Corporations doing international business may choose to reference an ASTM standard.Other governments (local and worldwide) also have referenced ASTM standards.The Act reflects what had long been recommended as best practice within the federal government. The National Technology Transfer and Advancement Act, passed in 1995, requires the federal government to use privately developed consensus standards whenever possible. In the United States, ASTM standards have been adopted, by incorporation or by reference, in many federal, state, and municipal government regulations.The standards, however, may become mandatory when referenced by an external contract, corporation, or government. ASTM International has several awards for contributions to standards authorship, including the ASTM International Award of Merit (the organization's highest award) ASTM International is classified by the United States Internal Revenue Service as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.ĪSTM International has no role in requiring or enforcing compliance with its standards. The members serve on one or more of 140+ ASTM Technical Committees. Members can, however, participate without a formal vote and their input will be fully considered.Īs of 2015, ASTM has more than 30,000 members, including over 1,150 organizational members, from more than 140 countries. Because of these restrictions, there can be a substantial waiting-list of producers seeking organizational memberships on the more popular committees. 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. Users include industry users, who may be producers in the context of other technical committees, and end-users such as consumers. The latter includes academics and consultants. Members are classified as users, producers, consumers, and 'general interest'. Membership in most committees is voluntary and is initiated by the member's own request, not by appointment nor by invitation. Standards are developed within committees, and new committees are formed as needed, upon request of interested members. Membership in the organization is open to anyone with an interest in its activities. Now, ASTM International has offices in Belgium, Canada, China, Peru, and Washington, D.C. In 2014, it changed the tagline to 'Helping our World Work better'. In 2001, ASTM officially changed its name to “ASTM International' and added the tagline 'Standards Worldwide'. Originally called the 'American Society for Testing Materials' in 1902, it became the 'American Society for Testing And Materials' in 1961.

The group developed a standard for the steel used to fabricate rails. A group of scientists and engineers, led by Charles Dudley, formed ASTM in 1898 to address the frequent rail breaks affecting the fast-growing railroad industry.

Astm standards