What does "ISO" stand for? ISO is taken from the Greek word "isos" meaning equal. ISO standards are promulgated by the International Organization for Standardization which refers to itself as ISO. ISO is a network of the national standards institutes of 148 countries with the central office in Geneva, Switzerland.

ISO standards are developed by technical committees published for comment and approved for final publication. There are ISO standards for products and industries. The ISO 9000 and 14000 are quality and environmental management systems respectively.

On the ISO website there is a list of all the ISO standards available. The site also provides access to the standards organizations around the world.

Quest Analytical is presenting information on only a few of the ISO quality management system standards. Some additional standards are noted on the Other Standards page.

ISO 9001

ISO 13485

ISO 16949

ISO 17025