National Standards

A Standard is a document, established by consensus that provides rules, guidelines or characteristics for activities or their results. (As defined in ISO/IEC Guide 2:2004). Standards are published documents that set out specifications and procedures designed to ensure products, services, and systems are safe, reliable and consistently perform the way they are intended to. They establish a common language that defines quality and safety criteria. Standards cover everything from consumer products and services, construction, engineering, business, information technology, human services to energy and water utilities, the environment and much more.

Standards play an important role in everyday life. They may establish size or shape or capacity of a product, processing system. They can specify performance of products or personnel. They also can define terms so that there is no misunderstanding among those using the standard. As examples, Standards help/ ensure that photocopy paper fits the photocopying machine, papers of standard size/s can be purchased anywhere in the world, a light bulb fits a socket, and plugs for electrical appliances fit outlets.

The Sri Lanka standards institution popularly called as SLSI is the national standards body of Sri Lanka. Documents established by consensus & approved by the Council of SLSI which are essential to use in every industry. Today, there are about 2000 Sri Lanka Standards that have been developed and approved by the Council of SLSI. National Standards are voluntary and serve interests well because all materially affected stakeholders have the opportunity to work together to create them. SLSI-approved Standards only become mandatory when, and if, they are adopted or referenced by the government regulations or when market forces make them imperative.

Please visit Sri Lanka Standards Institution's website for more information.

To search for standards Please click here