Standards are the distilled wisdom of people with expertise in their subject matter and who know the needs of the organizations they represent – people such as manufacturers, sellers, buyers, customers, trade associations, users, or regulators. They are powerful tools that can help drive innovation and increase productivity. They can make organizations more successful and people’s everyday lives easier, safer, and healthier.
Our portfolio extends to more than 30,000 current standards. They are designed for voluntary use so it’s up to you – you’re not forced to follow a set of rules that make life harder for you, you’re offered ways to do your work better.
Standards cover a wide range of subjects from construction to nanotechnology, from energy management to health and safety, from cricket balls to goalposts. They can be very specific, such as about a particular type of product, or general such as management practices.
The point of a standard is to provide a reliable basis for people to share the same expectations about a product or service. This helps to:
facilitate trade
provide a framework for achieving economies, efficiencies, and interoperability
enhance consumer protection and confidence
To learn more about the positive impact of standards, read our article The Benefits of Using Standards.
Each formal standard has a unique number and a prefix that shows where the standard applies. British Standards have the prefix ‘BS’, while European standards carry the ‘EN’ prefix. International standards are preceded by the letters ‘ISO’ or ‘IEC’.
Standards can be a combination of British, European, and international: the three prefixes in BS EN ISO 9001 show that this standard is simultaneously an international, European, and British Standard.
A standard is a collective work.
Representatives of organizations having an interest and expertise in the subject matter are brought together by BSI to form a technical committee to draw up the standard, with our staff facilitating their development and review. Typically, our technical committees comprise representatives of industry bodies, research and testing organizations, local and central government, consumers, and standards users.
We have more than 100 years of experience in shaping standards – leading and facilitating the process of reaching consensus among experts. We ensure standards committees are representative, inclusive, and accessible and the process is rigorous and transparent.
We apply specific principles for drafting standards that help to ensure that our standards are authoritative and widely respected. To view these, click here.
Most British Standards are developed at an international level, either through organizations that work globally (i.e. ISO and IEC) or just within Europe (i.e. CEN, CENELEC, and ETSI). BSI is closely involved with these organizations at all levels and its technical committees almost always nominate members to participate in the development of international standards.
BSI is obliged to adopt all European standards (ENs) developed by CEN, CENELEC, and ETSI and to withdraw any existing British Standards that conflict with them. This obligation does not apply to international standards, although there is a general presumption that we will adopt them unless there are strong reasons for not doing so. Adoption entails giving the special status of “British Standard” (BS) which indicates that the standard has been developed according to the principles set out in BS 0.
We also develop British Standards entirely within the UK, covering subjects not covered by international standardization.
The development time for a British Standard is between one and four years, depending on the complexity of the subject and the range of stakeholders involved. For this reason, international standards usually take longer to develop than those produced locally.
British Standards are not the only type of standard we produce. Some of these, particularly Publicly Available Specifications (PASs) can often be developed in much shorter timescales.
Standard development
Over 9,000 UK experts volunteer their knowledge and time to participate in BSI committees and contribute to the drafting of Standards. These committees comprise manufacturers, users, research organizations, government departments, and consumers who all work together to address industry challenges.
Want to get involved? It’s easy to have your say on standards.
There are several different ways that you can help to develop standards. By using our Standards Development Portal, you can:
Comment on proposed and draft standards
Suggest an idea for a new standard
Contact a committee
You can also apply to become a BSI committee member, enabling you to share your expertise and collaborate with others to create new standards and rewrite existing ones. Learn more about applying to be a committee member here.
Standard feedback
On the Standards Development Portal, you will be able to browse through the standards in your area of interest and see which committees they sit under.
You can follow the committee links to find out more about each one's scope, membership list, work program, and how to contact them.
Standard users can contact our committees to:
Request comment resolutions
Raise issues and provide feedback on a standard and your use of it
Organizations might use:
a quality management standard to help them work more efficiently and reduce product failures
an environmental management standard to help reduce environmental impacts, reduce waste and be more sustainable
a health and safety standard to help reduce accidents in the workplace
an IT security standard to help keep sensitive information secure
an energy management standard to help cut energy consumption
a food safety standard to help prevent food from being contaminated
Browse our huge range of standards and start working on best practices today.
At their core, our standards promote a focus on achieving excellence across every sector - from quality management and supply chain stability to net zero and digital trust. Our tailored BSI Knowledge subscription service provides flexibility, access, visibility, and control over the standards and insights your organization needs to achieve your objectives. Request to learn more.