This document specifies requirements for the installation, maintenance, temperature calibration and temperature performance testing of standard thermal cyclers and real-time thermal cyclers. It is applicable to the detection of microorganisms as well as any other applications in the food chain using polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based methods. This document has been established for food testing, but is also applicable to other domains using thermal cyclers (e.g. environmental, human health, animal health, forensic testing).