The Sieverts technique is a popular method of measuring the uptake of gas on a sample and is an important tool for the characterisation of hydrogen uptake by potential hydrogen storage materials. An analysis of the consequences of errors in the calibration of volumes in this technique has been made using hydrogen absorption on an AB(2) alloy as an example. Trends in the error in the uptake as a function of errors in the volumes have been explained in terms of the equations for uptake. Significant advantages are found for calibration techniques for which the ratio of volumes is an intrinsic measurement. Crown Copyright (C) 2013, Hydrogen Energy Publications, LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.