The International Classification for Standards (ICS) is a system for classifying standards into different sectors and subsectors and is used at the international level by ISO, but also by many regional and national bodies publishing and distributing standards. The classification system helps users to find the document they are looking for.
The last update of the ICS was published in 2005. As the industries covered by standards evolve continuously and new technologies emerge, it is also necessary to evolve the ICS.
Many new categories have been introduced, for example Nanotechnologies, Governance and ethics, Forensic science and Biofuels, which reflect either new work or a growing body of work in those sector.
The revision of the system was undertaken by a group of ISO members, the IEC and CEN/CENELEC, under the leadership of ISO’s member for Germany (DIN), and went live on 29 October 2016.
For a full list of ICS codes and an explanation of how it works, please refer to the pdf ICS Version 7. To search the ISO catalogue using the new ICS codes, please click here.
