The scatter that shows up when the same or similar items are measured in different labs, by different people, on different equipment and often on different days. It is always larger than repeatability because it picks up between-lab and between-operator effects such as fixturing, technique and local environment. Interlaboratory studies estimate it to set the realistic precision a customer can expect from a standard test method.
Repeatability's tight in each lab, but reproducibility across the three sites is four times worse, look at the fixturing.
Also heard as
- between-lab precision
Related terms
Repeatability
How tightly readings bunch when one person repeats a measurement with the same setup, in one place, in one short sitting.
Intermediate precision
Precision measured within one lab over longer periods, with changes such as different days, operators or recalibrations.
Round robin
An interlaboratory comparison in which one artifact or sample travels from lab to lab to be measured by each.
Proficiency testing
Judging a lab's performance by having it measure circulated items and scoring its results against a reference value.
Precision
How well repeat readings of the same item agree with one another, with no reference to whether they are right.