Instituto Nacional de Metrología

What Instituto Nacional de Metrología does

Instituto Nacional de Metrología (INM) is the Colombian national metrology authority, established by Decree Law 4175 of 2011 and headquartered in Bogotá. Operating as a government scientific institute within the Subsistema Nacional de la Calidad (SICAL) and recognized as a research center by Minciencias, INM maintains the country's primary measurement standards for mass, length, temperature, pressure, humidity, force, electrical quantities, time and frequency, viscosity, volume, and chemical analysis. It is the custodian of the Hora Legal Colombiana, generating and disseminating the national legal time using cesium atomic oscillators via NTP servers and embeddable widgets, and holds international BIPM Calibration and Measurement Capability (CMC) recognitions. INM is one of approximately 250 national metrology institutes coordinated through the Bureau International des Poids et Mesures (BIPM).

INM delivers six core service lines: calibration and metrological measurement, metrology training, certified reference materials production, technical assistance programs (including measurement management system diagnostics for manufacturers), proficiency testing (Ensayos de Aptitud) for laboratory quality assurance, and the Hora Legal Colombiana service. In March 2026 it launched the Laboratory of Optics and Interferometry incorporating optical frequency comb technology for stabilized laser calibration and quantum metrology applications. Revenue derives from the Colombian national budget with cost-recovery service fees published on the servicios.inm.gov.co portal; transactions are processed via PSE electronic payments. Distribution is omnichannel: a self-service portal, direct service delivery at the Bogotá headquarters, on-site technical assistance, and digital extensions (NTP, widgets, virtual training on Microsoft Teams).

INM's go-to-market is sales-led and government-anchored, reaching Colombian manufacturing enterprises, testing/calibration/clinical laboratories, and industrial/scientific laboratories through sectoral outreach programs (e.g., cacao transformers, plastic packaging), the Red Colombiana de Metrología (RCM) collaborative network, and strategic alliances with MINCIT, Minciencias, ONAC, ICONTEC, SICAL, Colombia Productiva, GMAP, ASOSEC, and Germany's PTB. Pricing is fully transparent and per-unit, with separate published schedules for calibration by laboratory type, training courses by topic, reference materials, proficiency testing programs, and technical assistance day rates plus travel. Headcount sits in the 251-500 band.

Name

Instituto Nacional de Metrología

Legal name

Instituto Nacional de Metrología de Colombia

Website

https://inm.gov.co

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Instituto Nacional de Metrología (INM) is Colombia's government national metrology authority, providing SI-traceable calibration, training, certified reference materials, proficiency testing, technical assistance, and Hora Legal Colombiana to manufacturing firms, laboratories, and industrial clients across the country.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

National Metrology Services

NAICS

Testing Laboratories and Services (541380), Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing (334516)

SIC

Services-Testing Laboratories (8734), Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823)

akta.pro primary industry

Calibration Services & Standards (Calibration labs, reference standards, traceability services) (IMAGAFAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Standards, Metrology & Accreditation Bodies (BPAIAOAC), Accreditation & Metrology Cooperation (Calibration, Measurement Standards) (BPADANAE)

Keywords

• Metrology services
• Equipment calibration
• Certified reference materials
• Proficiency testing
• Legal time dissemination

Headquarters

HQ city

Bogotá

HQ country

Colombia

HQ region

Latin America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Calibration Services: Fee-based calibration services for measurement equipment across various magnitudes including mass, length, temperature, pressure, electrical quantities, force, and chemical analysis.
2. Training in Metrology: Educational services including courses on metrology concepts, calibration techniques, uncertainty estimation, statistical methods, and specialized topics like mass metrology, length metrology, pressure metrology, and temperature/humidity metrology.
3. Certified Reference Materials: Production and sale of certified reference materials for pH, conductivity, heavy metals, and other chemical parameters used in laboratory calibration and quality control.
4. Proficiency Testing / Ensayos de Aptitud: Interlaboratory comparison services to evaluate laboratory performance, including testing for dosimetry, clinical diagnostics, and chemical measurements in food matrices.
5. Technical Assistance Services: Technical consulting services including expert technician days, laboratory strengthening programs, and on-site technical support for measurement systems.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

INM is Colombia's national metrology institute providing calibration and metrological measurement services across all major measurement magnitudes (mass, length, temperature, pressure, electrical, force, volume, chemical), metrology training courses, certified reference materials, proficiency testing programs, and the official Hora Legal Colombiana legal time service. Services are delivered through a self-service online portal, on-site technical assistance, and the Red Colombiana de Metrología collaborative network for industrial, scientific, and governmental customers.

Product overview

The Instituto Nacional de Metrología (INM) of Colombia operates as a national metrology institute providing a comprehensive suite of metrology services rather than a single product. The core service portfolio comprises six main offerings: (1) Calibration and Metrological Measurement services covering equipment across multiple domains including spectrophotometry, mass, force, temperature, electrical, and dimensional measurements; (2) Metrology Training courses addressing calibration methods, uncertainty estimation, and quality standards; (3) Certified Reference Materials for chemical and physical calibration including pH, metals, and specialized solutions; (4) Technical Assistance programs including Measurement Management System diagnostics and laboratory capacity building; (5) Proficiency Testing (Ensayos de Aptitud) services for laboratory competency evaluation; and (6) Hora Legal Colombiana - Colombia's official legal time service providing time synchronization via NTP protocol and web widgets. Recent expansion includes the Laboratory of Optics and Interferometría launched in 2026 with optical frequency comb technology for quantum metrology. The services are delivered through an online portal (servicios.inm.gov.co) and coordinated via the Red Colombiana de Metrología (RCM) collaborative network.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Hora Legal Colombiana: Official legal time service for Colombia, generated by atomic cesium oscillators and disseminated via official URLs and NTP domains (ntp1.inm.gov.co, ntp2.inm.gov.co). This is a sovereignty matter as Colombia autonomously generates its legal time for the entire national territory.

Products and services

• Calibración y Medición Metrológica (Calibration and Metrological Measurement) Calibration and metrological measurement services covering equipment across multiple magnitudes including mass, length, temperature, pressure, electrical quantities, force, viscosity, and chemical analysis for industrial and scientific laboratories, manufacturers, and accredited testing bodies.
• Capacitación en Metrología (Metrology Training) Metrology training courses covering calibration methods, measurement uncertainty estimation, statistics, quality standards (NTC-ISO 17025:2017, NTC-ISO/IEC 17043:2023), and specialized topics in mass, length, pressure, temperature/humidity, time/frequency, and chemical analysis metrology for laboratory and industrial personnel.
• Materiales de Referencia Certificados (Certified Reference Materials) Certified reference materials including pH solutions, potassium chloride solutions, EDTA, lead calibration solutions, zinc, sodium, potassium, magnesium, iron, and cadmium in nitric acid solutions, mercury species in fish meal, holmium oxide dissolution materials, and ethanol aqueous solutions for laboratory calibration and quality control in chemical analysis.
• Asistencia Técnica (Technical Assistance) Technical assistance services including technical expert consultations, special calibration days, travel and transport services for equipment, per diem for training or laboratory stays, and transport of equipment to client facilities for manufacturing companies and laboratories.
• Ensayos de Aptitud (Proficiency Testing) Interlaboratory comparison proficiency testing services for personal dosimetry, respiratory virus nucleic acid detection (PCR-based), arsenic in rice flour, Salmonella spp in food, and Dengue NS1 protein detection to evaluate laboratory performance for accreditation and quality assurance.
• Hora Legal Colombiana (Colombian Legal Time) Colombia's official legal time service generated by atomic cesium oscillators, providing time synchronization via NTP servers and widgets for web embedding, and premium synchronization phase measurement services for organizations requiring traceable legal time.
• Widget de Hora Legal (Legal Time Widget) Embeddable web widget and simplified micro-widget versions for displaying Colombia's legal time on external websites for client integration.
• Laboratorio de Óptica e Interferometría (Optics and Interferometry Laboratory) Advanced calibration laboratory offering calibration of stabilized lasers, pattern blocks by interferometry, and spectroscopic measurements using optical frequency comb technology for quantum metrology applications in telecommunications, healthcare, and environmental monitoring.

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

AI capability1 record

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Ministerio de Comercio, Industria y Turismo (MINCIT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment ministry overseeing industrial development and quality infrastructure. Key governmental partner for national metrology strategy and policy alignment.
• Ministerio de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación (Minciencias)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment ministry responsible for science and technology policy. Provides recognition as a research center and supports research initiatives in metrology.
• Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGerman national metrology institute. International strategic partner for metrology development, technology transfer, and capacity building. Collaborated on the 2018-2022 National Metrology Strategy.
• Universidad Nacional de Colombia (UNAL)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational university system. Key academic partner for the launch of the Optics and Interferometry Laboratory in March 2025, under the quantum technologies project financed by the General Royalties System.
• Organismo Nacional de Acreditación de Colombia (ONAC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational accreditation body. Key partner for ensuring calibration and testing laboratories meet accreditation requirements through traceable measurements.
• Instituto Colombiano de Normas Técnicas y Certificación (ICONTEC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStandards and certification organization. Collaborates on normative and technical standards development for metrology applications.
• Colombia ProductivaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProductivity improvement agency. Partner for industrial metrology support and enterprise technical assistance programs.
• Sistema de Información de la Calidad (SICAL)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerQuality information system forming part of the national quality infrastructure. Integral component of the Subsistema Nacional de la Calidad.
• Asociación de Organismos de Evaluación de la Conformidad (ASOSEC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociation of conformity assessment organizations. Collaborates on laboratory evaluation and proficiency testing programs.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• National Metrology Institute of South Africa (NMISA): South Africa's national metrology institute, custodian of primary standards and BIPM member, providing calibration, reference materials, and time dissemination (SAST). Emerging-market peer with comparable mandate structure and external technical assistance partnerships analogous to INM's PTB collaboration.
• Centro Nacional de Metrología (CENAM): Mexico's national metrology institute, operating primary standards and calibration services under government mandate. Closest geographic and economic-context peer for INM in Latin America, with comparable service breadth and emerging-market customer base.
• National Research Council of Canada (NRC): Canada's national metrology institute, custodian of primary standards and provider of calibration and reference-material services under government mandate. Direct peer with comparable structure, including time dissemination and BIPM-membership governance.
• National Physical Laboratory (NPL): United Kingdom's national metrology institute, providing primary standards, calibration, reference materials, training, and applied metrology research. Comparable mandate and service mix; operates under government strategic ownership via the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, similar governance posture to INM.
• Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB): Germany's national metrology institute and INM's stated strategic partner. Operates primary standards across all SI magnitudes, provides calibration, reference materials, and legal time (PTB's time dissemination feeds DCF77). Closest peer in measurement-science depth and the partnership context makes PTB INM's reference standard.
• National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST): U.S. national metrology institute with a statutory mandate analogous to INM's — custodian of primary measurement standards, provider of calibration services, reference materials, and legal time dissemination. Direct functional peer in scope, governance posture, and service portfolio, though materially larger in budget and headcount.
• Instituto Nacional de Metrologia, Qualidade e Tecnologia (INMETRO): Brazil's national metrology institute, performing the same statutory role for Brazil as INM does for Colombia — primary standards, calibration, accreditation oversight, and legal metrology. Direct peer across the Americas with materially larger scale, providing a regional benchmark for INM's growth trajectory.
• Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science (KRISS): South Korea's national metrology institute, providing primary standards, calibration, reference materials, and advanced measurement R&D including quantum metrology. Comparable in scope and ambition to INM's post-2025 frontier direction (optical frequency comb), but at substantially greater scale and funding.

Emerging players

• Trescal: Global commercial calibration services provider operating across multiple measurement magnitudes (mass, electrical, temperature, dimensional, etc.) with industrial customers. Useful peer for understanding the private-sector competitive landscape that competes with INM's secondary calibration revenue outside the primary-standards mandate.

Regional players

• Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Industrial (INTI): Argentina's national metrology and technology institute, providing calibration, reference materials, and technical assistance to Argentine industry. Regional peer with a similar mid-sized NMI profile, useful for understanding how neighboring economies structure their quality infrastructure.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/INMdeColombia
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCzUnkfCvXjP1YtZIhsP-gtA
• Facebookfacebook.com/INMdeColombia
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/inmdecolombia
• Instagraminstagram.com/INMdeColombia

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Instituto Nacional de Metrología