A330 ENCOUNTERED SEVERE TURB IN CZQX OCEANIC.

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FLT WAS TRANSITING A SIGMET AREA OF RPTED MODERATE TO SEVERE TURB IN THE VICINITY OF 54N 50W. FOR APPROX 30-40 MINS WE ENCOUNTERED TURB THAT I WOULD CHARACTERIZE AS BEING IN THE UPPER END OF A RANGE THAT WOULD BE CONSIDERED MODERATE. A COUPLE OF TIMES FOR A FEW SECONDS THE TURB INCREASED TO A LEVEL I CONSIDERED TO BE AT THE LOWER END OF THE SEVERE RANGE. I RECALL MY FO STATING THAT HE WAS NOT SURE WE HAD CROSSED THE LINE FROM MODERATE TO SEVERE. THERE WERE A NUMBER OF OTHER ACFT IN THE AREA THAT WERE GIVING TURB RPTS; WHICH INCLUDED INTENSITY OF TURB; POS AND ALT. THESE RPTS HELP EVERYONE IN THE AREA DETERMINE WHEN; WHERE AND AT WHAT ALT THEY MIGHT ENCOUNTER SUCH TURB. MOST OF THE RPTS INDICATED CONTINUOUS MODERATE TURB; HOWEVER; ONE ACFT RPTED AS I DID THAT THE TURB WAS MODERATE AND VERY OCCASIONALLY SEVERE. ANOTHER ACFT CALLED IT APCHING SEVERE. I DID NOT THINK THE TURB WE ENCOUNTERED WAS SEVERE ENOUGH TO DAMAGE THE ACFT OR WARRANT AFTER FLT LOG ENTRY OR INSPECTION. THE LINE BTWN TURB INTENSITIES; ALTHOUGH DEFINED IS STILL A SUBJECTIVE JUDGEMENT BY INDIVIDUAL PLTS. THE RPT I MADE WAS INTENDED TO MORE ACCURATELY IDENT FOR THE PLTS IN THE AREA; THE INTENSITY OF THE TURB WE WERE EXPERIENCING AS BEING AT THE UPPER END OF MODERATE AND PERHAPS OCCASIONALLY XING INTO THE LOWER END OF SEVERE. I DID NOT KNOW OR RECALL THAT USING THE WORD SEVERE IN ANY CONTEXT WOULD REQUIRE A LOG ENTRY AND ACFT INSPECTION. I WAS INFORMED OF THIS REQUIREMENT BY TELEPHONE OF FEB/XA/01.