How to find a standard
How can you find the relevant standard?
For what concerns the European level, electro technical standards are developed by CENELEC, telecommunication standards by ETSI while other sector standards by CEN. Alike respective International Standardisation Bodies are IEC, ITU and ISO.
Each of the National Standardisation Bodies (NSB) offers its own electronic search engine: you can surf directly to the main website of a NSB of your interest and simply follow the instructions how to find the standards that are valid in your country. Some of the NSBs also offer abstracts of selected standards. All European standards can be found on the national level and they are simply preceded by letters EN. In addition, the European Standardisation Bodies CEN, CENELEC and ETSI offer their own search engines and provide also information on the drafts of standards and new work items. CEN and CENELEC established a network of national SME helpdesks that provides direct support to SMEs via e-mail or phone. Similarly, all three International Standardisation Bodies i.e. ISO, IEC or ITU provide services allowing to find a standard via internet.
How to obtain a standard?
The members of CEN and CENELEC are the national standards bodies of the Member States, with "mirror committees" that monitor and participate in the development of European standardisation. CEN and CENELEC standards are only sold by the National Standardisation bodies. The prices of the standards vary according to the member from which they are purchased.
ETSI provides free its individual standards on its website after a simple registration.
International standard organisations sell their standards directly through their electronic portals and their national members. It’s possible to purchase ISO standards and publications via the ISO Store, in addition to buying them from the ISO member in your country.
Please remember that standards are protected by copyrights and it is forbidden to copy them for further distribution or commercial use.