ASTM International

ASTM International, formerly known as American Society for Testing and Materials, is an international standards organization that develops and publishes voluntary consensus technical standards for a wide range of materials, products, systems, and services. Some 12,575 ASTM voluntary consensus standards operate globally. The organization's headquarters is in West Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, about 5 mi (8.0 km) northwest of Philadelphia.

ASTM International
MottoHelping Our World Work Better[1]
Formation1898
HeadquartersWest Conshohocken, Pennsylvania
Location
Coordinates40.069208°N 75.308863°W / 40.069208; -75.308863
President
Katharine Morgan[2]
Volunteers
30,000
Websitewww.astm.org
ASTM HQ in West Conshohocken, PA, as seen from a nearby bridge

Founded in 1898 as the American Section of the International Association for Testing Materials, ASTM International predates other standards organizations such as the BSI (1901), IEC (1906), DIN (1917), ANSI (1918), AFNOR (1926), and ISO (1947).

History

A group of scientists and engineers, led by Charles Dudley, formed ASTM in 1898 to address the frequent rail breaks affecting the fast-growing railroad industry. The group developed a standard for the steel used to fabricate rails. Originally called the "American Society for Testing Materials" in 1902, it became the "American Society for Testing and Materials" in 1961 before it changed its name to “ASTM International” in 2001 and added the tagline "Standards Worldwide". In 2014, it changed the tagline to "Helping our World Work better". Now, ASTM International has offices in Belgium, Canada, China, Peru, and Washington, D.C.[3]

Membership and organization

Membership in the organization is open to anyone with an interest in its activities.[4] Standards are developed within committees, and new committees are formed as needed, upon request of interested members. Membership in most committees is voluntary and is initiated by the member's own request, not by appointment nor by invitation. Members are classified as users, producers, consumers, and "general interest". The latter includes academics and consultants. Users include industry users, who may be producers in the context of other technical committees, and end-users such as consumers. In order to meet the requirements of antitrust laws, producers must constitute less than 50% of every committee or subcommittee, and votes are limited to one per producer company. Because of these restrictions, there can be a substantial waiting-list of producers seeking organizational memberships on the more popular committees. Members can, however, participate without a formal vote and their input will be fully considered.

As of 2015, ASTM has more than 30,000 members, including over 1,150 organizational members, from more than 140 countries.[5][6] The members serve on one or more of 140+ ASTM Technical Committees. ASTM International has several awards for contributions to standards authorship, including the ASTM International Award of Merit (the organization's highest award)[7] ASTM International is classified by the United States Internal Revenue Service as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

Standards compliance

ASTM International has no role in requiring or enforcing compliance with its standards. The standards, however, may become mandatory when referenced by an external contract, corporation, or government.[5]

  • In the United States, ASTM standards have been adopted, by incorporation or by reference, in many federal, state, and municipal government regulations. The National Technology Transfer and Advancement Act, passed in 1995, requires the federal government to use privately developed consensus standards whenever possible. The Act reflects what had long been recommended as best practice within the federal government.
  • Other governments (local and worldwide) also have referenced ASTM standards.[8]
  • Corporations doing international business may choose to reference an ASTM standard.
  • All toys sold in the United States must meet the safety requirements of ASTM F963, Standard Consumer Safety Specification for Toy Safety, as part of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (CPSIA). The law makes the ASTM F963 standard a mandatory requirement for toys while the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) studies the standard's effectiveness and issues final consumer guidelines for toy safety.[9]

Standards
Main article: List of ASTM International standards
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See also

References
  1. "About ASTM International". ASTM International.
  2. "ASTM International Board of Directors – ASTM President". ASTM International.
  3. Gerard, Barbara (2015-04-08). "What is ASTM International?". Craftchind: Craftech Industries. Archived from the original on 25 April 2017. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
  4. "Membership". ASTM International.
  5. "Detailed Overview". ASTM International.
  6. "ASTM International Board of Directors". ASTM International.
  7. "Society Awards". ASTM International.
  8. Transport Canada use of ASTM Archived November 19, 2005, at the Wayback Machine
  9. "Safer Children's Toys – ASTM F963 Toy Safety Standard Required by U.S. Law". ASTM International.
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