Standards
An engineering standard is a documented guideline that outlines specific criteria for materials, products, processes, or services within the engineering field. These standards are essential for ensuring safety, consistency, and quality across various engineering disciplines. By establishing clear, universally understood benchmarks, engineering standards enable interoperability and compatibility between equipment and systems from different manufacturers. They are also crucial for meeting regulatory requirements and ensuring that engineering projects are carried out efficiently and effectively, leading to reliable outcomes and enhanced public safety.
Engineering standards are typically created by professional standards organizations that are recognized nationally or internationally. These organizations, such as ASTM International, ISO (International Organization for Standardization), and IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers), bring together industry experts, representatives from academia, government, and other stakeholders to develop consensus-based standards. In some cases, industry-specific standards are developed by professional associations or regulatory bodies dedicated to particular sectors of engineering, ensuring that the standards reflect the latest technological advances and safety considerations.
Specifications
Engineering specifications are detailed sets of instructions that outline essential criteria, parameters, and standards for engineering projects or products. These specifications serve as a blueprint, ensuring that all components and systems meet necessary safety, performance, and quality standards. They are primarily used by engineers, architects, and construction managers who rely on these documents to guide the design, development, and assembly processes. By adhering to these specifications, professionals can ensure consistency, facilitate compliance with regulatory requirements, and achieve the desired level of functionality and reliability in their projects.
Here is a list of standards & specifications databases available at UNB Libraries.
ASTM Compass - International Standards & Digital Library includes all 13,000 active ASTM standards (equivalent to the printed 82 volumes), the historical standards back to 1998, as well as the withdrawn and redlined version comparisons. In addition, it includes full-text access to Manuals, Monographs, Data Series, STPs (Special Technical Publications) and almost a dozen Journals dating back to the 1930s.
The Canadian Standards Association is a not-for-profit standards development, membership-based association, in business, industry, government and consumers. CSA is the largest standards development organization (SDO) in Canada and is accredited in Canada and the U.S. to develop standards in a wide range of subject areas.
UNB Libraries’ subscribes to the Complete CSA Collection package which includes over 3,000 current and historical (including IT and Telecommunications standards) and standard related documents such as handbooks, guidelines and commentaries.
Provides access to current, revised and superseded standards in the field of electrical and computer engineering.
ASCE Standards provide technical guidelines for promoting safety, reliability, productivity, and efficiency in civil engineering. UNB Libraries have purchased all of the ASCE Standards from the year 2013 and earlier and 2018, 2019 and 2020.
The Materials Standards guide contains specifications, test methods, and provisional standards commonly used in the construction of highway facilities and are updated three times per year – in April, June, and July.
The Engineering and Computer Science Library owns a number of BSI, IEC, ISA, ISO and TAPPI standards that are listed individually in our library catalogue. We purchase them based on our request from faculty, students and staff.
Publicly Available Standards (Free)
The organizations listed below offer some or all of their standards to the public at no cost. However, accessing most of these standards typically requires registration and adherence to each organization's specific guidelines.
Standards Search Engines
If UNB libraries do not have the standards you need in either print or electronic formats, consider using a search engine relevant to your research area to find standards from various standards-developing organizations. These search engines offer a fast way to locate the necessary standards. Should you identify a standard that suits your research needs, please consult with Saran Croos, the Engineering and CS Librarian, who can assist in acquiring or locating the standard.
Using Accuris you can locate more than 550,000 standards and codes from over 150 standards organizations.
The ANSI Webstore is a searchable online electronic standards database that provides access to U.S. and international standards. You can search for standards from over 150 standards publishers.
Using Intertek Inform you can search for more than 1.6 million standards from over 360 publishers.
Using the Standards Council of Canada Search engine, you can locate more than 100,000 active and withdrawn Canadian and international standards from BNQ (Quebec), CGA, CGSB, CSA, IEC, ISO and ULC.
