Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt

The Euro cucumber with prescribed curvature, uniform apples in the supermarket – these are the things many people think of first when the topic of "standardization" is brought up. But whoever faced the problem during the holidays that the hairdryer plug did not fit into the wall socket of the host country he/she can imagine that international standardization involves many advantages. A thousand different rules make life easier – and help industry to save costs.

No wonder, therefore, that the interest in standards comes from industry itself. Standards are not prescribed by law, but the manufacturers commit themselves to meet the requirements of certain standards. This involves several advantages for them: They may be sure that the components fit other components possibly purchased from other firms (an important factor in the age of globalization). And the firm may advertise by pointing to the high quality of its products.