U.S. Standards System: FAQ - U.S. Standards System

What is an American National Standard?

ANSI coordinates the U.S. standardization system in part by accrediting the procedures of standards-setting organizations and subsequently approving individual documents as American National Standards.

An American National Standard (ANS) is a document that has been sponsored by an ANSI-accredited standards developer, achieved consensus, met ANSI’s established requirements for due process (ANSI Essential Requirements), and been approved by the Institute.

More than 210 ANSI-accredited standards developers are now engaged in the creation and maintenance of voluntary consensus standards that are being used in virtually every industry sector. These standards developers — and the experts that populate their technical committees — are working cooperatively to enhance the quality of life and improve the competitiveness of U.S. businesses operating in the global marketplace.

Hallmarks of the American National Standards (ANS) Process:

Participation is open to all interested stakeholders (both domestic and foreign)
Balance of interests shall be sought
Consensus must be reached by representatives from materially affected and interested parties in an environment that is free from dominance by any party
Standards are required to undergo public reviews during which any member of the public may submit comments
Comments from the consensus body and public review commenters must be responded to in writing
An appeals process through the standards developer that addresses procedural concerns is required

ANSI-accredited standards developers commit to conducting standards development work in a manner that is open to public scrutiny and that provides every stakeholder with an opportunity to be heard, without dominance by any party.

Adherence to the ANSI Essential Requirements: Due process Requirements for American National Standards results in a level playing field for all stakeholders, contributing to the development of standards that benefit those who participate in the process, the general public, and the nation.

Accreditation by ANSI as a standards developer represents a public statement of the value placed on an open and equitable consensus-development process. Standards developers who choose to participate in this arena join a select group that is dedicated to advancing U.S. voluntary consensus standardization interests within the U.S. and globally. One significant motivation for pursuing this designation is that the ANSI Essential Requirements are very closely aligned with the World Trade Organization's criteria for the development of international standards.

What are the benefits of ANS designation?

The value of the American National Standards process and the confidence in the ANS designation has many dimensions, including: protecting the public interest; serving as a recognized symbol of quality for buyers and users of the standards; offering well-established market recognition nationally and globally; serving as a tool for government; and providing a degree of legal insulation to standards developers.

In the U.S., the ANS designation also provides U.S. regulators and procurement officials added confidence that the standard in question has been developed in an open, transparent, balanced forum with due processes in place, when considering standards for use in technical regulations or for procurement purposes.

What is the process for ANS designation?

ANS approval proceeds as follows:

Stage 1: Project Initiation Notices (PINS) form to ANSI

Announcement of project initiation
PINS deliberation if claim of conflict or duplication is raised

Stage 2: Public review of a draft standard in Standards Action and other appropriate media in order to afford materially affected and interested parties the opportunity to comment.

Draft standard announced for public comment
All comments must be considered and a written response issued
Additional public review would be required if substantive changes are made

Stage 3: Consensus body vote

Consensus body votes to approve text of draft standard
Vote must meet numerical requirements for consensus as described in developer’s accredited procedures (e.g. approval by a majority of consensus body and 2/3 of those voting, etc.)
All comments submitted with votes must be considered and a written response issued

Stage 4:Recirculation (if applicable)

Unresolved negative comments from consensus body members and public review commenters as well as any substantive changes to the text, must be recirculated to the entire consensus body to allow them to vote, reaffirm a vote or change a vote

Stage 5: Written notification of the right to file a procedural appeal with the standards developer level and conclusion of any appeals filed

Stage 6: Submittal of evidence of consensus in support of the approval of a standard as an ANS to ANSI Board of Standards Review (BSR)

Stage 7: Notification

Notification of final approval/disapproval by the ANSI BSR
Appellants that concluded an appeal at the standards developer level are notified of the right to appeal the ANSI BSR’s decision

Stage 8: Appeal at ANSI

Appeals hearing scheduled before the ANSI BSR if appeal is filed
ANSI BSR appeals decision may be finally appealed to the ANSI Appeals Board

How does ANSI evaluate the technical merit of an ANS?

ANSI’s approval process does not evaluate the standard itself, but whether the process by which the standard was developed meets the ANSI Essential Requirements. The ANS process is designed to ensure access to all interested stakeholders. Such a process facilitates the development of high quality standards. The designation of a document as an American National Standard indicates that a standard reflects current technology, is responsive to market demand, and contributes to the effective and efficient operation of commerce within a free market environment.

But doesn’t that mean that there will be several redundant or outdated standards in the market?

ANSI is the coordinator of the U.S. private-sector led voluntary consensus standards system. By design, this system is based on a private-public partnership that is driven by the perceived and real needs of the range of markets in this country and by the public interest. ANSI’s procedures support the development of a coordinated system of American National Standards, and the avoidance of unnecessary conflict and duplication.

Can an American National Standard be an International Standard?

Yes. All ANS meet the "ANSI Essential Requirements", which means that the standard was developed in an open, transparent and consensus-based environment allowing due process for dissenting voices to have their concerns addressed. These requirements address many of the criteria for international standards laid out by the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade Committee (WTO/TBT).

Criteria	ANSI Requirements	WTO/TBT Requirements
Openness & Transparency
Impartiality
Relevance
Consensus
Due Process
Coherence
Performance-Based
Technical Assistance
While the U.S. Standards Strategy is based on these principles for standards development, these criteria are difficult for all international standardization bodies, including ISO and IEC, to quantify and thus have not been included as ANSI Essential Requirements.

Can a U.S. – based SDO develop international standards?

Certainly. Many ANS and other standards developed by ANSI-accredited standards developers meet all of the criteria for international standards laid out by the WTO/TBT Committee and are used internationally with great success.

Can non-U.S. stakeholders participate in the development of ANS?

Yes. The ANSI Essential Requirements require openness and consideration of all timely public comments submitted. Additionally, many standards developers work proactively to seek input from international (non-U.S.) stakeholders.

Learn more about SDOs who are proactively seeking international input in their processes.

Could a non-U.S. organization develop an American National Standard?

While there is no precedent for this, there is nothing in the ANSI Essential Requirements that precludes a non-U.S. entity from applying for accreditation and subsequently developing an ANS.

Does the U.S. government have oversight over ANSI?

ANSI is a not-for-profit, non-governmental organization. The U.S. government does not have oversight over ANSI other than as one of ANSI’s many not-for-profit stakeholders.

The ANSI Federation has enjoyed a cooperative relationship with many federal government agencies since its founding. Representatives of numerous U.S. government agencies actively participate in the activities of ANSI and its accredited bodies.

How is ANSI funded?

Unlike many of its peer organizations, ANSI does not receive dedicated government subsidization. ANSI receives its operating budget primarily from standards and publication sales, membership dues and accreditation services. This funding structure ensures that no one individual or organization has undue influence over ANSI’s activities.

Who are ANSI members?

ANSI members come from all walks of life, and include Fortune 500 companies, trade associations, standards developing organizations, conformity assessment bodies, U.S. government agencies, NGOs (e.g. consumer and environmental organizations), individuals, and international organizations.

Learn more about ANSI members.

How does ANSI develop policies and positions with regard to standards and conformity assessment issues?

ANSI coordinates input from a broad range of U.S. stakeholders (including public and private sector representatives), providing an open forum for all interested stakeholders to come together to develop positions and policies through a consensus process.

ANSI organizes several governance groups and policy committees, which are responsible for developing policies for private-sector standards and conformity assessment. These committees are populated by individuals who are selected by ANSI’s membership and who participate on a voluntary basis (the individuals’ organizations generally bear the costs associated with participation).

How do government agencies incorporate private sector standards?

Government agencies use externally developed standards in a wide variety of ways, including the following:

Adoption:
An agency may adopt a voluntary standard without change by incorporating the standard in an agency's regulation or by listing (or referencing) the standard by title. For example, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) adopted the National Electrical Code (NEC) by incorporating it into its regulations by reference.
Strong Deference:
An agency may grant strong deference to standards developed by a particular organization for a specific purpose. The agency will then use the standards in its regulatory program unless someone demonstrates to the agency why it should not.
Basis for Rulemaking:
This is the most common use of externally developed standards. The agency reviews a standard, makes appropriate changes, and then publishes the revision in the Federal Register as a proposed regulation. Comments received from the public during the rulemaking proceeding may result in changes to the proposed rule before it is instituted.
Regulatory Guides:
An agency may permit adherence to a specific standard as an acceptable, though not compulsory, way of complying with a regulation.
Guidelines:
An agency may use standards as guidelines for complying with general requirements. The guidelines are advisory only: even if a firm complies with the applicable standards, the agency may conceivably still find that the general regulation has been violated.
Deference in Lieu of Developing a Mandatory Standard:
An agency may decide that it does not need to issue a mandatory regulation because voluntary compliance with either an existing standard or one developed for the purpose will suffice for meeting the needs of the agency.

Visit www.standards.gov to learn more.

What are the benefits of government use of private sector standards?

Using private sector standards:

Eliminates the cost of developing standards that meet specific government requirements
Decreases cost of goods procured
Promotes efficiency and economic competition; decreases burden on regulated communities
Furthers the policy of reliance on the private sector to supply goods and services that meet government needs

Especially since the implementation of the National Technology Transfer and Advancement Act of 1995 (NTTAA) (Public Law 104-113), government agencies have worked closely with the private sector and have come to rely upon voluntary standards and conformity assessment programs. For example, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has worked with industry experts and other private sector stakeholders over the last fifteen years to develop over 300 voluntary consensus standards. CPSC staff frequently report that these voluntary efforts are faster and less costly to implement than mandatory regulations. Particular successes have been achieved with activities relating to Ground-Fault Circuit-Interrupters (devices which minimize risk of electric shock), gas water heater safety, and window safety treatments.

The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) is another agency which has seen marked benefits from the use of private sector standards. Increased reliance on, and use of non-government standards has helped the DoD streamline its procurement process through decreased dependence on Military Specifications and Standards (MILSPECs), and has saved millions of taxpayer dollars by enabling the DoD to replace, where available and appropriate, MILSPECs with private sector standards.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has found that the use of private sector standards benefits both the agency and the public by allowing sufficient collaboration between technical and environmental expertise in order to support sustainable consumption and production. The EPA has successfully partnered with private standards organizations such as ASTM International and the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) to develop private-sector standards to replace older agency standards.

Where can I find standards that have been incorporated into regulations or are used for government procurement?

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) maintains a database of standards incorporated into regulations and standards used for government procurement.

Search the SIBR Database:

In the left hand column, under SIBR Search, select a Quick Link or search by keyword.

To search by keyword:

select Regulatory or Procurement from the dropdown list
Enter a keyword (i.e. "Construction materials and building" in the search box.)
Click Go.

How was the Strategy developed?

The United States Standards Strategy is a revision of the National Standards Strategy for the United States (NSS) that was approved by the ANSI Board of Directors in August 2000. The first NSS reaffirmed that the U.S. is committed to a sector-based approach to voluntary standardization activities, both domestically and globally. It established a standardization framework that was built upon the traditional strengths of the U.S. system - such as consensus, openness and transparency - while giving additional emphasis to speed, relevance, and meeting the needs of public interest constituencies. Strategic and tactical initiatives contained within this framework were developed so that they could then be used by diverse interests to meet their own national and individual organizational objectives.

The 2005 revision of the NSS is known as the United States Standards Strategy (USSS). The name change recognizes globalization and the need for standards designed to meet stakeholder needs irrespective of national borders. The new name also reflects a standardization environment that incorporates new types of standards development activities, more flexible approaches and new structures.

The Strategy was developed through the coordinated efforts of a large and diverse group of constituents representing stakeholders in government, industry, standards developing organizations, consortia, consumer groups, and academia. Throughout the process, all the participants expressed a commitment to developing the USSS in a way that was open, balanced and transparent. The result is a document that represents the vision of a broad cross-section of standards stakeholders and that reflects the diversity of the U.S. standards system.

Does the Strategy address conformity assessment?

Because standards and conformity assessment go hand in hand, the United States National Conformity Assessment Principles has been developed as a companion document to the United States Standards Strategy. Originally published in September 2002, the third edition of the NCAP document was approved by the ANSI Board of Directors on December 2, 2010

The United States National Conformity Assessment Principles for the United States document that was published in 2010 is available as a resource that addresses many conformity assessment issues.

What is ANSI’s relationship to the Strategy?

ANSI's role during the development of this Strategy was that of facilitator and administrator of the United States Standards Strategy Committee. The announced goal from the outset was to develop a standards strategy for the U.S. that was inclusive of activities both inside and outside the ANSI Federation. Many of those who were involved in the Strategy's development, or who commented during the subsequent review period, had no previous affiliation with the Institute.

As coordinator of the U.S. standardization system, ANSI played a lead role in managing the preparation and publication of the USSS, and the ANSI Board of Directors was the first entity to approve the Strategy. Support or endorsement of the Strategy by members of Congress, top-level government agency officials, and industry leaders has served as an additional catalyst to foster this system and promote U.S. competitiveness in the global marketplace.

What steps are being taken to implement the Strategy?

Every standards stakeholder in the U.S. has responsibility for implementing the Strategy. Business and commercial interests; government at the federal, state and local levels; standards developing organizations; consumers and academia – everyone has a role to play.

To achieve the greatest impact, each of these stakeholders must develop and enact sector-specific implementation plans. The Strategy provides the overall national framework, but each market sector must implement those aspects of the document that it finds most relevant. This customized approach not only facilitates the involvement of all affected parties, but also focuses attention on unique interests and needs within each industry.

Certain tactical items have been assigned to specific parties, including ANSI, industry, standards developers and the U.S.

ANSI, in its role as coordinator of the U.S. standards and conformity assessment system, will act as an advocate for the United States Standards Strategy and will work to raise awareness of the benefits of voluntary consensus standards and the importance of participating in their development. As the U.S. national member of many international and regional standards organizations, ANSI will work with its policy and program oversight committees to develop implementation plans for the appropriate constituencies.
Industry is focusing on actions that add value to the standardization process and mitigate technical barriers to trade.
Standards developers are including some of the Strategy's approaches in their business plans and investigating ways to increase efficiencies and broaden participation.
Government initiatives are being discussed and coordinated by the U.S. federal government’s Interagency Committee on Standards Policy (ICSP), with the representatives to the ICSP facilitating implementation of the strategy within their federal agencies.

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