What Is the International Organization for Standardization (ISO)?

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is an international non-governmental organization made up of national standards bodies; it develops and publishes a wide range of proprietary, industrial, and commercial standards and is comprised of representatives from various national standards organizations.

The organization's abbreviated name—ISO—is not an acronym; it derives from the ancient Greek word ísos, meaning equal or equivalent. Because the organization would have different acronyms in different languages, the founders of the organization decided to call it by the short form ISO.1

Understanding the International Organization for Standardization (ISO)

The International Organization for Standardization was founded in 1947 and is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. The organization began in the 1920s as the International Federation of the National Standardizing Associations (ISA). After being suspended during World War II, the United Nations Standards Coordinating Committee (UNSCC) proposed a new global standards body, and the International Organization for Standardization was formed.2

The ISO works in 167 countries. Members of the organization are the foremost standards organizations in their countries; there is only one member per country. While individuals and companies cannot become members of ISO, there are various ways that industry experts can collaborate with the ISO.3

Activities of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO)

ISO develops and publishes standards for a vast range of products, materials, and processes. Currently, the organization has over 24,362 standards, which are included in the ISO Standards catalog, which is broken down into various segments, such as healthcare technology, railway engineering, jewelry, clothing, metallurgy, weapons, paint, civil engineering, agriculture, and aircraft. In addition to producing standards, ISO also publishes technical reports, technical specifications, publicly available specifications, technical corrigenda, and guides.5

The ISO is important in facilitating world trade by providing common standards among different countries. These standards are intended to ensure that products and services are safe, reliable, and of good quality.

For the end-user and consumer, these standards ensure that certified products conform to the minimum standards set internationally.

In some cases, "ISO" is used to describe the product that conforms to an ISO standard as a result of the ubiquity of these standards. For example, the speed of film, or the sensitivity of a photographic film to light, is referred to by its ISO number (ISO 6, ISO 2240, and ISO 5800).6