Construction standards

There are many standards which helps to know about the products, requirements, testing process, best installation methods, etc:

ASTM Standard (American Section of the International Association for Testing Materials):

ASTM International predates other standards organizations such as the BSI (1901), IEC (1906), DIN (1917), ANSI (1918), AFNOR (1926), and ISO (1947).

Standard designations usually consist of a letter prefix and a sequentially assigned number. This may optionally be followed by a dash and the last two digits of the year in which the standard was adopted. Prefix letters correspond to the following subjects:

A = Iron and Steel Materials

B = Nonferrous Metal Materials

C = Ceramic, Concrete, and Masonry Materials 

D = Miscellaneous Materials 

E = Miscellaneous Subjects 

F = Materials for Specific Applications 

G = Corrosion, Deterioration, and Degradation of Materials 

DIN Standards Deutsches Institut für Normung e.V. (German Institute for Standardization) develops norms and standards for rationalization, quality assurance, environmental protection, safety and communication in industry, technology, science, and government, as well as the public domain. DIN standards are the results of work at national, European and/or international level. Anyone can submit a proposal for a new standard. Once accepted, the standards project is carried out according to set rules of procedure by the relevant DIN Standards Committee, the relevant Technical Committee of the European standards organization CEN (CENELEC for electrotechnical standards) or the relevant committee at the international standards organization ISO (IEC for electrotechnical projects).

ISO (International Organization for Standardization) is an international standard-setting body composed of representatives from various national standards organizations.

Founded on 23 February 1947, the organization promotes worldwide proprietary, industrial and commercial standards. It is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland,[3] and works in 162 countries.

It was one of the first organizations granted general consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council.

EN (Euopren Norms) Standards (abbreviated ENs owing to the more literal translation from French/German as European Norms) maintained by CEN (European Committee for Standardization), CENELEC (European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization) and ETSI (European Telecommunications Standards Institute).

IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission) standards.

International Classification for Standards (ICS) is an international classification system for technical standards. It is designed to cover every economic sector and virtually every activity of the humankind where technical standards may be used.

Developed and maintained by the International Organization for Standardization, the ICS is intended to be a continuous work in progress and is updated when necessary. The latest edition of the ICS can be downloaded free of charge from the ISO web site.

Anyone may submit a proposal for modifications or additions to the ICS.

Purpose: The ICS serves as a structure for catalogues and databases of technical standards and other normative documents, and as a basis for standing-order systems for international, regional and national standards.

Classification principles: The ICS uses an hierarchical classification, which consists of three nested levels called fields (Level 1), groups(Level 2) and sub-groups (Level 3). Each field is subdivided into groups, which are further divided into sub-groups.

All classification levels are designated by a classification code (called notation) and a title. The notation is a set of Arabic numerals.

Top-level items, which have no parent levels, use a two-digit notation, for example:

43 ROAD VEHICLE ENGINEERING

The notations for groups and sub-groups include the parent-level notations. The example below shows a notation for Sub-Group 20 (Level 3), which belongs to Group 040 (Level 2) in Field 43 (Level 1).

43.040.20 Lighting, signaling and warning devices

Level 1 (Fields)

A field is the first level in the International Classification for Standards. It may represent one or a combination of the following: 

A sector of the economy such as agriculture, mining, construction or the packaging industry; 

A technology such as telecommunications or food processing; 

An activity such as environment protection, safety assurance and protection of public health; 

A field of science such as mathematics or astronomy. 

At present the classification includes 40 fields.

01 Generalities. Terminology. Standardization. Documentation

03 Services. Company Organization, Management And Quality. Administration. Transport. Sociology

07 Mathematics. Natural Sciences

11 Health Care Technology

13 Environment. Health Protection. Safety

17 Metrology And Measurement. Physical Phenomena

19 Testing

21 Mechanical Systems And Components For General Use

23 Fluid Systems And Components For General Use

25 Manufacturing Engineering

27 Energy And Heat Transfer Engineering

29 Electrical Engineering

31 Electronics

33 Telecommunications. Audio And Video Engineering

35 Information Technology. Office Machines

37 Image Technology

39 Precision Mechanics. Jewelry

43 Road Vehicles Engineering

45 Railway Engineering

47 Shipbuilding And Marine Structures

49 Aircraft And Space Vehicle Engineering

53 Materials Handling Equipment

55 Packaging And Distribution Of Goods

59 Textile And Leather Technology

61 Clothing Industry

65 Agriculture

67 Food Technology

71 Chemical Technology

73 Mining And Minerals

75 Petroleum, And Related Technologies

77 Metallurgy

79 Wood Technology

81 Glass And Ceramics Industries

83 Rubber And Plastics Industries

85 Paper Technology

87 Paint And Colour Industries

91 Construction Materials And Building

93 Civil Engineering

95 Military Engineering

97 Domestic And Commercial Equipment. Entertainment. Sports

Level 2 (Groups)

The ICS second level, the group, is a subdivision of the field.

Level 3 (Sub-Groups)

Sub-groups are used in the ICS to subdivide groups into subjects that certain to a particular aspect of the subject covered by a given group. Regardless of the subject, virtually all groups include a sub-group No. 01 that covers the complete subject of the respective group. In addition, most of the groups contain a sub-group No. 99 for standards on subjects which do not correspond either to the subjects of the general sub-groups or to the subjects of the specific sub-groups of the respective groups.

Level 4 (Units)

Level 4 subdivisions are not part of the official ICS document. The ICS rules however allow users of the classification system to subdivide the official ICS sub-groups into so-called units, making them a Level 4 component of the International Classification for Standards. This is accomplished by adding a two-digit number to the notation of the sub-group being subdivided. However, instead of a period, new notations use a hyphen as a separator.

API Standards (American Petroleum Institute) - Since 1924, The American Petroleum Institute (API) has been the leader in developing equipment and operating standards for the oil and natural gas industry.

Each year API works with leading industry subject-matter experts to maintain our inventory of over 600 standards and recommended practices. API distributes over 250,000 documents annually worldwide, and continues to strive to enhance safety operations, improve quality assurance, and promote the global acceptance of petroleum products and best practices. API standards are designed to assist industry professionals improve the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of their operations, comply with legislative and regulatory requirements, safeguard health, and protect the environment.