SES - The Society for Standards Professionals - have a useful FAQ explaining what a standard is, and the terminology used by standards organizations.
| Abbreviation | Sources |
|---|---|
|
API Recommended Practice ### API Standard YYYY-#### |
American Petroleum Institute publications. Read only versions of these are available on the API website. Create an account at http://publications.api.org/Default.aspx . Then login and browse to the standard. Some older API standards are available on paper in the Edinburgh campus library. |
| ANSI | American National Standards Institute - contact the library for advice. |
| ASME | American Society of Mechanical Engineers - contact the library for advice. |
| ASTM | American Society for Testing Materials. If you are a member of IMechE you can get ASTM standards through the IMechE library. Otherwise, contact the Heriot-Watt University library for advice. |
|
BS ####-#:YYYY BS EN #####:YYYY BS ISO ####:YYYY BS IEC #####-#:YYYY |
British standards available from British Standards Online. |
| Eurocodes | Available from British Standards Online . See the Eurocodes guide. |
| EN #####:YYYY | EN standards are European Standards from CEN, CENELEC or ETSI. Many of these have a BS equivalent - try searching British Standards Online |
| IEC #####-#:YYYY | Many IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission) standards have a BS equivalent - try searching British Standards Online |
|
IEEE Std ####-YYYY IEEE P###.### |
IEEE standards are available from IEEE XPlore. |
| ISO ####:YYYY | Many ISO (International Standards Organisation) standards have a BS equivalent - try searching British Standards Online |
|
SD 2## SD 5## |
BREEAM Technical Standards and Environmental and Sustainability Standards are available from the Construction Information Service (info4education). |
The Society for Standards Professionals has links to many more standards providers, including government and trade-related bodies. You can use this page to decode unfamiliar abbreviations.
