Subject and Course Guides: Standards: Home

How to find standards

How to find standards online.

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries provides databases for identifying standards. The following is a list of databases which provide citations to standards. In these databases, we do not provide access to the full text of individual standards. If you identify a standard you need that we do not have access to, please contact Nicole Laughlin.

Standards Search Engines

The following free sources assist you in searching worldwide standards. These sources do not provide full text access to standards.

ANSI Standards Portal
ASCE Standards
ASME Standards
Document Center
Access to over 750,000 documents.
IHS Markit
Provides standard number or title/keyword searching.
NIST Standards
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) maintains a Global Standards Information website which has information concerning searching and locating standards. The NIST page also provides links to other sources for searching standards.
SAI Global
Provides access to over 1 million engineering standards. Free registration required to search the database.
TechStreet
Thomson Reuters database of over 400,000 codes and standards.

SAE Technical Papers This link opens in a new window
All SAE Technical Papers from 1998 to present. Includes Ground Vehicle Standards (J-Reports); Aerospace Standards; and Aerospace Material Specifications (AMS).

ASHRAE Read-Only Standards
Part way down the page is the Preview ASHRAE Standards and Guidelines section.
From the publisher: "You may preview the following ASHRAE Standards & Guidelines with the links below. The link will allow you to viewing access [read online] to your selection with the option to purchase your copy with the buy button."
Incorporated by Reference (IBR) Standards Hosted by ANSI
"The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Incorporated by Reference (IBR) Portal provides a one-stop mechanism for access to standards that have been incorporated by reference in the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). These standards incorporated by the U.S. government in rulemakings are offered at no cost in “read only” format and are presented for online reading. There are no print or download options.

Standards available on the ANSI IBR Portal include those developed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), and other standards developing organizations (SDOs) that have signed a terms and conditions agreement with ANSI. To access the standards in PDF format, go to the Hosted by ANSI tab above. All users will be required to install the FileOpen plug-in and accept an online end user license agreement prior to accessing any standards.

In addition to the standards available directly through the portal, several SDOs are offering free access via their own website. Links are provided in the Hosted by SDOs tab..."
Standards Organizations that Offer Free Access to Their Standards
"The majority of standards developing organizations depend on the revenue from the sale of standards to support their programs and services. But a growing number of standards organizations make access to their standards for viewing or download available for no cost."
Please note that some of the organizations list free access to members of their organizations.
This list is maintained by the United States NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology).

Access to standards.

The Engineering Library has access to the full text of standards within the following engineering databases. The text is usually available in PDF, will be the latest updated version, and you may download or print the entire text of the standard.

ASTM Standards & Engineering Digital Library This link opens in a new window
Engineering journals, manuals, technical papers, conference proceedings, and more, published by ASTM. (Full-Text)
Note: UNL does not have full-text access to some materials on the ASTM Compass platform.
ASABE Technical Library (American Society of Agricultural & Biological Engineers) This link opens in a new window
Engineering resources for agriculture, food, and biological systems. Includes technical papers, journal articles, textbooks, reference books, and standards. (Full-Text)
IEEE Xplore This link opens in a new window
Journal articles, proceedings, and standards on the topics of electrical engineering, computer science, and electronics. (Full-Text)
Note: UNL does not have full-text access to some materials on this platform.

If you need a specific standard you cannot find through the resources listed above please contact Nicole Laughlin.

Email Nicole at nlaughlin2@unl.edu with the following information:

1. The full title of the standard.

2. Include the name of sponsoring agency (i.e. International Standards Organization) or standard number (ISO 9001:2008).

We will purchase most requested standards and add them to the Engineering Library collection. We are usually able to obtain the standard within one to two days and we will notify you when received.

In some cases, the cost of the standard may be prohibitive. In this case we will work with you to explore alternative sources of information.