Accuracy of the pressure, temperature, flow, or level instrument you’re reading is obviously important. Otherwise, how would you know if the reading you’re seeing is reliable or not?

For simplicity, we’ll go over a couple common scenarios. The first and easiest one to calculate is Full Scale accuracy. So, for example, if you have a pressure transducer that reads 0-200 psi and the accuracy is 0.1% FS (or Full Scale), that means the reading your transducer is sending out is +/- 0.1% of the full scale of the sensor. So, in this case it would be +/- 0.2 psi. If your transducer was showing a reading of 100 psi, then the “true” pressure could be anywhere between 99.8-100.2 psi (or +/-0. 2 psi from 100 psi).

If you’re concerned about the reading of your sensor, please give us a call or email. We’d be happy to answer further questions.

Proof pressure is the pressure the unit can handle over its nominal range without affecting its performance or accuracy.

Burst pressure is the pressure the unit can handle over its nominal range before it leaks, ruptures, or explodes into teeny tiny little pieces all over your facility.

Please note that for proof pressure, while the instrument shouldn’t break, consistently subjecting an instrument to its proof pressure will eventually damage it or make it fall out of calibration much quicker. Proof pressure is meant as a guideline for a once-in-a-long-while scenario. If you find yourself getting up to the proof pressure often, then you should look into a higher range sensor