Types of standards

Based on the standard’s scope and the purpose of its drafting, the most common standard types are the following:

• basic standard has a wide-ranging coverage or contains general provisions for one particular field; 
• terminology standard is concerned with terms, usually accompanied by their definitions, and sometimes by explanatory notes, illustrations, examples, etc.;
• testing standard is concerned with test methods, sometimes supplemented with other provisions related to testing, such as sampling, use of statistical methods, sequence of tests;
• product standard specifies requirements to be fulfilled by a product or a group of products, to establish its fitness for purpose;
• process standard specifies requirements to be fulfilled by a process, to establish its fitness for purpose;
• service standard specifies requirements to be fulfilled by a service, to establish its fitness for purpose;
• interface standard specifies requirements concerned with the compatibility of products or systems at their points of interconnection;
• standard on data to be provided contains a list of characteristics for which values or other data are to be stated for specifying the product, process or service;
• planning standard contains specifications for design and production of the product, requirements for product and working conditions, etc.;
• safety standard is concerned with product safety for people and the environment.