Also called American National Standard
What is ANSI?
The American body that accredits standards developers in the United States. It does not write most standards itself.
What else it is called
- Other names
- American National Standard
- In French
- ANSI
Related entries
Understanding american National Standards Institute
A private non-profit that oversees the development of voluntary consensus standards in the United States. Its role is to accredit the organizations that write standards and to approve the resulting documents as American National Standards, which is why a standard will often be cited with two names: the developing body and this institute.
For a Canadian manufacturer the practical relevance is in reading drawings and specifications from American customers. Dimensioning, safety requirements and test methods on a United States drawing will usually cite standards approved through this route, and they are not automatically the same as the Canadian or international equivalents.
The confusion worth clearing up is that this is not a product certification mark. A Canadian customer asking for a certification mark on equipment is asking about CSA or another accredited certifier, not about this institute.
In practice
When an American drawing cites a dimensioning standard, check which one, because the default rules differ from the international system and a part can satisfy one and fail the other.
Frequently asked
Is an ANSI standard valid in Canada?
Only where a Canadian regulation, code or customer specification calls for it. Many do, particularly on drawings from American customers. It does not substitute for a Canadian certification requirement on regulated equipment.