ASTM Fact Sheet

Established in 1898, ASTM International provides a global forum for the development and publication of international voluntary consensus standards for materials, products, systems and services. Known for their high technical quality and market relevance, ASTM standards are used in research and development, product testing and quality systems. ASTM standards are a critical element of the information infrastructure that guides manufacturing and trade in the global economy.

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Membership

ASTM membership includes more than 30,000 technical experts from 135 countries around the world. These technical experts serve on one or more of ASTM’s 145 technical committees, developing standards for a broad range of areas, including metals, paints, plastics, textiles, petroleum, construction, aviation, energy, the environment, consumer products, electronics, medical services and devices, computerized systems, homeland security and much more.

Products and Services

Approximately 12,000 ASTM standards are published each year and can be found in the 80-volume Annual Book of ASTM Standards or online on the ASTM website. ASTM International also facilitates the generation and dissemination of technical standards information through various specialized publications such as journals, manuals and monographs on specific technical standards topics as well as continuing technical education and training programs for industry and government.

Notable Facts about ASTM International

• Open: 145 countries are represented in the ranks of ASTM’s membership.
• Transparent: ASTM’s standard development process is available and open to all interested parties on an equal, 24/7 basis.
• Relevant: More than 5,000 ASTM standards have been adopted as the basis of national standards or referenced in regulations in countries outside the United States.
• Forward Looking: ASTM International has invested heavily in technology. One example is its work item registration and online balloting systems, which further increase the openness and transparency of its standards development process.
• Global: Approximately 50 percent of ASTM standards are distributed outside the United States; ASTM International has signed memorandums of understanding with national standards bodies of more than 70 nations worldwide.
• Collaborative: For more than 100 years, ASTM has been the forum where industry and government stakeholders come together to create standards that impact people everywhere. Recently formed ASTM technical committees such as E60 on Sustainability and F42 on Additive Manufacturing Technologies are recent examples of this collaborative spirit.