Finding Standards
Standards are developed by hundreds of U.S., international, foreign and regional organizations and finding the ones you need can be confusing and time-consuming. The resources below can help navigate the various organizations and standards.
STANDARDS DEVELOPING ORGANIZATIONS
To contact a specific organization directly, the following web sites provide listings of U.S., international, foreign and regional standards bodies.
- NSSN: A National Resource for Global Standards - an information source for standards organizations and standards
- Standards Engineering Society (SES)
INDEXES OF STANDARDS
For assistance in identifying specific standards, the following organizations have searchable bibliographic indexes available either free of charge or by subscription.
- National Center for Standards and Certification Information (NCSCI)
- NIST reference service for information on standards and technical regulations.
- IHS - Global
Global distributor of technical standards, codes, specifications, and related documents. - ILI Infodisk Inc.
Worldwide provider of engineering standards and databases. - Document Center Inc.
Provides technical standards, codes, specifications, and related information. - Library of Congress' Science, Technology and Business Division
Library of Congress Science, Technology and Business Division maintains an extensive collection of U.S., foreign and international voluntary consensus standards in addition to Federal and military specifications. These documents are available for review in their library. - eStandards Store
The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) provides information on nearly 100,000 standards and purchasing discounts to GSA customers.
BUYING A STANDARD
Many standards developing organizations sell their own standards. There are also resellers who sell standards documents. The National Center for Standards and Certification Information provides a list of organizations authorized to sell these documents.
GOVERNMENT STANDARDS PROGRAMS (NON-REGULATORY)
- Military Standards and Specifications
The Acquisition Streamlining and Standardization Information System (ASSIST) provides direct access to specifications, standards and related documents cataloged under the Department of Defense Standardization Program.
- USDA Quality Standards
Provide measurable attributes describing the value and utility of certain agricultural products.
- Voluntary Product Standards Program
Voluntary Product Standards (VPS) are published by the U.S. Department of Commerce. Currently, there are three VPS concerning plywood, panels, and softwood lumber.
- Federal Information Processing Standards Publications
Developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) for Federal computer systems, Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) are intended for use government-wide. NIST develops FIPS when there are compelling Federal government requirements such as for security and interoperability and there are no acceptable industry standards or solutions.
- National Homeland Security Standards
The Standards Portfolio within the Department of Homeland Security's Science and Technology Directorate develops and coordinates the adoption of National standards and appropriate evaluation methods to meet homeland security mission needs.
- U.S. General Services Administration
Search the Index of Federal Specifications, Standards and Commercial Item Descriptions (FPMR 101-29.1). This document is issued for public use, as authorized by the Federal Property Management Regulations. Search for standards by Title/Document Number/FSC.
- National Institute of Justice Standards and Testing Program
National Institute of Justice develops voluntary standards for criminal justice and public safety equipment.