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Product Design : Standards

Standards Available in Full Text

The following are full-text standards databases available through UW Libraries.


For UW staff and students, UW Libraries can purchase and make available specific standards on Techstreet Enterprise upon request. Please submit requests via the standards request form. Techstreet Enterprise is an online standards store that offers standards from leading publishers of industry standards including ASME, ISO, ANSI, ASCE, ASME and many more, and can be used to locate and preview standards before submitting your request.


The following are examples of freely-available, full-text standards online.

Standards Stores and Search Engines

Use these resources to locate standard titles, numbers, and descriptions across multiple organizations. Use this information to continue your search and, if necessary, place a standard purchase request.

What is a standard?

"A prescribed set of rules, conditions, or requirements concerning definitions of terms; classification of components; specification of materials, performance, or operations; delineation of procedures; or measurement of quantity and quality in describing materials, products, systems , services or practices." - National Policy on Standards for the United States and a Recommended Implementation Plan, National Standards Policy Advisory Committee, Washington, D.C. Dec. 1978, p.6.

ANSI  ISO  ASTM International Standards Worldwide  IEEE Advancing Technology for Humanity

Please watch the following video from the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) for more information:


Why search standards?

Searching standards during design can help you to:

  • Identify design constraints from best practices established by experts in the industry
  • Comply with laws that specify design and testing criteria
  • Reduce your product liability risk by complying with best practices and/or laws
  • Budget for certification testing that may be required or can improve your market position.

Finding Standards

Standards may be available in print or available online.

The following video provides techniques for finding standards using websites of government agencies, standards organization, standard stores, and competitors.

The following video demonstrates how to access full-text standards from federal agencies and databases (including ASTM) and how to locate print standards.

More on Standards

See the Standards Research Guide for more information on standards.

Request a standard

Can't find the standard you need? Use the Request a Standard form.

purchase a standard

Other Campus Standards Resources

International Standards Organizations