ISO 25178-701:2010

Overview - ISO 25178-701:2010 (Areal surface texture calibration)

ISO 25178-701:2010 is part of the ISO 25178 GPS series and specifies calibration and measurement standards for contact (stylus) areal surface texture instruments. It defines the characteristics of material measurement standards, calibration and periodical re‑verification procedures, and methods to estimate residual errors and the instrument‑related contribution to measurement uncertainty for areal (3D) surface texture measurements using stylus probes.

Key topics and technical requirements

• Measurement standards types - Defines standard types (e.g., ER1, ER2, ER3, ES, CS, CG) such as:
  • ER (groove) standards: two parallel grooves (ER1), rectangular four‑groove arrays (ER2), circular groove (ER3) for assessing spacing and depth measurands.
  • ES (sphere/plane) standard: sphere/plane intersection to check probe response, stylus geometry and tip radius.
  • CS (contour profile) and CG (crossed‑grating) standards for other metrological checks.
• Measurands and instrument factors - Procedures to evaluate X, Y and Z corrected quantities, including:
  • Vertical and horizontal amplification coefficients,
  • Perpendicularity between X and Y drives,
  • Stylus geometry (tip radius, cone angle) and probe response curve.
• Calibration and verification methods - Acceptance and periodic re‑verification tests, methods for estimating residual systematic errors and documenting calibration results.
• Uncertainty assessment - Guidance to evaluate the portion of measurement uncertainty linked to instrument metrological characteristics; separation of instrument effects from software/filtering effects.
• Use of software measurement standards - Notes that filtering and computation algorithms should be tested with software standards (see ISO 5436‑2 and ISO 25178‑7).

Practical applications and users

• Calibration laboratories and metrology labs - Implement routine and acceptance calibration procedures for stylus areal instruments.
• Manufacturers of profilometers and stylus probes - Verify nominal characteristics and produce instrument data sheets.
• Quality engineers and inspection teams - Ensure traceable areal surface texture measurements for process control, part acceptance and failure analysis.
• R&D and metrology specialists - Evaluate probe response, stylus geometry effects and instrument systematic errors that influence texture parameters.

Related standards

• ISO 25178 series (Part 2, Part 6, Part 7, Part 601)
• ISO 5436‑1 / ISO 5436‑2 (measurement standards and software standards)
• ISO 3274, ISO/TS 12181‑1, ISO/TS 12780‑1, ISO/TS 12781‑1, ISO/TS 14253‑2
• ISO/IEC Guide 99 (VIM)

This standard is essential for anyone needing traceable, repeatable areal surface texture measurement with contact (stylus) instruments and for integrating instrument calibration into a robust GPS (Geometrical Product Specification) measurement chain.