> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.alforse.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Gauges and calibration

> Track measurement instruments, schedule their calibrations, and flag any gauge that falls out of calibration.

A gauge is a controlled measurement instrument, such as a caliper, micrometer, pin gauge, or CMM. Alforse assigns each gauge a recurring calibration schedule and marks it out of calibration when overdue. Each calibration is a dated record, preserving the gauge's history.

Gauges are part of the quality module. An [inspection](/docs/reference/inspections.md#gauges) can record which gauge measured each characteristic.

## The gauge record

Add a gauge under Quality → Calibrations → Gauges. Each gauge belongs to a **gauge type** (Caliper, Micrometer, Pin Gauge, Surface Plate, CMM, and so on) and carries a calibration schedule. A fresh company ships with nineteen pre-seeded gauge types (Gauge Block, Caliper variants, Micrometer variants, Pin Gauge, Surface Plate, CMM, and more); add your own under **Gauge Types** with just a name.

FieldType

<details>
  <summary>**gaugeId**</summary>

  A human-readable identifier (like `G-001`). Leave it blank and Alforse assigns the next one from a sequence.
</details>

<details>
  <summary>**gaugeTypeId**required</summary>

  The gauge type — a caliper, micrometer, pin gauge, and so on. Required.
</details>

<details>
  <summary>**gaugeRole**required</summary>

  Either `Master` or `Standard`. A Master gauge is the reference you calibrate other gauges against; a `Standard` gauge is one you use for routine checks. Required.
</details>

<details>
  <summary>**calibrationIntervalInMonths**required`number`</summary>

  How many months between calibrations. This drives the next-due date. Minimum 1; defaults to 6.
</details>

<details>
  <summary>**description**</summary>

  A free-text description of the instrument.
</details>

<details>
  <summary>**modelNumber**</summary>

  The manufacturer's model number.
</details>

<details>
  <summary>**serialNumber**</summary>

  The instrument's serial number.
</details>

<details>
  <summary>**supplierId**</summary>

  The supplier the gauge was acquired from.
</details>

<details>
  <summary>**dateAcquired**</summary>

  When you acquired the gauge.
</details>

<details>
  <summary>**lastCalibrationDate**</summary>

  When the gauge was last calibrated. Once calibration records exist, Alforse takes this from the newest record; until then you can enter it by hand.
</details>

<details>
  <summary>**nextCalibrationDate**</summary>

  When the gauge is next due. Alforse recomputes this as *last calibration date + interval* each time you log a calibration. Until the first record exists you can enter it by hand.
</details>

<details>
  <summary>**locationId**</summary>

  Which location the gauge lives at.
</details>

<details>
  <summary>**storageUnitId**</summary>

  Which storage unit holds it.
</details>

A gauge has status `Active` or `Inactive`. Deactivate a gauge to retire it while preserving its calibration history; inactive gauges are no longer offered in the inspection gauge list. Delete only gauges without calibration history.

## The calibration schedule

Set the gauge's calibration **interval** in months. When you record a calibration, Alforse sets that date as the last calibration date and calculates the next due date by adding the interval. For example, a gauge calibrated on February 10 with a three-month interval is due May 10.

The interval and the last calibration date together are the whole schedule. Change the interval and the next calibration you log recomputes the due date from it.

## Recording a calibration

Each time a gauge is calibrated, log it as a **calibration record** under Quality → Calibrations → Records. The record is the evidence: who signed off, against what standard, under what conditions, and the actual readings taken.

FieldType

<details>
  <summary>**gaugeId**required</summary>

  The gauge being calibrated. Required.
</details>

<details>
  <summary>**dateCalibrated**required</summary>

  The date of the calibration. This becomes the gauge's last calibration date and the anchor for the next-due date. Required.
</details>

<details>
  <summary>**requiresAction**</summary>

  Recorded that follow-up is needed after this calibration.
</details>

<details>
  <summary>**requiresAdjustment**</summary>

  Recorded that the gauge was adjusted during calibration.
</details>

<details>
  <summary>**requiresRepair**</summary>

  Recorded that the gauge needs repair.
</details>

<details>
  <summary>**calibrationAttempts**</summary>

  The reading pairs taken during calibration — each is a reference value and the actual value measured against it.
</details>

<details>
  <summary>**measurementStandard**</summary>

  The traceable reference the readings were compared against (a NIST standard, a master gauge serial, and so on).
</details>

<details>
  <summary>**temperature**`number`</summary>

  The ambient temperature during calibration, in degrees Celsius.
</details>

<details>
  <summary>**humidity**`number`</summary>

  The ambient humidity during calibration, as a fraction from 0 to 1.
</details>

<details>
  <summary>**supplierId**</summary>

  The supplier that performed the calibration, if it was done externally.
</details>

<details>
  <summary>**approvedBy**</summary>

  The user who approved the calibration.
</details>

<details>
  <summary>**notes**</summary>

  Free-form notes on the calibration.
</details>

The three **requires** fields determine the result. If any is selected, the calibration **Fails**. If all are clear, it **Passes**. Recording the result updates the gauge's calibration status.

NOTE

**A gauge keeps every calibration**

Logging a calibration never overwrites the last one. Each record is a dated row, and the gauge shows them newest-first. What the gauge summarizes from them is the *latest* calibration date and the resulting status.

## Calibration status and going overdue

A gauge carries a calibration status with three values, and Alforse sets it for you.

<details>
  <summary>**Pending**</summary>

  The starting state. The gauge has a schedule but no passing calibration on record yet, so it's neither confirmed in nor out.
</details>

<details open>
  <summary>**In-Calibration**</summary>

  The most recent calibration passed and the next-due date is still in the future. The gauge is trustworthy.
</details>

<details>
  <summary>**Out-of-Calibration**</summary>

  The most recent calibration failed, or the next-due date has passed. The gauge needs recalibrating.
</details>

Calibration status is derived, not manually assigned. A passing result sets `In-Calibration`; a failing result sets `Out-of-Calibration`. Alforse also reports any gauge past its next-due date as `Out-of-Calibration`, regardless of its stored result.

HEADS UP

**Overdue is computed, not stored**

You never mark a gauge overdue. The out-of-calibration reading for a past-due gauge is derived at read time from the next-due date, so it flips on its own the day the schedule lapses. Bringing it back is a matter of logging a fresh passing calibration.

Alforse can also nudge you before things lapse. A scheduled job checks for gauges going out of calibration and notifies the people you've listed for calibration-expiry alerts under **Settings → Quality**, so an overdue gauge doesn't sit unnoticed.

## Related

**Quality**

Issues, corrective-action workflows, and inbound inspection.

[Open](/docs/reference/quality.md)


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