Updated April 2025
STLE certifications are valid for three years after you pass either the Certified Lubricant Specialist, ™ Certified Metalworking Fluids Specialist™, Oil Monitoring Analyst ™, or Oil Monitoring Expert exam(s).
Prior to your certification expiration date, you must complete three (3) of the requirements below to renew your certification.
Please note: If you do not renew your certification within the given time frame, you will have to retake and pass the exam.
For those renewing after their third renewal (9 years), only a reference letter from your employer is required to complete the process. Once the letter is received and reviewed, an invoice will be available in your STLE account for payment.
- Employer-provided letter vouching for continued employment related to their field of certification (example- letter from HR department or supervisor noting active employment).
- Two other STLE certified (CLS, OMA, CMFS) individuals in the same industry supply a letter vouching for continued employment in their field of certification (example- letter stating active employment in field with the individual's certification designation/number).
- Provide proof of receiving 4.5 Continuing Education Units (CEUs) from courses relevant to their field of certification (example- college course work transcript; webinars; short courses; virtual meetings; certificate with earned CEU hours from an Accredited Institution).
- Provide proof of attending/participating in six (6) STLE local section meetings (example- paid receipts from attendance; letter from local section leadership confirming attendance).
- Provide proof of attending an educational seminar, which is part of a third-party training seminar, such as a corporate training program, distributor/manufacturers educational training or education provider seminar (example- registration receipt; certificate of attendance from third party with seminar title and date).
- Provide proof of reading six (6) relevant technical articles published in recognized technical publication, such as TLT (example- bibliography showing article title, publication, and issue date; hard copy of the article from the publication). Or, proof or listen to six (6) relevant technical specific podcasts, such Perfecting Motion by STLE (example- bibliography showing episode title, publication, and record date). These can be mixed and matched.
- Provide proof of attending one (1) annual meeting conference with programs relevant to their field of certification such as from one of the following organizations: STLE, SME, SAE, NLGI, AISE, NPRA or SMRP (example- registration confirmation or receipt showing conference organization, date, and location).
- Give one (1) presentation/course at a conference or seminar relevant to their field of certification that has a technical focus. Those that have a commercial, company specific, or sales/marketing focus will not be accepted (example- copy of presentation with date/location; letter from organization confirming presentation title/date given).
- Publish one (1) article or paper in publications relevant to their field of certification (example- copy of article/paper with publication title and issue date).
- Author or co-author one (1) book or a significant chapter of a book relevant to their field of certification (example- copy of author index that shows individual's name or chapter contribution).
- Provide proof of active participation in technical committees, councils or work groups with programs relevant to their field of certification (example- roster showing participation with organization name; letter from organization stating active involvement and name of committee/group).
- Provide proof of attendance of eight (8) hours of STLE online educational content (EC), such as webinars or short courses (STLE can verify completion in your record, so no formal documentation is required).
After your third re-certification and nine (9) years of having your certification, the only requirement for certification is an employer-provided letter vouching for continued employment related to their field of certification (example- letter from HR department or supervisor noting active employment).
Renewal Fees $185 - Members $350 - Nonmembers
STLE may offer a three-month grace period to allow for extenuating circumstances. You can submit your documentation materials and payment to our application or email certification@stle.org.
