NABL test report format: ULR, NABL symbol and contents

What must every NABL test report contain?

Every test report must contain the 16 items in ISO/IEC 17025 clause 7.8.2.1, unless the lab has a valid reason to leave one out. The table shows each item and where it usually sits on an Indian test report.

The note to clause 7.8.2.1 suggests a statement that the report must not be reproduced except in full without the lab's approval. Most Indian labs print it.

What else does clause 7.8 add for test reports?

Clause 7.8.3.1 adds, where needed to interpret results: test conditions such as environmental conditions, a statement of conformity, measurement uncertainty, opinions and interpretations, and anything a method, authority or customer requires. Uncertainty must be reported when it is relevant to the validity of results, when the customer asks, or when it affects conformity to a limit.

Clause 7.8.2.2 makes the lab responsible for everything on the report except customer-supplied information. That information must be identified, with a disclaimer where it can affect validity. When the customer drew the sample, the report must say that results apply to the sample as received.

What is a ULR number on a NABL report?

A ULR (Unique Laboratory Report) number is a unique number NABL asks accredited labs to print, in addition to their own report number, on reports issued within the accredited scope. NABL's clarification of 11 June 2026 explains that it was introduced so that the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) can map test reports to sellers' claims.

The format depends on the format of your accreditation certificate number. The June 2026 clarification gives three.

The running number starts at 00000001 and restarts every calendar year. The clarification allows hexadecimal numbering if needed.

A worked example of reading a ULR

Take a fictitious lab with certificate TC-12345 issuing its 45th accredited report of 2026. Its ULR would be TC123452600000045: "TC12345" is the certificate number, "26" is the year and "00000045" is the running number.

Under the new certificate format, a fictitious lab NABLT0626MP20001 issuing the same report would print NABLT0626MP200012600000045.

What happened to the "F" and "P" at the end of the ULR?

Earlier NABL circulars (9 November and 13 December 2021) used an 18-character ULR with a location digit and a final letter "F", meaning that all parameters in the report are in the accredited scope. The formats in the June 2026 clarification have no location digit and no final letter. We could not find a "P" (partial) letter in NABL's current documents.

The June 2026 clarification also says the ULR "is not to be used in reports containing parameters outside the scope of NABL accreditation". If your report template or software still adds F or P, check it against the current clarification.

When is a ULR not mandatory?

The June 2026 clarification says the ULR is not mandatory for in-house labs such as bulk petroleum manufacturers' labs, or for "non-commodities like air, waste water and similar environmental parameters, Soil & rock, Cell Culture", veterinary, dope and forensic testing. Environmental labs should read that list carefully against their own scope.

NABL also announced a new certificate number format on 3 June 2026 (revised 6 July 2026). Labs may keep the old number until the new one is issued and implemented, for a maximum of six months.

How should the NABL symbol be used on a test report?

The NABL symbol must appear on reports for parameters covered by the accredited scope, and only for them. NABL 133 clause 5.1 says its use is mandatory for those parameters, and that a narrative reference to accreditation is not acceptable in place of the symbol on test reports.

The main rules in NABL 133:

• the symbol carries the lab's accreditation certificate number (TC-XXXX for testing labs);
• labs use the NABL symbol, never the NABL logo, which is for NABL's own use;
• no other accreditation body's symbol may appear alongside it (clause 6.7);
• it may be used only while accreditation is valid, and only under the accredited name and address (6.6, 6.8);
• it must not be placed on tested products (6.10);
• nothing on the report may suggest that non-accredited work is accredited (6.13);
• the combined NABL and ILAC MRA mark needs NABL's written permission and may appear only on reports containing accredited scope alone (5.3, 8.3).

How do you report accredited and non-accredited parameters?

The safest approach is a separate report for non-accredited parameters. NABL 133 clause 5.1 states: "Separate report/certificate be issued for non-accredited parameters."

Its explanatory note says the intent is that the symbol is not used on pages or parts of a report where non-accredited parameters occur, and clause 6.2 says non-accredited parameters must not be part of a report issued under the symbol unless clearly identified and segregated. The same clauses say an asterisk or any other symbol is not permitted for this purpose. In other words, you cannot list a non-accredited parameter in the accredited table and mark it with a footnote sign.

Take a drinking water order for 14 parameters where two are outside your scope. Issue the 12 accredited results on a report with the NABL symbol and ULR, and the 2 others on a second report with its own number and no symbol or ULR. A cross-reference between the two helps the customer.

How should statements of conformity and decision rules be reported?

When a report says a result "complies" or "does not comply" with a standard, ISO/IEC 17025 clause 7.8.6 requires a documented decision rule. The report must state which results the statement covers, which specification is met or not met, and the decision rule applied, unless it is inherent in the specification.

Clause 7.1.3 also requires the specification and decision rule to be agreed with the customer when they ask for a statement of conformity. The standard points to ISO/IEC Guide 98-4 for guidance.

Here is an illustration. A chloride result is 248 mg/L against an IS 10500 acceptable limit of 250 mg/L, and the lab's expanded uncertainty for the method is 6 mg/L. Under a simple acceptance rule, the result complies. Under a guard-banded rule that subtracts the uncertainty from the limit, the acceptance limit becomes 244 mg/L and the lab would not declare conformity. Both rules are legitimate; the report must say which one was used. For the IS 10500 limits themselves, see our guide to IS 10500 drinking water standards.

Opinions and interpretations (clause 7.8.7) are different from conformity statements. Only authorised people may release them, the basis must be documented, and they must be clearly identified on the report.

How do you issue an amended NABL test report?

An amended report must identify every change and, where appropriate, give the reason. ISO/IEC 17025 clause 7.8.8 sets three rules.

1. Any change to an issued report is clearly identified, with the reason where appropriate (7.8.8.1).
2. An amendment after issue is a further document that includes the statement "Amendment to Report, serial number..." or equivalent wording, and meets all the standard's requirements (7.8.8.2).
3. A complete new report is uniquely identified and refers to the original it replaces (7.8.8.3).

NABL's ULR clarification adds that an amended report may keep the same ULR, at the lab's choice. Keep the original issued report and the reason for the amendment as technical records.

A pre-signing checklist for the Authorised Signatory

1. Every clause 7.8.2.1 item is present, or there is a documented reason for leaving it out.
2. Only accredited parameters sit under the NABL symbol; others are on a separate report.
3. The ULR matches the current NABL format for your certificate number.
4. The specification, edition and decision rule are stated with any "complies" statement.
5. Customer-supplied information is identified, and "as received" is stated where the customer sampled.
6. Deviations, such as a late start beyond holding time or short sample, are reported.
7. Any amendment states what changed, why, and which report it supersedes.

For the findings that follow when these are missed, see common NABL non-conformities.