Why Material Standards are Important? Explore More About Top Standards, Types, Formation, Advantages, Where to Find, Uses + Many Important Facts!!

Prof.(Dr.) D G Mahto, Founder & CEO -
Abstract:
Material standards are a set of established criteria that define the quality, composition, properties, and performance requirements of materials used in various industries and applications. These standards are developed and maintained by organizations such as national or international standards bodies, industry associations, and regulatory agencies to ensure consistency, safety, and reliability in material selection and usage. Some notable organizations are the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). These standards can encompass a wide range of materials, such as metals, plastics, and textiles. They provide detailed information on factors such as chemical composition, mechanical properties (like strength and hardness), electrical properties, and other relevant characteristics.

Keywords:
Material Standards, Metals, Plastics, Textiles, ISO, ASTM, IEC, DIN, BS 

Learning Outcomes :
After undergoing this article you will be able to understand the following 
1. What's exactly a Standard?
2. Why standards are important?
3. What's the different types of standards?
4.How standards are formed?
5. How standards are amended?
6. What are top Organisations involved in developing standards ?
7. What's the advantages of standards?
8. Where standards can be found?
9. How standards can be used?
9. How to determine which different standards for same material are equivalent?
10. Conclusions
11. FAQs
References


1. What's exactly a Standard?
Material standards are mixes of performance and prescriptive elements. Performance elements are those that are directly aimed at the needs of the designers, such as the mechanical and physical properties of the material. Prescriptive elements are for checking the result.
Standards and Specifications are described as documents that describe the rules and conditions for how materials and products should be manufactured, defined, measured, tested, and applied.  They are used to establish baselines or a minimum level of performance and quality control to ensure that optimal conditions and procedures for the purpose of creating compatibility with products and services from different periods and a range of sources.  Specifications have a more limited range of application than standards and generally establish requirements for materials, products, or services. Standards and specifications may be issued by voluntary technical or trade associations, professional societies, national standards bodies, government agencies, or by international organizations. It is critical to establish the source.

2. Why standards are important?
Standards and specifications are of greatest utility to engineers, scientists and those working with new innovations.

The point of a standard is to provide a reliable basis for people to share the same expectations about a product or service. This helps to: facilitate trade. provide a framework for achieving economies, efficiencies and interoperability.
Standards and their development frame, guide, and normalize almost all areas of our lives.  For example, standards in IT govern interoperability between a variety of digital devices and platforms, standardized production of various machine parts allows uniform repair and reproduction. Standardization in fields like accounting, health care, or agriculture promotes best industry practices that emphasize safety and quality control.  Standards reflect the shared values, aspirations, and responsibilities we as a society project upon each other and our world.   Keeping informed about the most current standards can drive innovation and increase the market value of an engineer’s research and design efforts as well as promoting international trade and commerce, which then fuels more innovation.

3. What's the different types of standards?

Types of Standards:

  • Category, type, dimension, structure, equipment, quality, grade, component, performance, durability, or safety 
  • Methods of manufacturing, methods of designing, methods of drawing, methods of using, or methods of operation of safety condition of production
  • Methods of testing, analyzing, appraising, verifying, or measuring 
  • Terms, abbreviations, symbols, marks, preferred numbers, or units 
  • Design, methods of execution, or safety conditions
The other methods of standards according to their use, location, area of influence or acceptance etc. Accordingly, the types of standards can be enumerated as
Factory Standard
Local standard
Regional standard
Reference standard
Association standard
National standard
International standard 

As the names of types of standards are clafying it's intended purpose, so no need to explain further 

4. How standards are formed?
Standards are created or reviewed by experts in the relevant field. They include researchers, care providers, patients and families, who form into a technical committee. The technical committee conducts preliminary research and creates a draft outline of the new or revised standard.
There are 7 stages of a standard Formation
They are
1. Identify a need
2. Form a committee
3. Study why its required
4. Make concensus
5. Circulate for public preview
6. Approve it
7. Publish it

5. How standards are amended?
Amendments alter or add to the contents already agreed upon within the document. Just like a revision of a standardization document, an amendment is arrived at through a process of achieving consensus by consulting the relevant Technical Committee and, thereafter, the public for comment.

6. What are top Organisations involved in developing standards ?
The name of the top organisation involved in developing standards are the following:

ISO

American National Standards Institute

American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME)

International Society of Automation

ASTM 

iEEE

ASA

Government agencies

National Institute of Standards and Technology

7. What's the advantages of standards?

Standards can affect an organisation's quality, lead-time, supply chain management and costs. They make trade across international borders easier and promote global competition, having a positive impact on economies.

Standards provide consumers with confidence in the quality and safety of products and services. In doing all of this, Standards impact communities and economies across the globe. Looking at the impact to business only, Standards help organisations by:

1. Reducing Costs

Lowering costs through minimising errors, redundancies and increasing productivity.

2. Efficiency 

Improving quality, safety, and lead-time of products and services.

3. Mitigating Risks

Identifying and mitigating risks within their business and supply chain.

4. Consistency

Lowering research and development costs and improving speed to market by building on previously standardised technology or systems.

5. Customer Confidence

Promoting acceptance of product or services into the marketplace by increasing customer confidence in their safety and quality.

6. Uniformity

Providing uniformity of units of measurement, enabling accuracy and confidence in commercial transactions locally and globally.

7. Eliminate Trade Borders

Helping products, services and staff move across trade borders, reducing technical barriers to international trade.

8. Universal Vendor Requirements

Improving supply chain management by establishing common requirements for all vendors to comply with.

8. Where standards can be found?

To locate a standard you should (ideally) have at least three of the following:

  • The name of the publishing organization
  • The standard number
  • The title
  • The subject

The named of organization links below will help you identify standards available for purchase.

  • Standards Store (Global Engineering/IHS)
  • Search for Standards by Publisher (Global Engineering/IHS)
  • SAI Global Standards Store
  • Standards Developing Organizations
  • ISO (International Standards Organization)

Brief on Important Standards used internationally 

Deutches Institut fur Normung (DIN) Standards
The publishing company Beuth Verlag in Berlin provides access to their catalog of DIN standards on the web. You can search by keyword or by DIN standard number. 

Japanese Industrial Standards (JIS)
The JIS Committee Home Page provides information on the development and marketing of JIS standards.

British Standards (BS)
The BSI web site provides access to the BSI Standards Catalogue.

For links to Internet sites with information on the standards and standardization activities of other foreign countries, visit the ISO Members Page.

ISO - International Organization for Standardization
ISO Online provides access to an online catalog of ISO standards which can be searched by title word and by standard number. Ordering information is also provided. ISO standards can also be ordered through ANSI. A selection of ISO and IEC standards are publically available.

IEC - International Electrotechnical Commission
The IEC is the international standards and conformity assessment body for all fields of electrotechnology. TMU does not collect IEC standards. The IEC World Wide Web Page provides access to an online catalog of IEC standards and other documents.

ITU - International Telecommunications Union
The ITU is an international organization within which governments and the private sector coordinate global telecom networks and services, including the coordination, development, regulation and standardization of telecommunications worldwide. The ITU World Wide Web Site provides information on the standardization activities of the ITU.

The ISO also provides information on other International Standards Organizations. Information on ISO 9000 standards can be found in the box below.

ISO 9000 Quality Standards
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 9000 series has been adopted by countries worldwide, including the US and Canada, as the national standard for quality assurance and quality control. Please note that in the US the ISO 9000 series has been issued by the American Society for Quality Control as ASQC Q90 - Q94. 

9. How standards can be used?

Some points to remember when using standards?

  • Some standards are government-mandated, and others are voluntary.  
  • There may be various penalties associated with not adhering to the standard. 
  • Standards are updated frequently to keep pace with changing technology  
  • Check to see if the standard you are using is the latest version. 
  • Older, superceded versions of standards may be useful in many cases, such as legal disputes concerning the performance of a product that was manufactured when the older standard was in force.  
9. How to determine which different standards for same material are equivalent?

Equivalent standards usually have the same title, with no changes in the text, and are thus identical to the original standard. However, there are times when a specific standard will be modified slightly when reissued and approved by another organization. For class assignments, students usually don't need the original standard, an equivalent standard will suffice as long as it's similar in content to the original. For other uses, such as in legal cases, the researcher will want the exact standard and an equivalent will not be acceptable. Legal cases often involve a previous version of the standard, one that coincides with the date of a dispute.

Industry standards are created by an issuing agency and may be approved/adopted by a larger national or international organization (such as ANSI or ISO, respectively). The purpose of adoption by larger national and international organizations is to promote manufacturing and distribution of products which are safe, reliable, and of sufficient quality. 

10. Conclusions
The role of standards as trade barriers is most often explained by a prohibitive increase in production and commercialisation costs for producers in developing countries.Moreover, these costs are increasing with the proliferation of standards, including private standards, characterized by non-harmonized compliance process and proper certification schemes

Standards are an accepted measure of the reliability of materials, products, methods and services people use every day. They also help to:

  • ensure product functionality and compatibility
  • facilitate interoperability between systems and devices
  • support consumer safety and public health

Standards establish protocols that any business can easily understand and adopt in their product development. You can use standards across a wide range of business, industry and technology.



11. FAQs
Q. What e book resources to go through for knowing about standards ?
Ans : 
E-book Collections

Selected e-book collections. For full list, see E-books in Science and Engineering.

  • AccessEngineering This link opens in a new window
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    A repository of fully searchable engineering content. Includes the latest editions of classics such as Marks; Standard Handbook for Mechanical Engineers, Perry Chemical Engineers Handbook, Standard Handbook for Electrical Engineers, Roark Formulas for Stress and Strain, and many more.
  • ASM Handbooks Online This link opens in a new window
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    The complete content of twenty ASM Handbook volumes plus two ASM Desk Editions. Metals and metallurgy.
  • ASME E-Books 1993-present
    ASME Press publishes professional and reference works, handbooks, select non-ASME conference proceedings, as well as advanced monographs in established and emerging areas of interest to mechanical engineers and allied disciplines.
  • ASTM E-books
    Collection of standards and technical engineering information. Covers a broad range of engineering disciplines, including aerospace, biomedical, chemical, civil, environmental, geological, health and safety, industrial, materials science, mechanical, nuclear, petroleum, soil science and solar engineering.
  • Cambridge eBooks
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    This collection includes most science and engineering titles from 2014 to present.
  • CHEMnetBASE
    Complements the databases of CHEMnetBASE with dozens of resources, references, and CRC handbooks. Chemistry topics covered include: analytical, industrial and applied, inorganic, materials, medicinal, organic, physical, polymer, and surface & colloid. Also covers electrochemistry, geochemistry, fuels and petrochemicals, photochemistry, separation science/chromatography, and spectroscopy
  • Elsevier (ScienceDirect) eBooks 2013-present
    • This link opens in a new window
    This collection covers science, technology, and health sciences disciplines (excluding specialty medical titles). After searching, limit to Book Chapters.
  • Institute of Physics (IOP) E-books 2013-present
    Access to titles being published in two series: IOP Expanding Physics (which offers in-depth texts on key areas in Physics) and IOP Concise Physics (which contains shorter texts focused on rapidly advancing areas). The e-books are published without DRM in HTML, PDF, and EPUB formats.
  • Knovel Library
    Search/browse 2500+ science and engineering encyclopedias, handbooks, texts, and databases. Advanced features include numerical range searching and interactive graphs and tables. Excellent resource for chemical & physical property data.
  • MIT Press eBooks Library: The Computing & Engineering Collection
    The collection includes more than 450 titles from 1943 to the present in the fields of computer science and engineering technologies, including artificial intelligence, information theory, computer programming, information technology, and electrical engineering.
  • Momentum Press eBooks 2007-2014
    Manufacturing, mechanical, civil, environmental technology, and materials science and engineering books.
  • Taylor & Francis E-books This link opens in a new window
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    E-books from Routledge, Psychology Press, and Focal Press, mostly in the humanities, social sciences, and behavioral sciences. UCLA subscribes to only a small number of the available titles. Also includes the scientific, technical, and medical reference books formerly contained in CRCnetBASE. UCLA subscribes to only a small number of titles beyond the former CRC collection.

References
Reference Sources (Encyclopedias, handbooks, dictionaries, etc.)
  • AccessScience This link opens in a new window
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    Full access to thousands of articles, dictionary terms, illustrations and graphics, bibliographies containing literature citations, and hundreds of Research Updates in all areas of science and technology. Updated daily. Also includes biographies of more than 2,000 well-known scientists from the Hutchinson Dictionary of Scientific Biography. Includes the McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science and Technology.
  • Comprehensive Materials Processing
    13 volumes. A resource consolidating and enhancing the literature of the materials processing and manufacturing universe. It provides authoritative analysis of all processes, technologies, and techniques for converting industrial materials from a raw state into finished parts or products. Assisting scientists and engineers in the selection, design, and use of materials, it matches the adaptive complexity of emergent materials and processing technologies.
  • Comprehensive Nanoscience and Technology
    Five volumes: Nanomaterials; Biological Nanoscience; Nanostructured Surfaces; Nanofabrication and Devices; Self-Assembly and Nanochemistry
  • Encyclopedia of Surface and Colloid Science (3rd ed.)
    Draws together the interface-related aspects of chemistry, materials sciences and engineering, biology, physics, computer sciences, and applied mathematics.
  • The Engineering Handbook, Second Edition
    The Engineering Handbook, Second Edition provides a single volume a ready reference for the practicing engineer in industry, government, and academia.
  • Kirk-Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology
    Presents articles on chemical substances, properties, manufacturing, and uses; on industrial processes, unit operations in chemical engineering; and on fundamentals and scientific subjects related to the field.
  • Marks' Standard Handbook for Mechanical Engineers
    Quick access to more than 100 topics relating to modern mechanical engineering principles, standards, and practices.
  • Materials Processing Handbook
    Provides a comprehensive treatment of materials processes accompanied by key data, synthesizes scientific fundamentals of materials processes and their practical application, and presents state-of-the-art knowledge, covering subjects such as ceramics, glasses, polymers, metals, composites, semiconductors, and biomaterials.
  • McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Materials Science
    Derived from the content of the respected McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms, 6th Edition, this title provides thousands of definitions of words and phrases encountered in the materials science discipline. Includes appendices with conversion tables; listings of scientific, technical, and mathematical notation; tables of relevant data; and more
  • Polymer Science: A Comprehensive Reference
    10 volumes: Basic Concepts and Polymer Properties; Polymer Characterization; Chain Polymerization of Vinyl Monomers; Ring-Opening Polymerization and Special Polymerization Processes; Polycondensation;Macromolecular Architectures and Soft Nano-Objects; Nanostructured Polymer Materials and Thin Films; Polymers for Advanced Functional Materials; Polymers in Biology and Medicine; Polymers for a Sustainable Environment and Green Energy
  • Smithsonian Physical Tables, Ninth Revised Edition
    This reference source comprises 901 tables of general interest to scientists and engineers, and of particular interest to those involved with physics in its larger sense.
  • Thermopedia
    A-to-Z guide of thermodynamics, heat & mass transfer, and fluids engineering (formerly International encyclopedia of heat & mass transfer).
  • Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry
    Subject areas include: inorganic and organic chemicals, advanced materials, pharmaceuticals, polymers and plastics, metals and alloys, biotechnology and biotechnological products, food chemistry, process engineering and unit operations, analytical methods, environmental protection, and many more.
  • Wiley Encyclopedia of Composites (2nd ed.)
    Contains over 265 new and revised articles addressing the new technological advances in properties, processing, formulation, design, analysis, evaluation, manufacture, testing, and reliability of composites.




Prof. (Dr.) D. G. Mahto is a multifaceted professional, serving as a Director, Professor, Philanthropist, HEI Builder, prolific writer, international consultant, reviewer, and expert career advisor at "Career Education for Success—Discover, Apply, Succeed!" He has guided countless individuals, products, and brands in discovering their true potential through insightful content, purposeful concepts, and motivational writing. With a deep sense of leadership and a commitment to community upliftment, he inspires others with his success stories and takes on the challenge of driving technological transformation, redefining social impact, and fostering interpersonal relationships for a more meaningful, balanced life. Prof. Mahto is dedicated to bridging the gap between dreams and reality for young people, striving for qualitative change in their lives. To explore his articles, books, and international journal contributions, visit his blogs at Career Education Success Now, Career Edus, and Discover Knowledge Wisely. You can also reach out to him via email.

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