Standards research guide
What are standards?
"Standards are published documents setting out specifications and procedures designed to ensure products, services and systems are safe, reliable and consistently perform the way they were intended to."
What information do you need?
Standards can be identified in three main ways:
- Standard number, e.g. AS/NZS 2032: 2006 (prefix + number: year)
- Standard title, e.g. Installation of PVC pipe systems
- Keyword: e.g. PVC pipe
You only need to know one of these elements to start planning your search.
Catalogue search tip
Not all standards have their own catalogue record, but those that do can be found through a subject search.
For example: standards engineering
Have you already identified the standard you need?
There are too many standards to list individually in the Library catalogue, but there are other ways to locate them:
- To locate printed copies of standards, go to the Library catalogue record.
- Use the 'select' button at the end of the record to request a copy of an individual standard to use in the Library's Main Reading Room.
- For requesting purposes, standards are treated like an issue of a journal. You need to type in the number of the standard in the space provided for the volume number.
Do you need more details before you can search?
If you need more details to identify a particular standard, you can search for a standard number, title or subject/keyword.
- To identify current standards, use a site such as Techstreet or the SAI Global Infostore which provides information on Australian, ISO and a range of other international standards. Note: SAI Global has suspended access to Standards Australia while they rectify suspected unauthorised use. We apologise for any inconvenience.
- To find older standards, visit the Library and consult a printed index.
Where to find standards
The Library holds International Standards as well as standards from:
The Library has an extensive collection of printed Australian Standards from 1926 to the present.
The Library is currently unable to provide access to Australian Standards online.
Standards can be purchased online from Techstreet or from the SAI Global Infostore.
Where to find Australian Standards?
The Standards Australia Reader Room provides non-commercial access to a number of Australian standards for personal use.
The Library also holds a large collection of Australian standards, both current and historical, available onsite in our reading rooms.
How to request a printed Australian standard from the catalogue
If you know the standard number, request the printed standard through the Library catalogue.
For example: to find Australian Standard C148-1950
- Go to the Library Catalogue record for Australian Standards.
- Scroll to the bottom of the record under 'Request this item' to see what standards the Library has in 'Items/Issues Held'.
- Under Items/Issues Held, find the group which includes your Standard number. Standards held in the Library's collection are not listed individually, but grouped within larger series. In this case, C148-1950 would be included within the series A1-C412 (1926-1978).
Note: Although the Library has many standards in its collection, it may not have every standard in these series. - If the particular standard number you need falls within one of the series listed, you can use the Select button to view the standard in the Library's Main Reading Room.
Before selecting 'Request' just enter the year and standard number in the spaces provided in the Library Catalogue request box:
- Year (YYYY): 1950
- Volume/No.: C148
If you do not know the number of the standard you need,you may be able to identify the standard number by searching an index.
- Find the index record in the Library Catalogue, then request an index volume.
- Identify the standard number, then request the standard.
Standards indexes or catalogues are published in annual volumes. They are not listed individually in the Library catalogue, but grouped within longer date ranges.
The Library has indexes within the following date ranges:
Tip: If a standard was endorsed during a particular calendar year, it will be listed in the index of the following year, e.g. a standard that was endorsed in May 1953 will appear in the 1954 index.
Case study: Finding a historical Australian standard
How do I find out what Australian Standard for B.A (British Association) screw threads was in force in the early 1950s?
What information do you have? What other details do you need to find?
- standard number: not known; date: 1950s
- standard title: not known
- keyword/subject: screw
Search an index to find the number, exact year and title.
- Go to the Catalogue record for the 1954-1983 date range.
Tip: Since older indexes are cumulative, they list previously published standards. A search of the index for 1955 will list standards from previous years. - Submit an online request for the index for 1955, typing the year in the relevant field of the request box. The index volume will be delivered to the Main Reading Room.
- In the index's alphabetical list, search for the keyword/subject. The alphabetical list will also list the standard number. In this case, we will find Screw threads: B.A., standard number B. 46.
- In the index's numerical list find the standard number. The listing in the numerical index provides further information about the standard, such as the year it was endorsed, so you can ensure that it's the one you need.
You now have enough information to identify the standard:- Standard number B.46; date: 1953 = B.46 -953
- Standard title: Screw Threads, British Association.
- Go to the catalogue record for Australian standards, and use the Select button.
In the request box, type in your information:- Year (YYYY): 1953
- Volume/No.: B.46
- Notes (< 100 characters): Screw threads, British Association
The standard you requested will be delivered to the Main Reading Room.
The first 50 years
Early standards (1926-1978) were issued in series with the following alphabetical prefixes:
- A Civil engineering and building construction
- B Mechanical engineering
- C Electrical engineering
- D Automotive industry
- E Transportation
- FShipbuilding
- G Ferrous metallurgy
- H Non-ferrous metallurgy
- K Chemical industry
- L Textile industry
- M Mining
- N Agriculture
- O Timber
- P Pulp and paper
- R Ceramics
- S Domestic economy
- T Medical and dental
- U Aircraft
- X Office equipment and information processing
- Z Miscellaneous
Note: Some standards in the early series are also prefixed by the letter C, e.g. CK.1.
The alphabetical sequence was gradually superseded by the all-numerical series with country prefix AS or AS/NZ.
What is ISO?
ISO is the International Organization for Standardization.
"ISO standards are technical agreements which provide the framework for compatible technology worldwide. They are designed to be globally relevant - useful everywhere in the world."
Searching for ISO standards
The Library has extensive, though imperfect, holdings of ISO Standards from 1973 to 2015.
The online ISO Catalogue lists the titles and numbers of all published ISO Standards.
The Library holds a print version of the ISO Catalogue (1971-2009).
Search the ISO Catalogue and purchase ISO Standards online at the ISO Store or at the SAI Global Infostore.
How to request a printed ISO standard in the catalogue
If you know the number of the standard
- Go to the catalogue record for International Standards
Note The standards are not listed individually, but grouped within a number range. Not all issues within these number ranges are held - Type in the number of the standard in the space provided for the volume number, e.g. Volume/No.: ISO 9001:2008
If you do not know the number of the standard
- Search the ISO Standards online catalogue, which lists the titles and numbers of all published ISO Standards.
- Consult the ISO Standards help page, which provides advice on catalogue search techniques.
Searching online indexes for an ISO standard
You can search the SAI Global Infostore for ISO standards.
- Select 'Standards' to search within.
- Enter your search terms or ISO number into the search box.
- Alternatively select the 'Popular Publishers' option from the 'Find Standards' drop down list. Scroll down and choose ISO to browse all available ISO standards.
Case study: Accessing a specific ISO standard
How can I access the following standard? ISO/TS 24155:2007 Hydrometry - Hydrometric data transmission systems - Specification of system requirement?
There are three options for access:
- If you can visit the Library in person, we suggest that you submit an online request to view a printed copy of the standard. Please note that the Library's collection of International Standards is imperfect, so we may not have the standard you need. Use the catalogue record for International standards to make your request (see above).
- If you can't visit the Library, you may be able to arrange an interlibrary loan through your local public or institutional library and have the standard sent there for you to use. Please ask staff at your library for further assistance with interlibrary loan requests.
- Buy a copy of the standard online from the ISO store, Techstreet or the SAI Global Infostore.
The Library holds print copies of American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Standards dating from 1969 to 1997.
We no longer hold American Society for Testing of Materials (ASTM) Standards.
The Library does not provide full text online access to ANSI or ASTM standards.
You can purchase these standards from the relevant body:
How to request a printed American standard in the catalogue
If you know the number of the standard
- Go to the catalogue record for American National Standards.
Note The standards are not listed individually, but grouped within a number range. Not all issues within these number ranges are held. - Type in the number of the standard in the space provided for the volume number, e.g. Volume/No.: ANSI/R15.02-1-1990
If you do not know the number of the standard
- Look it up in an index (see below).
What is ANSI?
The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) oversees the creation, promulgation and use of American Standards.
ANSI has had several name changes since its formation:
- American Engineering Standards Committee (AESC), 1916 to 1928
- American Standards Association (ASA), 1928 to 1966
- United States of America Standards Institute (USASI), 1966 to 1969
- American National Standards Institute (ANSI), 1969 to date
The Library has extensive, though imperfect, holdings of British Standards from the early 1900s to 1997.
The Library does not provide full text online access to British standards.
You can purchase these standards from BSI Shop.
How to request a printed British standard in the catalogue
If you know the number of the standard
- Go to the catalogue record for British Standards.
Note: The standards are not listed individually, but grouped within a number range. Not all issues within these number ranges are held. - Type in the number of the standard in the space provided for the volume number, e.g. Volume/No.: BS 4894:1993
If you do not know the number of the standard
Look it up in an index (see below).
What is BSI?
The BSI Group oversees the creation, promulgation and use of British Standards.
BSI has had several name changes since its formation:
- Engineering Standards Committee, 1901 to 1918
- British Engineering Standards Association, 1918 to 1931
- British Standards Institution (BSI), 1931 to 1998
- BSI Group, 1998 to date
Case study: Finding a historical British Standard
How do you find historical British Standards, if you don't know the number?
Identify the standard number by searching an index.
- Find the Library Catalogue record for the relevant index date range.
- Submit an online request for the index volume/s in your period of interest.
- When the volumes are delivered:
- search for the standard by subject
- identify the number of the standard you need
- Go to the Library catalogue record for British Standards to submit your online request.
Please note that the Library's collection of British Standards is imperfect, so we may not have the one you need.
Tip: If you're not able to visit the National Library of Australia in person, search Trove to find other Australian libraries that have British Standards.
The Library has extensive, though imperfect, holdings of printed New Zealand standards from 1939 to 1985.
Standards New Zealand
"Standards New Zealand is New Zealand’s leading developer of Standards and Standards based solutions.
The majority of Standards are developed in partnership with Standards Australia."
Search the NZS Catalogue and purchase NZ Standards at the Standards New Zealand website.
How to request a printed NZ standard in the catalogue
If you know the number of the standard
- Go to the catalogue record for New Zealand Standards.
Note: The standards are not listed individually, but grouped within a number range. Not all issues within these number ranges are held. - Type in the number of the standard in the space provided for the volume number, e.g.Volume/No.: NZS 8704:1977
If you do not know the number of the standard
Look it up in an index.
Searching online indexes for New Zealand standards
You can search the SAI Global Infostore to find the number of a New Zealand standard.
- Select 'Standards' to search within.
- Enter the known SNZ number or your search terms into the search box.
- Alternatively select the 'Standards by Publisher' option from the 'Find Standards' drop down list. Select 'S' to find SNZ to see all available SNZ standards.
Indexes often contain extra information about amendments and superseded standards.
The Library catalogue contains many records for American, British and New Zealand indexes. Each time these publications change their respective title, a new catalogue record will be created.
Listed below are some Catalogue records for standard indexes. These should help you find standard numbers for specific date ranges.
Australian
Printed indexes for Australian standards date from 1939 to 2019.
See Australian standards (above) for information about finding and using these indexes.
- Australian Standard - Main Catalogue record for requesting a standard in print format
- List of publications - Index: 1939-1953
- List of publications and subject index - Index: 1954-1983
- Catalogue of publications and subject index - Index: 1984-1988
- Catalogue and subject index - Index: 1989-1991
- Catalogue of Australian standards - Index: 1992-2019
American
- American national standards - Main Catalogue record for requesting a standard in print format.
- Catalog of American national standards - Index: 1970-1991
- American national standards ... catalog - Index: 1992-1995
- Catalog of American national standards - Index: 1996 only
British
- British standards - Main Catalogue record for requesting a standard in print format
- Yearbook of British Standards Institution - Index: 1944/45
- British Standards Institution yearbook - Index: 1946-58
- British standards yearbook - Index: 1960-1982
- British standards yearbook and catalogue of publications - Index: 1983
- BSI catalogue - Index: 1984-86
- BSI standards catalogue - Index: 1987-1994
- BSI catalogue - Index: 1995/6
- Standards catalogue - Index: 1996-1998
- Products and services catalogue / BSI - Index: 1999
New Zealand
- New Zealand standards - Main Catalogue record for requesting a standard in print format.
- Index / Standards Association of New Zealand - Index: 1974-1981
- New Zealand standards ... catalogue - Index: 1982-1988
- New Zealand Standards ... catalogue - Index: 1993-2005
International (ISO)
Use the online ISO Catalogue to find the titles and numbers of all published ISO Standards.
Equivalent standards
Many standards are derived from those of other countries. If the Library does not hold a particular standard for one country, you may find similar information in the equivalent standard from another country.
Standards and copying
Copying of standards by Copies Direct is provided in accordance with the Copyright Act 1968.
Visit the Library in person to request and view standards in the Main Reading Room.
Standards are available for interlibrary loan. Enquire at your local library.