Glossary

ANSI stands for the American National Standards Institute, a private, non-profit organization that oversees the development of voluntary consensus standards for products, services, processes, systems, and personnel in the United States. Its primary purpose is to coordinate, accredit, and unify standards developed by other organizations to ensure consistency and reliability across industries. ANSI also serves as the official U.S. representative to international standard-setting bodies, including the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), helping align U.S. practices with global requirements. By promoting uniform standards, ANSI ensures that products and services are safe, reliable, and compatible.

One of ANSI’s most important contributions is its role in accreditation. While ANSI itself does not write standards, it accredits the procedures of standards-developing organizations (SDOs) to ensure they follow requirements for openness, balance, consensus, and due process. This creates a fair and transparent system for developing industry-wide standards. ANSI’s influence extends across many industries, including construction, manufacturing, energy, safety equipment, and information technology.

ANSI’s work has a significant impact on both domestic and global trade. It plays a key role in harmonizing U.S. standards with international ones, helping reduce trade barriers and ensuring American products can compete in worldwide markets. For example, consistent standards guarantee that a product designed in the U.S. meets compatibility and safety expectations overseas.

In the fastener industry, ANSI standards are especially important. They define specifications for bolt, screw, and nut sizes, materials, strength grades, and testing methods. These standards ensure that fasteners manufactured in different locations are interchangeable and reliable. For example, a bolt produced in one state will fit properly with a nut made in another, thanks to the consistency provided by ANSI standards.