To help make standards development in the U.S. an equitable and open process that serves both industry and the public good, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI, or the “Institute”) accredits standards developing organizations (SDOs) against a set of criteria to assure openness, balance, due process, and consensus in standards development – ANSI’s “Essential Requirements.”
The Institute does not develop standards itself; rather, ANSI-accredited SDOs may submit their documents for approval as American National Standards (ANS). An ANS is a document that has been sponsored by an ANSI-accredited SDO and then approved by ANSI’s Board of Standards Review as meeting certain criteria regarding due process in its development. ANSI’s SDO accreditation and ANS approval processes work in tandem to safeguard the value of the ANS designation, and ANSI’s impartial audits oversee the integrity of this system. To date, there are more than 10,000 American National Standards, comprising the work of thousands of experts from hundreds of SDOs representing every industry sector.
An American National Standard implies a consensus of those materially affected by its scope and provisions. An American National Standard is intended as a guide to aid the manufacturer or producer, the purchaser, and the general public. Compliance with an ANS is voluntary, and the existence of an ANS does not in any respect preclude anyone from manufacturing, producing, marketing, purchasing, or using products, processes, or procedures not conforming to the standard. The parties to a commercial transaction should expressly agree that an ANS applies.
