In the United States, responsibility for setting product and process standards rests almost exclusively with the private sector. Government agencies rely heavily on voluntary standards, which they often incorporate into regulatory and procurement requirements. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Guide 2: 2004 defines a standard as a "document, established by consensus and approved by a recognized body, that provides, for common and repeated use, rules, guidelines or characteristics for activities of their results, aimed at the achievement of the optimum degree of order in a given context." Standards can serve many purposes, including: fitness for purpose, compatibility, interchangeability, variety control, safety, protection of the environment, and product protection against climatic or other adverse conditions.Specifications are usually narrower in scope than standards.
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American National Standards Institute (ANSI)
A premier source for timely, relevant, actionable information on national, regional, international standards and conformity assessment issues.
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IHS Standards Store
Searches more than 800,000 standards, specifications, and codes
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Techstreet
Searches more than 400,000 industry standards and codes
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Standards.gov
Standards.Gov offers background materials and useful links for locating information about the use of standards in government.
