Product · Calibration Lab Equipment
CE Johansson Original Jo-Blocks
The historic gauge block design that founded the modern precision-measurement industry — Carl Edvard Johansson's original stacked steel block system, patented in Sweden in 1901.
This model has been discontinued by the manufacturer. PartnerGeometrics sources it through the used and refurbished market — available as Refurbished, Absolute Certified, or Surplus only.
Refurbished Absolute Certified Surplus
About the CE Johansson Original Jo-Blocks
Carl Edvard Johansson invented the gauge block in 1896 and patented the stacked, wringing-block system in Sweden in 1901, founding CE Johansson AB in Eskilstuna in 1911. His "Jo blocks" — steel blocks ground and lapped to such flatness and parallelism that they adhere to one another by molecular attraction ("wringing") — became the industry-standard method of building precise reference lengths, and the underlying design principle is still used by every gauge block manufacturer today, including CE Johansson's modern successor line.
Original C.E. Johansson sets, many dating from the early-to-mid 20th century and often found in their original fitted wooden cases, are genuinely collectible and still functionally usable reference standards when recertified. They are no longer manufactured to this specific historic design and are sourced exclusively through the secondhand and estate/decommissioned-lab market.
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | C.E. Johansson AB, Eskilstuna, Sweden |
| Design patented | 1901 (Swedish patent, gauge block stacking system) |
| Material | Hardened, ground and lapped steel |
| Typical set format | Fitted wooden case, imperial or metric increments |
| Recalibration | Required before certified use — see condition tiers below |
| Availability | Sourced individually as sets become available |
Since this model is discontinued, it is only available as Refurbished, Absolute Certified, or Surplus. See our condition tier guide for what each tier includes — for a historic reference set like this, Absolute Certified recalibration against a traceable modern standard is strongly recommended before use in any accredited measurement chain.