Reference Materials for Method Performance Studies

This section summarizes important aspects related to the type of existing reference materials for method performance studies. When relevant, a distinction is made between reference materials (RMs) and certified reference materials (CRMs), the fundamental difference between RMs and CRMs being that some parameters in CRMs are known with great accuracy and guaranteed by the producer. 

Reference materials which are prepared for in-house control by the laboratories are often referred to as laboratory reference materials (LRMs) or in-house reference materials (HRMs). 

CRMs are also referred to as standard reference materials (SRMs) by some producers, e.g. the National Institute of Standards and Technology, USA. CRMs allow the user to link his results with those of internationally recognized standards. In addition, CRMs enable the user to verify his performance at any desired moment in terms of accuracy. CRMs can be  

CRMs are products of very high added value. Their production and certification is very costly. Therefore, except for calibration materials for comparative methods, they should be reserved for the selected verification of analytical procedures and not for daily checks, e.g. intralaboratory statistical control, nor for interlaboratory studies (round-robins). 

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