in a cup securely attached thereto.
(b) Protective marks (seals) must be applied to the measuring instrument to prevent unauthorised access to any adjusting device or to the working parts, in a position as described in the type approval documentation.