The approved Draft International Standard 11551 on test methods for absorptance of optical laser components recently passed the international voting procedure. The utility of this standard practice document is the subject of the present round robin test. In order to cover a broad range of CO2-laser optical components, different types of metal mirrors and transmissive ZnSe-optics were included in the master sample set. After an initial inspection, this set passed through a series of optical laboratories in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany. The absorption of the samples was measured by calorimetric methods according to ISO DIS 11551, and the measurement results were compiled by the coordinating institute. The evaluation of the experiment was not started until all tests were completed. The results of the round robin test are discussed, compared and evaluated with respect to ageing mechanisms in optical coatings for CO2-laser systems. Although a great variety of different test facilities was employed by the round robin partners, a good agrement of the absorption values was observed for the wavelength of 10.6 micrometers . This demonstrates the versatility of the approved Draft International Standard 11551 for the calorimetric measurement of optical absorption in CO2-laser components.