Brazil Standards System: Structure
The Brazilian Standards System includes Technical Standards, Technical Regulations and Conformity Assessment Requirements. Theses three different types of requirements can be compulsory or voluntary, and issued by government entities or a private organization.
To better understand this scenario, the definitions below are typically used regarding Technical Standards, Technical Regulations and Conformity Assessment Requirements.
Standard (Norma Técnica - NT): a document approved by a recognized institution that provides, for common and repeated use, rules, guidelines or characteristics
for products, or related processes and production methods, with which compliance is voluntary. It may also address, partially or exclusively, terminology, symbols, packaging requirements,
marking or labeling applicable to a product, process or production method.
The Technical Standards (NTs) are voluntary (not mandatory); i.e. products that do not comply with such NTs may be commercialized. However, such products encounter greater difficulty to be
accepted in the markets. It is important to note that eventually compliance with an NT may be required by a Technical Standard (RT), which thus can make the NT compulsory in that country.
In Brazil, the Technical Standards are developed by the Brazilian Technical Standards Association (ABNT), a private sector nonprofit entity created with the objective of coordinating,
guiding and supervising the process of preparing Brazil’s national technical standards.
Technical Regulation (Regulamento Técnica - RT): a document that specifies the characteristics of a product, or processes and production methods related to it,
including the applicable administrative provisions, with which compliance is mandatory. It may address, partially or exclusively, terminology, symbols, and packaging requirements, marking or
labeling applicable to a product, service, goods, people, processes or production method.
The Technical Regulations (RTs) are mandatory (required), i.e. products that do not comply with these regulations may not be commercialized. In addition, Technical Regulations are established
by the government in the areas of health, safety, environment, consumer protection and other inherently public areas, and are applied equally to domestic and imported products.
Conformity Assessment Requirements (Requisitos de Avaliação da Conformidade – RAC): is any activity to determine, directly or indirectly, that a process, product,
or service meets relevant technical standards and fulfills relevant requirements.
For more information about Brazil Conformity Assessment access page
FAQ - Brazil Standards System
