What are ASTM standards and how are they used?
The American Society for Testing and Standards (ASTM), organized in 1898, has grown into one of the largest voluntary standards development systems in the world. ASTM is a not-for-profit organization that provides a forum for producers, users, ultimate consumers, and others to meet on common ground and write standards for materials, products, systems, and services. From the work of 130 volunteer standards-writing committees comprised of 31,100 technically qualified ASTM members worldwide, ASTM publishes more than 10,700 standards each year. The standards are used throughout the world. ASTM standards are used voluntarily and become legally binding only when a government body references them in regulations, or when they are cited in a contract. The standards are used by thousands of individuals, companies, and agencies. Purchasers and sellers incorporate standards into contracts, scientists and engineers use them in laboratories, architects use them in plans, government agencies referenc
