Reading ANSI, ISO and ASTM Industrial Standards

Manufacturers build products to meet both American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and American Society for Testing and Materials International (ASTM) standards and International Standards Organization (ISO) standards. ANSI and ASTM standards for manufacturing are frequently met by products built in manufacturing facilities operating in accordance with ISO 9001 quality standards. ISO 14000 environmental standards are less frequently followed in the United States.

ANSI frequently accepts American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) standards for industrial plating. ASME standards focus on mechanical requirements such as the necessary physical strength of plating or required corrosion resistance. ANSI ratings adopted from ASME recommendations are denoted by the header ANSI / ASME.

ASTM standards are issued based on the type of material and its use. ASTM standards can be in American units or metric units. ASTM metallic coating standards include material specifications such as density, thickness, surface finish and particle size. ASTM standard B177 / B177M is the guide for electro-plating with chromium. ASTM standards ending with an M such as ASTM B177M are the metric version of the main ASTM standard.