FAQs

How to look for Standards (using the BS number)

Just type the number you require into the search box and then 'Search' (below the search box).

Tip - you may want to start by using the number only, i.e. if you are looking for BS EN ISO 9001:2008, start with '9001', then if too many Standards are displayed try '9001:2008', or 'ISO 9001'.

Tip - If the Standard has several parts, i.e. 'BS EN 12350-1:2000', start by searching '12350-', this will display all the parts available.

How to look for Standards (without knowing the BS number)

The only way to locate it is to use the Keyword Search facility on our website. As there are over 27,000 British Standards the only way to check if it is the one you require is to view the keywords which can be found by clicking on the 'more information' button on each product.

Tip - If you find a Standard that is similar to the one you are looking for click on the 'Categories' button under the title, this will display the other Standards in that category.

Delivery of Standards?

If ordered are placed before 10.30a.m. they are despatched on the day of order, if after that deadline they are sent on the next working day.
All deliveries are via Royal Mail 1st class post.

Related Standards

With most Standards there is a list of 'Related Standards:'. These share some common subject matter with that Standard

Withdrawn Standards

This means they have been withdrawn from use, but are still available, and have in most cases been superseded or replaced by a newer version. This information is listed via a link in the title of the Standard.

If a Withdrawn Standard has not been replaced then no link will be shown. You may want to look at the 'Related Standards' to find similar publications

Methods of Purchase

There are a couple of ways to purchase the goods. You can buy on-line with a payment card which will give you an Order Confirmation with all the purchase details on. Alternatively you can telephone +44 (0)1926 818 161to place your order.

Do you ship Standards worldwide

All British Standards are shipped from the UK the UK. Delivery to most worldwide destinations is usually around 5 - 10 days and costs £11.95.

Cost of a Standard

The vast majority of the cost of the Standards is for the research and writing procedures involved in producing this information as opposed to the actual production costs.

Standard release date.

We do not get advanced publishing dates, as soon as it is available it will be on our website which is updated monthly.

What is a standard?

A standard is a published document that contains a technical specification or other precise criteria designed to be used consistently as a rule, guideline, or definition. Standards help to make life simpler and to increase the reliability and the effectiveness of many goods and services we use. They are a summary of best practice and are created by bringing together the experience and expertise of all interested parties - the producers, sellers, buyers, users and regulators of a particular material, product, process or service.

Standards are designed for voluntary use and do not impose any regulations. However, laws and regulations may refer to certain standards and make compliance with them compulsory. For example, the physical characteristics and format of credit cards is set out in standard number BS EN ISO/IEC 7810:1996. Adhering to this standard means that the cards can be used worldwide.

Any standard is a collective work. Committees of manufacturers, users, research organizations, government departments and consumers work together to draw up standards that evolve to meet the demands of society and technology. British Standards staff act as secretaries to these committees and project manage the production of standards. As the world's oldest National Standards Body, BSI has over 100 years' experience of bringing together these often very varied viewpoints and facilitating consensus.

Electrotechnical standards are harmonized internationally by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). The British Electrotechnical Committee (BEC), working closely with BSI ensures that the views of British industry are represented in Europe and worldwide.

To give you an idea of the scope of British Standards' work, around 2,000 new and revised standards area published each year and some 1,350 technical committees and working groups covering 20,000 standards are supported.

What does a BS number mean?

The display of a British Standard number (eg: BS 1234), on for instance a consumer product, shows that the manufacturer claims to have made the product in accordance with the British Standard.

Sometimes BS will be accompanied by the letters EN and/or ISO. These mean that the standard was developed as a European (EN) or International (ISO) standard and then adopted by the UK as a British Standard.

What is ISO 9000?

ISO is the International Organization for Standardization. ISO 9000 is the generic name given to ISO's series of management system standards for quality.

BSI provides companies adopting the ISO 9000 standard with registration to the requirements set out in ISO 9001.

Registration is when an accredited 3rd party such as BSI visits an organization, assesses their management system and issues a certificate to show that the organization abides by the principles set out in the standard.

All the other standards in the 9000 family have been written to help organizations implement effective quality management systems. They are:

Standard Number Standard Title
ISO 9000 (*) Quality Management Systems fundamentals and vocabulary
installation and servicing
ISO 9001 (R) Quality Management Systems requirements
ISO 9004 (*) Quality Management Systems guidelines for performance improvement
ISO 19011 (+) Guidelines on Quality and Environment Management Systems Auditing

What is ISO 14001?

ISO is the International Organization for Standardization. The ISO 14000 family of management systems standards looks at how organizations can control the impact their activities, products or services have on the environment.

ISO 14004 provides guidelines on the elements of an environmental management system and its implementation, and discusses principal issues involved.

ISO 14001 specifies the requirements for such an environmental management system

What is a PAS?

A publicly available specification (PAS) can be seen as a step in the process of standardization. It includes useful and practical information that can be made available quickly to suit the market need of the developers and users of the PAS.

A full standard requires several more stages of development before full consensus is achieved. A growing number of standards will appear as a PAS before they become standards.

The rationale for publishing a PAS is that while it may not have the full breadth of agreement of a standard, the speed of delivery and the high-calibre quality of the content enables users of the PAS to reap significant benefit.

What is a Management System?

A Management System is a framework based on a structured integration of best practice into operating systems - frequently built around the Plan, Do, Check, Act cycle.

The best businesses work as complete units with a shared vision. This may encompass information sharing, benchmarking, teamworking and working to the highest quality and environmental principles. A Management System helps your organization to achieve these goals through such things as optimisation of processes, management focus and discipline of management thinking.

What is Registration?

Management systems registration means:

verifying practice vs. process
objective 3rd party validation
benchmarking

BSI Management Systems offers Management Systems Registration to help organizations achieve continuous performance improvement in the areas of business performance and risk management, by registering their management systems as meeting the requirements of a management system standards.

  • Quality - ISO 9000 - the first and most popular system; a common sense, well documented way an organization goes about its business
  • Environment - ISO 14001 - gives a framework to help manage the organizations impact on the environment
  • Health and Safety - OHSAS 18001 - enables organizations to develop effective and safe working practices continuously
  • Information Security - ISO 27001 (BS 7799) - provides a systematic approach to manage the security of confidential and sensitive company and customer information
  • IT Service Management - learn about BS 15000, which can enable an organiation to effectively and efficiently deliver managed IT services
  • Food Safety Management Systems - BRC Global Standard-Food, BRC/IoP Packaging Standard, Dutch HACCP Code and ISO 22000
  • Automotive - QS-9000, ISO/TS 16949, VDA 6.1 - a range of quality standards for the automotive industry
  • Social Accountability - demonstrate responsible business through SA8000
  • Aerospace - AS 9100 - a quality management system for the aerospace industry based on ISO 9000
  • Telecommunications - TL 9000 - a telecommunications quality system to ensure reliability and quality performance of products and services
  • Complaints Management - CMSAS 86:2000 - enables organizations to manage and understand their customers needs, wants and frustration

What is the Kitemark?

The Kitemark is the world's premier symbol of trust, integrity and quality. Manufacturers having this associated with their product or service will reassure customers and specifiers alike that they have satisfied the most rigorous of quality processes.

A Kitemark Scheme can be developed using a publicly available specification. This specification can either be a BS, EN, ISO or a Trade Association specification.

Based on this specification, BSI produces the formal scheme protocol that forms the backbone of the certification.

Kitemark schemes have been running since 1902 and now cover a wide variety of products and services, from electrical contractors to double glazed windows and from printed circuit boards to cattle tags.

In competitive markets, the Kitemark is often used as a point of differentiation, reassuring customers that the company in question has an ongoing commitment to quality and safety.

What is CE marking?

Many products come under European Directives, and to be placed on the market in the European Union, some must bear CE marking - it's a legal requirement. CE marking is the manufacturer's claim that the product meets the essential requirements of all relevant European Directives.

CE marking requirements vary from Directive to Directive, and even within Directives. Third party testing, systems assessment and technical file assessments can be mandatory, but sometimes the manufacturer's unverified claim is all that's asked for. But if a manufacturer claims their product complies and it doesn't, they may be prosecuted.

The BSI have a team of experts who understand precisely what each Directive requires for each product, so that manufacturers don't have to.

What does the status of Standards mean

As standards are continuously being reviewed and developed, it is important to know their status. The following list explains the different terms used to describe a product's status in the BSI Shop.

  • Confirmed - the standard has been reviewed and confirmed as being current.
  • Current - the document is the current, most recently published one available.
  • Draft for public comment/DPC - a national stage in the development of a standard, where wider consultation is sought within the UK.
  • Obsolescent - indicating by amendment that the standard is not recommended for use for new equipment, but needs to be retained to provide for the servicing of equipment that is expected to have a long working life, or due to legislative issues.
  • Partially replaced - the standard has been partially replaced by one or more other standards.
  • Proposed for confirmation - the standard is being reviewed and it has been proposed that it is confirmed as the current standard.
  • Proposed for obsolescence - the standard is being reviewed and it has been proposed that it is made obsolescent.
  • Proposed for withdrawal - the standard is being reviewed and it has been proposed that it is withdrawn.
  • Revised - the standard has been revised.
  • Superseded - the standard has been replaced by one or more other standards.
  • Under review - the standard is under review.
  • Withdrawn - the document is no longer current and has been withdrawn.
  • Work in hand - there is work being undertaken on the standard and there may be a related draft for public comment available

What are the Copyright laws in British Standards

Copyright in all British Standards whether electronic or other format is owned by BSI. No British Standard may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, either in whole or in part, without prior written permission of BSI save within the limits provided by English legislation.

What are the intellectual property rights of the publications

BSI is the owner or the licensee of all intellectual property rights in the material published on it. Those works are protected by copyright laws and treaties around the world. All such rights are reserved.

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