Research Guides
AASHTO (American Association of State Highway & Transportation Officials)
The American Association of State Highway & Transportation Officials (AASHTO) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan association representing highway and transportation departments in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. It is the only national public sector association that represents all five transportation modes: air, highways, public transportation, rail, and water. Its primary goal is to foster the development, operation, and maintenance of an integrated national transportation system.
Some of the major AASHTO publications which include standards and specifications are:
ACI (American Concrete Institute)
The American Concrete Institute (ACI) serves the various components of the concrete industry. It has about one hundred technical committees, and the documents produced by these committees are arranged into five groups in the nine-part ACI Collection of Concrete Codes, Specifications, and Practices (most recent edition in Engineering Library Reference, TA681.A64; older editions in Engineering Stacks) which includes almost all of the Institute's codes, standards, and committee reports including 318: Building Code Requirements for Structural Concrete and Commentary. They include research and administration, materials and properties of concrete, design and construction practices, structural analysis, and special products and processes.
AHRI (Air-Conditioning, Heating, & Refrigeration Institute)
The Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) is a voluntary, nonprofit organization comprised of the manufacturers of air conditioning, refrigeration, and heating products. AHRI maintains a continuously evolving portfolio of over 100 performance rating standards and guidelines for the HVACR and water heating industry. Many AHRI standards are accepted as American National Standards.
AMPP (Association for Materials Protection and Performance)
Formed in 2021 by the merger of NACE (National Association of Corrosion Engineers) and SSPC (Society for Protective Coatings).
Develops and disseminates surface preparation standards and other standards relevant to corrosion control and protective coatings.
ANSI (American National Standards Institute)
ANSI is the national coordinator of voluntary standards activities in the U.S. ANSI approves and publishes standards after they are developed by various engineering, industry and professional groups. ANSI is the U.S. representative to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC).
ANSI Incorporated by Reference (IBR) Portal
The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Incorporated by Reference (IBR) Portal provides a one-stop mechanism for access to standards that have been incorporated by reference in the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). These standards incorporated by the U.S. government in rulemakings are offered at no cost in “read only” format and are presented for online reading. There are no print or download options.
ASHRAE (American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers)
The Society is involved with research, standards writing, continuing education and publications. Search for "ASHRAE handbook" in the UW Libraries Search to see the various ASHRAE manuals held in the UW Libraries.
ASHRAE offers free previews/read-only access to some of their standards. See what is available for free (These standards are read-only and can not be downloaded.)
ASME (The American Society of Mechanical Engineers)
ASME produces standards related to piping, fittings, cranes, elevators, screw threads, and other areas of interest to ASME. The ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code is a well known publication. This code is comprised of 11 volumes and is located in the Engineering Library Standards area on the 1st floor at call number: TJ290 .A514.
ASTM
ASTM was originally known as the American Society for Testing and Materials. ASTM International is one of the largest voluntary standards development organizations in the world. They develop technical standards for materials, products, systems, and services. ASTM Standards have an important role in the information infrastructure that guides design, manufacturing and trade in the global economy.
The UW Libraries has access to ASTM Standards online via the ASTM Compass Digital Library. (NOTE: If you have trouble connecting via the Proxy, try installing the Husky OnNet VPN. Firefox is required for off-campus access, access will not work with the UW proxy or Chrome or Edge browsers.) The UW Libraries also has historical editions of the Annual Book of ASTM Standards in print.
AWS (American Welding Society)
The American Welding Society (AWS) works to advance the science, technology, and application of welding and related joining disciplines. AWS has published more than 140 standards under the guidelines of the American National Standards Institute.
ETSI (European Telecommunications Standards Institute)
European Telecommunications Standards Institute provides a searchable catalog and free access to their standards.
IEEE Standards are developed by the IEEE Standards Association. The UW Libraries provide access to these standards in full-text online at the IEEE Xplore Digital Library (Draft Standards are not included in access). (UW Restricted).
Included also are the Interpretations of IEEE Standards, which provide answers to questions that may arise related to the meaning of portions of an IEEE standard concerning specific applications. Interpretations explain and clarify the intent of the standard; they do not constitute an alteration to the original standard or supply consulting information.
NEMA (National Electrical Manufacturers Association)
The National Electrical Manufacturers Association is the trade association through which the electrical industry develops and promotes positions on standards and government regulations.
NFPA (National Fire Protection Association)
The NFPA advocates scientifically-based consensus codes and standards, research, and education for fire and related safety issues. NFPA offers free read-only access to their codes and standards. They do require you to create a free account in order to view the documents. (These standards are read-only and can not be downloaded.)
NISO (National Information Standards Organization)
The National Information Standards Organization (NISO) develops and promotes technical standards used in a wide variety of information services. NISO Standards are available for free on the NISO website.
NIST (National Institute of Standards & Technology)
NIST's primary mission is to promote U.S. economic growth by working with industry to develop and apply technology, measurements, and standards.
OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration)
"Regulations and Compliance Links provides a comprehensive and easy to use resource for current OSHA standards and compliance-related information. Not all interpretations which have been issued by OSHA are included on "Regulations and Compliance Links". OSHA maintains a searchable database of OSHA Regulations.
SAE International (Society of Automotive Engineers)
SAE Mobilus is a vast repository of authoritative technical content including SAE standards and technical papers. The Standards portion of SAE Mobilus references thousands of SAE standards. SAE publishes many new, revised, and reaffirmed standards each year in three categories: Ground Vehicle Standards (J-Reports); Aerospace Standards; and Aerospace Material Specifications (AMS). [UW Restricted].
Underwriters Laboratories (UL)
UL is involved in the U.S. Safety System, developing the UL Mark symbol of safety. UL's activities involve evaluating more than 16,500 different types of products for safety hazards, developing standards to test products, and registering the quality systems of organizations worldwide to various quality standards, including ISO 9000 and QS-9000 standards. UL maintains a catalogue of their standards, but there is no online access.
The UW Engineering Library has a print collection of historical UL standards. Search for UL in the Engineering Library Standards Database to see which ones.
Military & Government Standards
Anyone doing business with a defense contractor or a company that does business with the US government will likely encounter Military Standards. Typical acronyms include MIL-STD, MIL-SPEC, MIL-HDBK. You can often find copies of these on the web.
ASSIST: the Department of Defense Military Specifications, Standards and Related Publications
ASSIST is the official source for specifications and standards used by the Department of Defense. ASSIST is a robust, comprehensive web site used by standardization management activities to develop, coordinate, distribute, and manage defense and federal specifications and standards, military handbooks, commercial item descriptions, data item descriptions, and related technical documents prepared in accordance with the policies and procedures of the Defense Standardization Program (DSP). Besides DoD-prepared documents, ASSIST also has selected international standardization agreements, such as NATO standards ratified by the United States and International Test Operating Procedures. Overview of ASSIST.
Department of Energy (DOE) Technical Standards
As stated, the mission of the DOE Technical Standards Program is to: "...enhance DOE's transition to a standards-based culture by providing information, coordinating activities, and promoting the use of consensus standards, and when needed, the development of DOE technical standards." The website includes a searchable database to efficiently access the most relevant information.
EverySpec.com
Provides free downloads of government and military standards, specifications, handbooks, and documents. They offer a collection of military specifications and standards that provides mission critical data that is needed for research and design, purchasing, bidding, logistics and related applications.
Defense Logistics Agency Mil Specs & Drawings
This web site provides courtesy copies of documents managed at DLA Land and Maritime. Search for specs and standards. Full text available.
United States Military Standards
This Wikipedia article gives a brief overview and provides explanations of many acronyms.
International Standards Organizations
IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission)
The IEC prepares and publishes international standards for all electrical, electronic and related technologies. Explore the IEC technical publications on their site. Search our database to see the IEC standards in our collection.
ISO (International Organization for Standardization)
ISO is a non-governmental organization established in 1947.The ISO 9000 family of standards for quality management is a well known ISO product. The mission of ISO is to promote the development of standardization and related activities in the world with a view to facilitating the international exchange of goods and services, and to developing cooperation in the spheres of intellectual, scientific, technological and economic activity. ISO maintains a searchable online catalogue of international standards, which are not freely available online.
The UW Libraries does have a selection of print ISO standards, purchased upon request. Check the Engineering Library Standards Database to search for a print ISO standard held in the Engineering Library.
We also have online access to ISO Standards that are EN/European ISO-adopted via the ASTM Compass Digital Library*. ASTM has partnered with AENOR and offers all European Normative Standards (ENs) as well as all European ISO adopted Standards. Search by standard number or title words. Limit to "My Subscription." [UW Restricted]
*PLEASE NOTE: Installation of the Husky OnNet VPN and the Firefox browser are required for off-campus access to ASTM Compass Digital Library.
ITU (International Telecommunications Union)
The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is an international organization which provides global telecommunication standards. ITU-T Recommendations (standards), form the foundations of the information and communications technologies of today. Get free access to ITU-R and to most "in force" ITU-T Recommendations, as well as numerous other popular publications such as the 2020 Radio Regulations.