Nepal Bureau of Standards & Metrology (नेपाल गुणस्तर तथा नापतौल विभाग, NBSM) is Nepal’s national standards body, responsible for standardization, certification, quality assurance, and metrology under the Government of Nepal’s Ministry of Industry. Its origins date to 1976 with the establishment of the Nepal Institute of Standards, created to support industrial development through national standards and quality control. Following the adoption of the Nepal Standards (Certification Mark) Act, it was restructured as the Nepal Bureau of Standards in 1981, and in 1988 it became the Nepal Bureau of Standards & Metrology after the integration of the Department of Weights and Measures, formally incorporating scientific and legal metrology into the national system.

NBSM operates under a dedicated legal and governance framework defined by the Nepal Standards (Certification Mark) Act and related regulations. Within this framework, the Nepal Council for Standards (NCS) serves as the national governing body for quality, standards, testing, and metrology, with NBSM acting as its secretariat. Through this role, the bureau supports the development and implementation of national standards and certification schemes in line with public interest and industrial policy objectives.

At the international and regional level, NBSM cooperates with peer institutions to align Nepal’s standards and conformity assessment activities with global practice. It is a member of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), enabling participation in international standards development and adoption. Regionally, it participates in the South Asian Regional Standards Organization (SARSO), supporting the harmonization of standards across South Asia. NBSM also engages in bilateral and project-based cooperation and capacity-building initiatives related to standards, metrology, testing, and quality infrastructure.

NBSM serves as Nepal’s focal point for WTO Technical Barriers to Trade matters through its dedicated WTO/TBT and international relations function, supporting transparency and coordination on standards and technical regulations affecting trade. It operates national product and system certification schemes, including licensing for the Nepal Standard (NS) certification mark applied to selected mandatory and voluntary products. Its organizational structure covers certification, inspection and market monitoring, quality assurance and laboratory services, scientific metrology, and planning and training. Laboratory services supporting these activities include defined testing scopes accredited to ISO/IEC 17025 by the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories. For more information, please visit its official website.