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Scope-first laboratory sourcing across Europe

Match the exact method, matrix and accredited scope.

Search the correct conformity-assessment route, prepare a technically useful request and reach laboratories or related providers whose current scope fits your product, sample, standard and reporting purpose.

Start the lab search How to verify a scope
  • Exact scope before brand name
  • Official accreditation-body links
  • Testing, calibration and inspection kept separate
Important: European Standards is an independent matching and information service—not a laboratory, accreditation body, notified body or regulator. Accreditation applies to defined activities in a current scope. A laboratory report is not automatically a CE certificate, and accredited testing is not mandatory for every CE-marking route.

Accredited laboratory finder

Build a scope-ready laboratory request

Choose the sector first. The second step shows testing and conformity-assessment needs that fit that sector.

Matching is based on the information supplied. Always verify the final certificate and scope annex.

  1. 1Sector
  2. 2Testing need
  3. 3Project details

Step 1 of 3

What are you testing, calibrating or inspecting?

Choose the closest sector. Select “Other” when the exact route is not yet known.

14 sectors shown

Exact-scope verification

How to verify an accredited laboratory before ordering

A certificate saying “ISO/IEC 17025 accredited” is not enough. Accreditation is activity-specific, location-specific and often limited by method, matrix and measurement range.

1

Open the official record

Use the national accreditation body’s database—not an undated badge, sales brochure or copied PDF.

2

Confirm status and legal entity

Check that accreditation is active and belongs to the exact legal entity and laboratory address quoting the work.

3

Read the scope annex

Match the method, standard edition, product or sample matrix, test range and any exclusions.

4

Check the reporting statement

Ask whether the final report will carry the accreditation mark or reference and which results are inside or outside scope.

5

Verify recognition

Check that the accreditation body is an EA MLA or ILAC MRA signatory for the relevant activity when cross-border recognition matters.

6

Control subcontracting

Require prior disclosure of subcontractors and verify the scope of every laboratory whose result will appear in the evidence chain.

Choose the right conformity route

“Accredited laboratory” can mean several different things

The relevant standard depends on the activity. Treating testing, calibration, medical examinations, inspection and notified-body work as the same service creates expensive sourcing mistakes.

Testing & calibration

ISO/IEC 17025

Competence, impartiality and consistent operation of testing and calibration laboratories. Always verify the detailed scope.

Medical examinations

ISO 15189

Quality and competence requirements for medical laboratories performing examinations on patient-related samples.

Inspection

ISO/IEC 17020

Inspection bodies assess products, processes, services or installations; inspection is not interchangeable with laboratory testing.

Proficiency testing

ISO/IEC 17043

Providers of interlaboratory comparisons used to evaluate participant performance.

Reference materials

ISO 17034

Competence of reference material producers for defined materials, properties and production activities.

EU legislation

Notified-body designation

Where legislation requires a notified body, verify the body and exact designated scope in NANDO. Accreditation alone does not create notification.

CE marking does not create one universal “approved lab” rule

The applicable EU legislation and conformity-assessment procedure determine whether the manufacturer may self-assess, needs independent testing, or must involve a notified body. Testing can still be commercially or technically valuable when it is not legally mandatory, but the report’s role should be stated accurately.

  • Identify every applicable EU act.
  • Map essential requirements to evidence.
  • Check the conformity-assessment module.
  • Verify the lab scope and, where applicable, NANDO designation.

Better requests, better quotations

What to send an accredited testing or calibration laboratory

Product and intended use

Model, materials, variants, operating conditions, users, reasonably foreseeable misuse and target markets.

Exact method or requirement

Standard reference, edition, clause, regulation, customer specification and acceptance criteria where known.

Sample and preparation details

Quantity, dimensions, matrix, concentration, packaging, conditioning, hazards and whether samples are destructive.

Purpose of the result

Regulatory file, CE evidence, tender, supplier approval, R&D decision, dispute, validation or routine quality control.

Reporting and recognition

Accredited report requirement, language, uncertainty, decision rule, statement of conformity and electronic data format.

Commercial constraints

Deadline, budget range, sample shipping, customs, witness testing, retesting, storage, return and confidentiality.

Common search paths

Accredited testing laboratories by sector

Each sector can require several scopes and sometimes several providers. The exact standard and accreditation annex—not the broad industry label—decide whether a laboratory is suitable.

Construction & fire

Reaction to fire, fire resistance, structural performance, thermal, acoustic and durability testing.

Start a construction request

Food & food contact

Microbiology, contaminants, residues, composition, allergens and migration testing.

Start a food lab request

Related compliance routes

Laboratory work should connect to the applicable legislation, standard, conformity-assessment route and technical documentation. Continue with the route that matches your project.

CE marking route

Map applicable EU legislation, essential requirements, technical documentation and conformity assessment.

Read the CE marking guide

ISO systems and audits

Find implementation, internal-audit or independent certification support without confusing those roles with laboratory accreditation.

Find an ISO consultant or auditor

Official verification gateways

National accreditation bodies and laboratory directories in Europe

Europe does not have one complete official database containing every laboratory and every scope. Use the relevant national accreditation body’s current directory and open the laboratory’s certificate and scope annex before contracting.

39 official bodies shown

Directory gateway list reviewed 19 July 2026 against official accreditation sources. National databases, URLs, recognition scopes and individual laboratory accreditations can change; confirm the live official record at the time of purchase.

Frequently asked questions

Accredited laboratory FAQs

What is an accredited laboratory?

An accredited laboratory has been independently assessed by an accreditation body for specified activities. The decisive evidence is the current certificate and scope annex, which define the methods, matrices, ranges, locations and limitations covered.

Does ISO certify or accredit laboratories?

No. ISO publishes standards such as ISO/IEC 17025. National or other recognised accreditation bodies assess and accredit laboratories against those requirements.

Is ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation valid for every test a laboratory offers?

No. A laboratory may provide many services but hold accreditation for only some of them. Ask the laboratory to identify precisely which quoted results will be reported under accreditation.

Are accredited laboratories mandatory for CE marking?

Not universally. The applicable EU legislation determines the conformity-assessment procedure. Some routes permit manufacturer self-assessment; others require third-party assessment or a notified body. Accredited testing can support technical evidence, but its legal role depends on the product and route.

Is an accredited laboratory the same as a notified body?

No. A laboratory performs defined tests or calibrations. A notified body is designated by an EU or EEA country for specified legislation and conformity-assessment tasks. Some notified bodies operate laboratories or subcontract testing, but the roles and scopes must be checked separately.

Can I use a laboratory in another European country?

Often yes, subject to the applicable law, customer or authority requirements, logistics and recognition needs. Check that the accreditation body is recognised for the relevant activity and that the exact laboratory scope fits the work.

How do I know whether a report is covered by accreditation?

Check the report for the accreditation mark or reference, accreditation number, laboratory address and a clear indication of which results are accredited. Compare the method and matrix with the live scope annex.

What is the difference between testing and calibration?

Testing determines characteristics or performance against a method or requirement. Calibration establishes the relationship between indicated values and reference values, normally with measurement uncertainty and traceability. Both can be accredited under ISO/IEC 17025, but the scopes are different.

What should a laboratory quotation include?

It should identify the test or calibration methods and editions, accreditation status, sample quantities and preparation, acceptance criteria, turnaround, report language, uncertainty or decision rule where relevant, subcontracting, retesting, shipping, storage and total price.

Can you identify the applicable EN standard for my product?

The first step may be regulatory and standards scoping rather than laboratory sourcing. Describe the product, intended use, users, target market, technologies and claims so the applicable legislation and evidence plan can be mapped before a test programme is ordered.

Independent primary sources

Verify definitions and live recognition using ISO’s ISO/IEC 17025 overview, the European Accreditation directory, the ILAC accredited-body guidance, and the EU CE-marking guidance. Always use the current official certificate, scope annex, legislation and designation record.

Start with the scope—not the sales claim

Build a technically complete request and reduce the risk of paying for a report that does not cover the required method, matrix, range or regulatory purpose.

Build the laboratory request