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Standards

Documentary standards

Documentary Standards can specify definition of terms; classifications of components; delineation of procedures; specification of dimensions, materials, processes, products, systems, services or practices; test methods and sampling procedures; or descriptions of fit and measurements of size or strength. Under the National Technology Transfer and Advancement Act (NTTAA), NIST is assigned responsibility to coordinate federal, state, and local documentary standards and conformity assessment activities.

Three NIST handbook covers in green, purple and gray.

NIST Handbooks

The NIST Handbooks are one of several types of documentary standards produced within the Office of Weights and Measures (OWM) that pertain to areas of legal metrology, laws, regulations, measurement devices, and specifications and tolerances. NIST Handbooks contain recommended codes of engineering and industrial practice (including safety codes) developed in cooperation with interested industries, professional organizations, and regulatory bodies. For more background on the origin of the NIST Handbooks, please see The NIST Handbooks and NCWM: A Brief History.

News

Catherine Cooksey adjusting a machine for the measurement of transmittance.

Key Comparisons: Transmitting Correct Measures All Around the World

New employees at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) are often surprised to learn that our agency is part of the Department of Commerce. How could this be? On the surface it seems that the missions of the two organizations couldn’t be more different. The Department of Commerce would appear to be concerned with, well, commerce, while NIST is well known for its Nobel Prize