FREE TOOL · NO SIGN-UP TO SEE YOUR RESULT

Is your lab eligible for NABL accreditation?

Eleven questions, about three minutes. You get a readiness score, every gap mapped to the exact NABL 112A / ISO 15189:2022 clause, the manpower you are required to have, and what NABL will actually charge you.

1. What is your lab's legal entity?

NABL accredits legal entities. This is the single most common reason an application is rejected before assessment.

Please select your legal entity.

2. Which statutory documents does the lab hold?

Tick only what you actually have in hand today.

Watch out: a membership certificate from a biomedical waste agency is not accepted. NABL expects a signed agreement on stamp paper with a CBWTF / authorised BMW operator.

3. Facility and patient load

Your NABL size band — and most of your fee — is decided by patients per day.

Patients, not samples and not tests. One patient giving three samples for eight tests counts as one patient. Labs routinely over-declare here and end up in a higher fee band than they need.
Enter your average patients per day.

4. Sample collection centres outside the lab

Collection done inside your own lab premises is already covered — do not count it here.

5. Which disciplines do you want accredited?

Select every discipline you intend to put in scope.

Important: NABL accreditation is analyte specific, not section specific. Selecting "Clinical Biochemistry" does not accredit every chemistry test — each analyte you list is assessed on its own evidence.
Select at least one discipline.

6. Doctors and authorised signatories

Tell us about the people, not the departments. One doctor often covers several disciplines — enter them once.

7. Operating hours and staffing

Describe one shift only — we multiply by the number of shifts your opening hours imply. A phlebotomist is expected for every 8-hour shift.

8. Internal auditor / Quality Manager

9. Equipment calibration

10. Internal Quality Control

NABL 112A requires, irrespective of lab size: two levels of QC on the day the test is performed, then one level every shift / every 8 hours, run at fixed times during operational hours. Mean and SD must be derived from a minimum of 20 data points, and LJ charts plotted and reviewed daily.

11. External Quality Assessment

EQA/PT participation in each discipline is required before you gain accreditation, not after.

Common questions

Can a proprietorship or partnership firm get NABL accreditation?

No. NABL grants accreditation to a legal entity. Individuals, sole proprietorships and partnership firms are not eligible. A One Person Company (OPC), LLP, Private or Public Limited company, registered trust or society, or a government organisation is eligible. Labs in this position usually convert to an OPC or LLP before applying.

Is NABL accreditation given section-wise or test-wise?

Test-wise. Accreditation is analyte specific — your certificate lists the exact examinations accredited. Adding a new analyte later is a scope extension with its own fee.

How much IQC data do I need before applying?

You need enough to demonstrate a stable analytical system. NABL 112A requires mean and SD derived from a minimum of 20 data points per analyte per level, and recommends a minimum of six months of IQC data for estimating measurement uncertainty. Three months of complete, reviewed daily IQC with LJ charts is the practical minimum most assessors expect to see.

Does a biomedical waste membership certificate count?

No. NABL expects an executed agreement on stamp paper with a Common Biomedical Waste Treatment Facility or authorised operator, together with your State Pollution Control Board authorisation. A membership or receipt alone is a frequent non-conformity.

What does NABL accreditation cost?

It depends on your patients-per-day band and how many sample collection centres you include. This tool calculates an indicative figure from NABL's published fee structure (NABL 100A). Assessor travel, boarding and lodging are additional and charged on actuals, and 18% GST applies.