Technical Standards: Home

What are standards, specifications, and codes?

• A standard is a document that provides requirements, specifications, guidelines or characteristics that can be used consistently to ensure that materials, products, processes and services are fit for their purpose.  (ISO)
• It is an approved set of criteria defining the performance or design of a product or defining the process of constructing a product.
•  adhering to standards is to ensure minimum performance, meet safety requirements, make sure that the product/system/process is consistent and repeatable, and provide for interfacing with other standard-compliant equipment.
• ISO has identified many benefits to using standards.
  • Improving Performance
  • Reducing Business Risk
  • Encouraging Innovation

 A standard is usually represented by the acronym of the issuing organization followed by a number and the date of issuance.  

Format:

ABC D123.56-07

• ABC is the organization that developed the standard
• D is a broad subject category (not always present)
• 123.56 is a document/standard number
• 07 indicates the standard was approved in 2007 (not always present)

. Examples:

• IEEE Std 519-2014
• ISO 9000
• BS 5656-1 

Some institutions also include language as part of the code e.g EN; DIN