Structural steel — Standardization. Designations

In the context of the "single market" and the "free movement" of products, standardization is a fundamental element of European trade, not only in terms of product definition, but also in terms of methods for assessing the quality criteria used to define products (test methods – sampling, control documents, etc.).

In the field of steel standardization, the European Committee for Iron and Steel Standardization (ECISS) was set up in 1986, and currently comprises 31 technical committees.

At international level, there is the ISO (International Standardization Organization) which, like the CEN (European Committee for Standardization), covers all aspects of standardization, and whose technical committee TC 17 is responsible for steel standardization.

In France, standardization is the responsibility of AFNOR (Association française de normalisation).