Measuring Rods - Micrometer Standards - Calibration Rod
A complete set of Mitutoyo measuring rods will take care of your calibration needs for dial and digital calipers up to 6-inches. Click on the photo for details.
For caliper and micrometer calibration
The inch and metric measuring rods shown below are designed for calibrating or zero-setting large outside micrometers and calipers of all sizes. It eliminates the need to wring many gage blocks together, a tricky and risky undertaking.
The manufacturing accuracy shown below assures you that these standards are perfectly suitable for any .001" measuring micrometer or dial calipers.
- Mitutoyo Corporation conducts quality assurance under the ISO 9000 quality management system.
- These measuring rods conform to the Mitutoyo inspections standards and are calibrated to ASME B89.1.13. (Calibration certificates not included)
- The standards used for manufacturing are traceable to national and international standards.
- One-year manufacturer's warranty
- Uncertainty of measurement = (4.0 + 4.0L) µin for rods up to 40” in length
Measuring rods series 167 are made in Japan by Mitutoyo. All Japanese measuring rods have one or more heat insulating handles on them.
This photo shows a 3" measuring rod being used to calibrate an Etalon vernier caliper. Handle the measuring rods by the plastic heat shields. This prevents the metal from expanding unnecessarily.
What's the rush?
We know that you are in a hurry and need a measuring rod yesterday, but please take three minutes to read the following article carefully. It may end up saving you time.
Many people are looking for rods that are calibrated and can be delivered overnight because an inspector is coming the day after tomorrow. This is a regular and unrealistic scenario. Measuring rods with current calibration certificates are not something you can buy off the shelf and have delivered next day. Even with expedited calibration services, you will have to allow 4-5 days once you have the measuring rod in your hands.
There are many accredited laboratories throughout the U.S. that can calibrate and certify these rods. If there's one nearby, you can deliver and pick up in person in order to save a couple of days in shipping. Since the rods on this page are made by Mitutoyo, you may want to send them to the Mitutoyo Calibration Lab. Call them and see what their overnight calibration service would cost and whether you can have the rods in house before that inspector arrives.
1-888-648-8869
We repeat: Certificate of Calibration is not included and not available from us. The manufacturer guarantees accuracy as stated below. If you need verification in the form of a certificate, you will have to send the rods to an accredited calibration laboratory of your choice.
We have done some of the leg work for you by checking availability and part numbers for measuring rods which are normally in stock online. To make sure that you are getting the genuine manufacturer's product, only buy from reputable and authorized distributors. If buying from Amazon, we suggest you look for the key words: "Ships from and sold by Amazon.com"
| Order No. | Size | Accuracy | Rod Ø (1) | Origin (2) | Internet Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 167-141 | 1" | ± .00005" | .25" | Japan | check |
| 167-142 | 2" | ± .00010" | .25" | Japan | check |
| 167-143 | 3" | ± .00010" | .25" | Japan | check |
| 167-144 | 4" | ± .00010" | .31" | Japan | |
| 167-145 | 5" | ± .00015" | .31" | Japan | check |
| 167-146 | 6" | ± .00015" | .31" | Japan | |
| 167-148 | 8" | ± .00015" | .37" | Japan | check |
(1) This is the diameter of the bare steel rod. All sizes have heat-insulating plastic shields on them. The listed diameter does not include the size of these plastic heat shields. If necessary, the heat shields could be removed, although with considerable difficulty.
(2) Country of origin is a best guess. Manufacturers can be very sneaky about this.
Measuring rods ship with plastic caps on the ends of the rod, designed to protect the ends from scratches and dings. You must remove these caps before you use the rod. They may be red, amber, or more recently silver in color. When storing the rods between use, you would be wise to put the caps back on.
Before using micrometer standards or measuring rods to calibrate your micrometers or calipers, practice using them on a new gage, or one that has just been certified. This allows you to check that you can get the same readings, time after time, with your rods. When you are confident that you have mastered the technique, you can move on to your other gages.
Measuring rods do not actually "wring" to the surfaces of your micrometer or calipers, but you have to eliminate all sideways play, however minute, and this is done somewhat like wringing gage blocks.
Finally, be sure that your measuring rods and your calipers or micrometers are both at room temperature. If you don't think this matters, just try an experiment. You can easily be off by .001" over 4 inches if the calipers are in an air-conditioned room and the rods have been sitting under a heat lamp.
Long measuring rods make it easy to calibrate the larger calipers. Since holding the measuring rod horizontally is a bit like balancing a beam, you may find that holding the rod and the tool vertically gives you more reliable results.
Q: Do these measuring rods have flat ends or are they rounded?
- The ones offered on this page have flat ends.
Q: Is it possible to use two or three smaller size rods placed together?
- That is not practical unless you create some sort of clamping system which will hold them in place. You will also have to combine the ± errors of all the rods.
Q: I have a set of 0-40" calipers that I am trying to find a way to calibrate in house. I've been told that we would have to measure the calipers in a few different places, not just the full 40".
- If you are using the 40" caliper throughout its full range, then you would want to calibrate it at least every 6 inches. If there is just one area of the range you normally use, you can concentrate on just that dimension, reducing the number of rods you will need. A calibration lab would calibrate these at one-inch intervals.
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