The International Organization for Standardization currently maintains tens of thousands of active international standards, covering nearly every industry and technical discipline.
ISO standards are grouped into families and technical domains. Below is a complete, structured overview of all ISO standards in active use, organised by category.
Management system standards (most widely used)
These are the most recognised ISO standards and the ones that can be formally certified.
- ISO 9001 – Quality management systems
- ISO 14001 – Environmental management systems
- ISO 45001 – Occupational health and safety management
- ISO 27001 – Information security management
- ISO 22301 – Business continuity management
- ISO 50001 – Energy management systems
- ISO 20000-1 – IT service management
- ISO 22000 – Food safety management systems
- ISO 13485 – Medical devices quality management
- ISO 37001 – Anti-bribery management systems
- ISO 37301 – Compliance management systems
- ISO 27701 – Privacy information management
- ISO 39001 – Road traffic safety management
- ISO 55001 – Asset management systems
These standards are commonly audited and certified by accredited certification bodies.
Quality, risk, and governance standards
Used to support management systems and organisational decision-making.
- ISO 9000 – Quality management fundamentals
- ISO 9004 – Sustained organisational success
- ISO 31000 – Risk management guidelines
- ISO 31010 – Risk assessment techniques
- ISO 19011 – Auditing management systems
- ISO 26000 – Social responsibility
- ISO 37002 – Whistleblowing management
Information technology and data standards
Cover software, systems, interoperability, data security, and digital services.
- ISO/IEC 27000 series – Information security standards
- ISO/IEC 20000 series – IT service management
- ISO/IEC 12207 – Software lifecycle processes
- ISO/IEC 15288 – System lifecycle processes
- ISO/IEC 15408 – Common Criteria (IT security evaluation)
- ISO/IEC 38500 – IT governance
Environmental and sustainability standards
Focus on environmental performance, emissions, climate, and sustainability.
- ISO 14000 series – Environmental management
- ISO 14064 – Greenhouse gas accounting
- ISO 14067 – Carbon footprint of products
- ISO 14046 – Water footprint
- ISO 14090 – Climate change adaptation
- ISO 14083 – Transport emissions reporting
Health, safety, and medical standards
Used across healthcare, laboratories, and safety-critical environments.
- ISO 45001 – Occupational health and safety
- ISO 13485 – Medical devices
- ISO 15189 – Medical laboratories
- ISO 14971 – Medical device risk management
- ISO 20345 – Safety footwear
- ISO 45003 – Psychological health at work
Manufacturing and engineering standards
Cover production, tolerances, materials, and industrial processes.
- ISO 9001 – Quality management (manufacturing use)
- ISO 2768 – General tolerances
- ISO 286 – Geometrical product specifications
- ISO 4287 – Surface texture
- ISO 1101 – Geometric dimensioning and tolerancing
- ISO 4063 – Welding and allied processes
Energy, utilities, and infrastructure standards
Used in energy systems, utilities, and built environments.
- ISO 50001 – Energy management
- ISO 55000 series – Asset management
- ISO 41001 – Facility management
- ISO 37101 – Sustainable development in communities
- ISO 37120 – City indicators
- ISO 13600 series – Energy systems
Transport, automotive, and aerospace standards
Used across vehicles, logistics, and aviation.
- ISO 39001 – Road traffic safety
- ISO 26262 – Functional safety (automotive)
- ISO 21434 – Automotive cyber security
- ISO 9001 – Aerospace and automotive variants
- ISO 14083 – Transport emissions
Food, agriculture, and consumer safety standards
Used across food production, farming, and supply chains.
- ISO 22000 – Food safety management
- ISO 22005 – Traceability in food chain
- ISO 22003 – Certification of food safety systems
- ISO 22095 – Chain of custody
- ISO 22059 – Food fraud controls
Security, resilience, and continuity standards
Focus on resilience, crisis response, and organisational security.
- ISO 22301 – Business continuity
- ISO 22316 – Organisational resilience
- ISO 22320 – Emergency management
- ISO 22361 – Crisis management
- ISO 18788 – Private security operations
Consumer products and everyday standards
Standards used in daily life and manufacturing.
- ISO 216 – Paper sizes (A4, A3, etc.)
- ISO 8601 – Date and time formats
- ISO 3166 – Country codes
- ISO 4217 – Currency codes
- ISO 7010 – Safety symbols
- ISO 9999 – Assistive products
How many ISO standards exist in total?
- 24,000+ active ISO standards
- Hundreds revised or replaced each year
- Thousands more withdrawn or superseded
Not all ISO standards are certifiable. Many are guidelines, technical specifications, test methods, or reference frameworks.
Which ISO standards can you be certified to?
Only management system standards (such as ISO 9001, ISO 27001, ISO 14001) are designed for third-party certification.