American National Standards Institute
lastmod 2025-05-23created 2025-05-232 edits
The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) is a private nonprofit organization that oversees the development of standards for products, services, processes, systems, and personnel management in the United States, and it joined the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) on behalf of the United States. The institute also works to align U.S. standards with international standards so that U.S. products can be used worldwide.
The institute also approves standards developed by other standards organizations, government agencies, consumer groups, companies, and others. In doing so, it unifies terminology and maintains consistency in product characteristics, performance, test methods, and so on.
The institute also accredits whether certification bodies for products or personnel meet the criteria defined in international standards.
Standards established by the institute are sometimes also called "ANSI". Although they are U.S. national standards, they are often established before the ISO standards of the International Organization for Standardization, and ANSI standards sometimes become ISO standards.