ASTM stands for American Society for Testing and Materials, most widely trusted source of technical standards developed by an advanced and analytical thinker group of professionals. This group of engineers and scientists (researchers) whom came together with one common interest and that is developing standardized procedures for materials, products, systems, and services. Best known as ASTM International, is one of world’s first-class leaders in providing the best standardization needs of the global marketplace especially in engineering.

Acknowledged for its finest in class practices for standards development and delivery, ASTM is at the forefront in the use of ground-breaking technology to help its members do standards development work. They continued to be the chosen standards forum of a diverse range of industries that comes together under the same umbrella to solve standardization challenges. In recent years, stakeholders involved in issues ranging from safety in recreational aviation, to homeland security, to fiber optic cable installations in underground utilities, have collaborate together to set consensus standards for their industries.

Within this standard it covers 15 sections:
1. Construction
2. Electrical Insulation and Electronics
3. General Methods and Instrumentation
4. General Products, Chemical Specialties, and End Use Products
5. Iron and Steel Products
6. Medical Devices and Services
7. Metals Test Methods and Analytical Procedures
8. Non-ferrous Metal Products
9. Nuclear, Solar, and Geothermal Energy
10. Paints, Related Coatings, and Aromatics
11. Petroleum Products, Lubricants, and Fossil Fuels
12. Plastics
13. Rubber
14. Textiles
15. Water and Environmental Technology

In terms of specialized collections:
- ASTM Standards in Building Codes
- Building Codes / Construction Combo Collection
- Construction Collection
- DOD-Referenced Collection
- Geo-environmental Collection
- Geotechnical Collection
- Metals Collection
- Paints, Related Coatings, and Aromatics Collection
- Petroleum Collection
- Plastics / Plastic Piping Systems Collection
- Rubber Collection
- Textiles Collection

History info: ASTM International, originally known as the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), was formed over a century ago, when a forward-thinking group of engineers and scientists got together to address frequent rail breaks in the burgeoning railroad industry. Their work led to standardization on the steel used in rail construction, ultimately improving railroad safety for the public. As the century progressed and new industrial, governmental and environmental developments created new standardization requirements, ASTM answered the call with consensus standards that have made products and services safer, better and more cost-effective. The proud tradition and forward vision that started in 1898 is still the hallmark of ASTM International.

The standards developed are the works of approximately over 30,000 ASTM members of technical experts represent producers, users, consumers, government and academia from over 100 countries. This means that participation in organization is open to all with a material concern, anywhere in the world. ASTM International has published more than 14,000 standard guidelines or manuals. Nevertheless we are only interested in Civil engineering purposes…

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British Standards is a published technical standard or specification that is designed to be used consistently, as a rule, as a guideline, or as a definition which applied to many materials, products, methods and services. The technical standard is created by appropriately qualified and experienced people who are brought together by  British Standards Institute Group which is incorporated under a Royal Charter for the United Kingdom. BSI Group is the oldest national Standards making body in the world.

Products and services which BSI certifies as having met the requirements of specific standards within designated schemes are awarded the Kitemark (UK product and service quality certification mark). They are indeed globally recognized and much trusted as an independent and impartial body serving both the private and public sectors, working with manufacturing and service industries, businesses and governments to facilitate the production of British, European and International Standards.

History info: BSI Group began in 1901 as the Engineering Standards Committee, led by James Mansergh, to standardize the number and type of steel sections, in order to make British manufacturers more efficient and competitive. Over time the standards developed to cover many aspects of tangible engineering, and then engineering methodologies including quality systems, safety and security.

Below are the long lists (some of it…) of the British Standards:
BS 12 – Specification for Portland cement
BS 63 – Road aggregates
BS 146 – Specification for Portland blastfurnace cements
BS 410 – Test sieves – Technical requirements and testing
BS 449 – Specification for The use of structural steel in building
BS 476 – Fire tests on building materials and structures
BS 598 – Sampling and examination of bituminous mixtures for roads and other paved areas
BS 709 – Methods of Destructive testing fusion welded joints weld metal in steel
BS 812 – Testing aggregates
BS 882 – Aggregates from natural sources for concrete
BS 890 – Specification for Building limes
BS 1192 – Collaborative production of architectural, engineering and construction information
BS 1377 – BS Methods of Test for Soils for Civil Engineering Purposes
BS 1881 – Testing concrete
BS 1924 – Stabilized Materials for Civil Engineering Purposes
BS 2499 – Hot-applied joint sealant systems for concrete pavements.
BS 2573 – Rules for the design of cranes
BS 3148 – Methods of test for Water for making concrete (including notes on the suitability of the water)
BS 3712 – Building and construction sealants
BS 3882 – Recommendations and classification for top soil
BS 3921 – Specification for Clay bricks
BS 4027 – Specification for Sulfate-resisting Portland cement
BS 4447 – Specification for The performance of prestressing anchorages for post-tensioned construction
BS 4449 – Specification for Carbon steel bars for the reinforcement of concrete
BS 4482 – Specification for Cold reduced steel wire for the reinforcement of concrete
BS 4483 – Steel fabric for the reinforcement of concrete
BS 4486 – Specification for Hot rolled and hot rolled and processed high tensile alloy steel bars for the prestressing of concrete
BS 4592 – Industrial type flooring, walkways and stair treads.
BS 4800 – Schedule of paint colours for building purposes
BS 4987 – Coated macadam (asphaltic concrete) for roads and other paved areas
BS 5075 – Concrete admixtures
BS 5135 – Specification for Arc welding of carbon and carbon manganese steels
BS 5252 – Framework for colour co-ordination for building purposes
BS 5328 – Concrete
BS 5400 – Steel, concrete and composite bridges
BS 5502 – Buildings and structures for agriculture
BS 5531 – Code of practice for Safety in erecting structural frames
BS 5606 – Guide to Accuracy in building
BS 5628 – Code of practice for Use of masonry
BS 5835 – Recommendations for the testing of aggregates
BS 5896 – Specification for High tensile steel wire and strand for the prestressing of concrete
BS 5950 – Structural use of steelwork in building
BS 5930 – Code of practice for site investigations
BS 5975 – Code of practice for Falsework
BS 6031 – Code of practice for Earthworks
BS 6079 – Project management
BS 6089 – Guide to Assessment of concrete strength in existing structures
BS 6093 – Code of practice for Design of joints and jointing in building construction
BS 6100 – Glossary of Building and civil engineering terms
BS 6213 – Guide to Selection of constructional sealants
BS 6375 – Performance of windows and doors (series)
BS 6399 – Loading for buildings
BS 6651 – Code of practice for protection of structures against lightning
BS 6699 – Specification for Ground granulated blastfurnace slag for use with Portland cement
BS 6717 – Precast concrete paving blocks
BS 6861 – Balance quality requirements of rigid rotors
BS 6954 – Tolerances for building
BS 7583 – Specification for Portland limestone cement
BS 7755 – Soil quality
BS 7777 – Flat-bottomed, vertical, cylindrical storage tanks for low temperature service
BS 8004 – Code of practice for Foundations
BS 8006 – Code of Practice for Strengthened / reinforced soils and other fills
BS 8007 – Code of practice for Design of concrete structures for retaining aqueous liquids
BS 8110 – Structural use of concrete
BS 8300 – Design of buildings and their approaches to meet the needs of disabled people
BS 8666 – Specification for scheduling, dimensioning, bending and cutting of steel reinforcement for concrete
BS EN 61773 – Overhead lines – Testing of foundations for structures
BS EN ISO 4066 – Construction drawings – Bar scheduling

Wow…what a long list do you thing? This technical standard currently has approximately over 27,000 active standards. The standard simply offer a shorthand way of claiming that certain specifications are met, while encouraging manufacturers to adhere to a frequent method practiced for such a specification. Thank you again for reading…

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