Standards are a reliable basis for making products better, promoting innovation and increasing the marketability of products.
Standards are documents that describe requirements for products, services or processes and are rules of technology. The advantage of a technical standard is that it protects the consumer through quality assurance. Standards also facilitate the free movement of goods, as there is general clarity about the product and its characteristics. Bad surprises can thus be avoided.
The German Institute for Standardisation e.V., DIN for short (https://www.din.de), in Berlin is responsible for standardisation at national level. It is not a state authority, but an independent, non-profit and registered association, founded in 1917. Nevertheless, DIN standards help the legislative process by describing technical issues. This creates a partnership between politics, business and DIN, which enables standardized solutions in business, research and society. Nevertheless, the use of DIN Standards is basically voluntary, unless compliance with them is made mandatory by law or they are referred to in contracts.
The standardization process is a lively one, bringing together more than 35,000 experts from various fields such as business, research, consumers and the public sector. But also private individuals can participate in the process, as anyone can submit a standardisation proposal. After a review by the responsible committee, a content and consensus finding process and a detailed revision by the responsible project team, the finished DIN standard is published. As this process is very comprehensive, the development of a new standard can take several months to years. Finished DIN standards are reviewed every five years to ensure that they are up to date.
Internationally, DIN represents German interests in the European Committee for Standardization (CEN; www.cen.eu/) and in the International Organization for Standardization (ISO; www.iso.org/). International cooperation is important because a common technical language among trading partners promotes global trade.
Method for determination of the fire resistance of non-loadbearing elements of construction (British standard)
Type testing for durability and leakage of smoke control doors
Fire behaviour of building materials and components; fire barriers, verification of automatic closure (continuous performance test)
Test method – air permeability of windows and doors
Test method – water tightness of windows and doors
Test method for resistance to repeated opening and closing of windows and doors
Classification – air permeability of windows and doors
Classification – water tightness of windows and doors
Classification – resistance to wind load of windows and doors
Requirements and test methods for power operated pedestrian doorsets
Test method – determination of resistance under static loading of pedestrian doorsets, windows, curtain walling, grilles and shutters
Test method – determination of resistance under dynamic loading of pedestrian doorsets, windows, curtain walling, grilles and shutters
Test method – determination of resistance to manual burglary attempts of pedestrian doorsets, windows, curtain walling, grilles and shutters
Fire resistance test for door and shutter assemblies, openable windows and elements of building hardware
Smoke control test for door and shutter assemblies, openable windows and elements of building hardware
Requirements and test methods for corrosion resistance of building hardware
Design principles for construction of accessible buildings – publicly accessible buildings
Design principles for construction of accessible buildings – dwellings
Design principles for construction of accessible buildings – public circulation areas and open spaces
Rating of sound insulation in buildings and of building elements – airborne sound insulation
Laboratory measurement of sound insulation of building elements – application rules for specific products
Laboratory measurement of sound insulation of building elements – measurement of airborne sound insulation
Laboratory measurement of sound insulation of building elements – measurement of impact sound insulation
Laboratory measurement of sound insulation of building elements – measurement procedures and requirements
Laboratory measurement of sound insulation of building elements – requirements for test facilities and equipment