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ASTM International (ASTM), previously known as the American Society for Testing and Materials, is a non-governmental, not-for-profit international organization that develops and publishes technical standards for a wide range of materials, products, systems, and services. The organization's headquarters is in the small town of West Conshohocken nearby to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the United States.

ASTM's origin predates that of other standards organizations such as the British Standards Institution (BSI), Deutsches Institut für Normung (DIN) and Association Française de Normalisation (AFNOR), but differs from them in that they are national bodies whereas that role in the United States is currently taken by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). However, ASTM has a dominant role among standards developers in the United States, and claims to be the world's largest developer of standards. ASTM has over 33,000 members (representing over 135 countries) and over 140 technical committees where thousands of the members develop and maintain the organization's standards on a volunteer basis.

ASTM publishes the Annual Book of ASTM Standards each year. As of 2008, that publication has 81 volumes and a total of just over 11,900 standards.

History

A group of scientists and engineers, led by Charles Benjamin Dudley, formed the American section of the International Association for Testing Materials (IATM) in 1898 to address the frequent breakage of the rails (in railroad tracks) that plagued the fast-growing railroad industry. The group subsequently developed a standard for the chemical composition and physical properties of the steel used to fabricate rails.

The organization celebrated its Centennial in 1998 with an examination of the group's mission and discussion about their relevance in today's global environment.

In 2001, ASTM changed name to ASTM International to reflect global participation in ASTM and worldwide use of its standards.

Standards

The ASTM defines a standard as being a document that has been developed and established within the principles and approval requirements of the ASTM's procedures and regulations. All of the standards generally fall into one of these six categories:

• Test method: A definitive laboratory or other procedure that produces a test result. Examples of test methods include, but are not limited to: identification, measurement, and evaluation of one or more qualities, characteristics, or properties. A test method also includes a statement regarding the precision and bias of the test method.

• Specification: An explicit set of requirements to be satisfied by a material, product, system, or service. Examples of specifications include, but are not limited to, requirements for: physical, mechanical, or chemical properties, and safety, quality, or performance criteria. A specification also identifies the test methods for determining whether each of the requirements is satisfied.

• Guide: A compendium of information or series of options that does not recommend a specific course of action. A guide increases the awareness of information and approaches in a given subject area.

• Practice: A definitive set of instructions for performing one or more specific operations that does not produce a test result. Examples of practices include, but are not limited to: application, assessment, cleaning, collection, decontamination, inspection, installation, preparation, sampling, screening, and training.

• Classification: A systematic arrangement or division of materials, products, systems, or services into groups based on similar characteristics such as origin, composition, properties, or use.

• Terminology: A document comprising definitions of terms, explanations of symbols, abbreviations, or acronyms.

The Annual Book of ASTM Standards covers 15 sections of interest plus a master index:

1. Iron and Steel Products
2. Nonferrous Metal Products
3. Metals Test Methods and Analytical Procedures
4. Construction
5. Petroleum Products, Lubricants, and Fossil Fuels
6. Paints, Related Coatings, and Aromatics
7. Textiles
8. Plastics
9. Rubber
10. Electrical Insulation and Electronics
11. Water and Environmental Technology
12. Nuclear, Solar, and Geothermal Energy
13. Medical Devices and Services
14. General Methods and Instrumentation
15. General Products, Chemical Specialties, and End Use Products
16. Index to all sections and volumes

ASTM Standards can be purchased as a digital library subscription or individually from ASTM and other qualified standards providers. When maintaining a large standards library, often digital subscriptions are used to simplify staying current on standards and to remain in compliance with all copyright laws. A technical library at a university may also have copies of standards to review.

Membership and organization

Membership in the organization is open to anyone with an interest in its activities. Standards are developed within committees, and new committees are formed as needed, upon request of interested members. Membership in most committees is voluntary and is initiated by the member's own request, not by appointment nor by invitation. Members are classified as users, producers, consumers, and "general interest". The latter include academics and consultants. Users include industry users, who may be producers in the context of other technical committees, and end-users such as consumers. In order to meet the requirements of antitrust laws, producers must constitute less than 50% of every committee or subcommittee, and votes are limited to one per producer company. Because of these restrictions, there can be a substantial waiting-list of producers seeking organizational memberships on the more popular committees. Members can, however, participate without a formal vote and their input will be fully considered.

As of 2007, more than 30,000 members, including over 1100 organizational members, from more than 120 countries, including 120 members in China as of 2005.

Standards Compliance

ASTM International has no role in requiring or enforcing compliance with its standards. The standards, however, may become mandatory when referenced by an external contract, corporation, or government.

• In the United States, ASTM standards have been adopted, by incorporation or by reference, in many federal, state, and municipal government regulations. The National Technology Transfer and Advancement Act, passed in 1995, requires the federal government to use privately developed consensus standards whenever possible. The Act reflects what had long been recommended as best practice within the federal government.
• Other governments (local and worldwide) also have referenced ASTM standards
• Corporations doing international business may choose to reference an ASTM standard.