What are codes?
Codes are collections of laws and rules which provide correct procedures to maintain uniformity and safety.
Important codes such as the Ontario Building Code and the National Building Code are available in the library.
The Canadian Commission on Building and Fire Codes (CCBFC) develops the National Construction Codes. The building, fire, plumbing and farm building codes are adopted, with or without modifications, and enforced by most provinces and territories.
Standards-writing organizations such as CSA (Canadian Standards Association) publish other Canadian construction codes and standards, such as the Canadian Electrical Code.
What are standards?
Standards are documents that describe the important features of a product, service or system. For example, CSA Standard Z262.34-00 Ice Hockey Pucks specifies a hockey puck's material, size, mass, hardness at room temperature and test methods.
There are thousand of standards in use around the world. They cover everything from the simplest screw thread to the most complex information technology network.
By applying standards, organizations can help to ensure that their products and services are consistent, compatible, safe and effective. Today, products are assembled from components made in different countries, and are then sold around the world, so standards are more important than ever.
Standards affect nearly every product or service we encounter in our daily lives. Just imagine how difficult and dangerous it could be to change a light bulb if there were not standards concerning electric safety, voltage, and light bulb sizes.
The Standards Council of Canada is a federal Crown corporation with the mandate to promote efficient and effective standardization in Canada. It has accredited four standards development organizations: the Canadian General Standards Board (CGSB), the Canadian Standards Association (CSA), Underwriters' Laboratories of Canada (ULC) and the Bureau de normalisation du Quebec (BNQ).
Two of the most important international agencies for standardization are the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). ISO and IEC standards are often adopted by countries as voluntary standards, or included in national rules and regulations.
Standards prepared by some American associations are used as international standards. Here are some examples: American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), and the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE).
The Engineering and Science Library provides access to standards of CSA, CGSB, ASTM, IEEE and other organizations. See the Engineering and Science Library's standards guide.
Indexes to Standards
AISC (American Institute of Steel Construction)
ASTM Standards
Full-text access to active ASTM standards
Canadian Standards Association
Full-text access to the entire collection of CSA standards and standard-related documents.
Global Engineering Documents
This service indexes national, international and industry standards. Use keywords or document number to identify standards or search for known ones to check currency.
NSSN
Searches National and International Standards
TechStreet
Search the history of standards and their current status. Please note that we do not have a subscription to this collection, but it is a good starting point to help define standards relevant to your project.