Artificial Intelligence Notice: ISA prohibits the entry of any ISA intellectual property (“ISA IP”), including standards, publications, training or other materials into any form of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools, such as ChatGPT. Additionally, creating derivatives of ISA IP using AI is also prohibited without express written permission from ISA’s CEO. In the case of such use, ISA will suspend a licensee’s access to ISA IP, and further legal action will be considered. Please review ISA's policies for Use of AI Tools, Intellectual Property and Terms and Conditions for further information.
Important Notice: Print books are temporarily unavailable. As of 12 August 2025, print books are no longer available for purchase on isa.org, but beginning 1 January 2026, they will be available for purchase through our publishing partner, Wiley. Kindle and ePub formats are still available via the links on each book's product page on isa.org. Learn More.
ISA Standards are Practical Solutions from Industry Experts
ISA standards help automation professionals streamline processes and improve safety, cybersecurity and efficiency in operations spanning multiple industry segments. Over 150 consensus standards and guidelines reflect the work and knowledge of more than 3,000 participating experts worldwide.
What is a Standard?
A standard is a set of requirements intended to mark the quality of a process, system, product or material. A body of experts defines a standard based on industry knowledge.
ISA standards are not government regulations. They are voluntary documents that are sometimes referenced in regulations. Contracts between private entities may also include requirements to follow specific ISA standards.
Benefits of Implementing Standards
Standards have many benefits. They offer validation that best practices have been followed. They also help manufacturing and related organizations by harnessing years of experience and expert knowledge to:
Increase human safety
Improve communications
Reduce design and implementation costs
Enable component and systems interchangeability
Reduce downtime and maintenance costs, and the need to keep large inventories
Protect the natural environment
Related Documents that ISA Develops
ISA also develops two types of informative documents that support the understanding and use of ISA standards — but that do not carry the normative standing of an ISA standard:
Recommended practices (RPs) are guidelines that may be followed or adopted to work effectively in specific applications within the scope of an ISA standards committee
Technical reports (TRs)include informative material and guidelines to help users understand and apply an existing standard, or to better understand a topic that is important within the scope of an ISA standards committee
ANSI Accreditation
ISA is accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) to develop industry standards following approved processes to ensure openness and balance — and to prevent dominance by specific interests, companies or organizations.
ANSI is a nonprofit organization, not a government agency. ISA standards participation is open to experts from any country. In fact, individuals working on ISA standards committees are based in more than 40 countries. Membership in ISA is not a requirement.
For us, international standardization at ISA is a rare opportunity to have asset owners, integrators, manufacturers and service providers sit at the same table, discuss their daily challenges, and find consensus how to address them. That’s why we happily volunteer to bring the perspective of admeritia’s customers into ISA’s cybersecurity standards. —admeritia
In the ever-changing world of technology surrounding automation and control systems, having a reliable resource for guidance, standards, and subject matter expertise is invaluable. As an OEM of assembly equipment, AGR has greatly benefited from the insights and information provided by ISA. These resources have been instrumental in equipping and enabling our machines with the technology infrastructure required to integrate them into an Industry 4.0 solution. —AGR
ISA consensus industry standards and associated training and certification programs have had a major impact in advancing safety, efficiency and understanding across the globe. Kenexis is proud to be part of these vital ISA programs. —Kenexis
At Rhize Manufacturing Data Hub, we view ISA-95 as more than a standard: it is an ontology to describe a manufacturing process. Through our participation in ISA, we have been able to make recommendations that advance both our offering and the power of the standard. The ability to collaborate with other ISA-95 practitioners is invaluable. —Rhize
One of the most impactful contributions of ISA has been its leadership in establishing Alarm Management as an international standard. Without ISA's dedicated efforts, this critical aspect of automation may not have gained the widespread adoption and recognition it enjoys today. We also deeply appreciate ISA's inclusive approach to standards development. By welcoming broad participation in standards development, ISA fosters a spirit of collaboration and innovation that benefits the entire industry. ISA is more than an organization, it's a community that empowers professionals to grow, innovate, and make a lasting impact. —TiPS
UCDS recognizes the significant contribution ISA makes to the global automation community. As a consulting company, we leverage the many consensus standards that ISA produces to ensure our clients are provided the best possible guidance to maintain safe and profitable operations. —User Centered Design Services
Willowglen continues to participate in and support ISA and the international standards development process as we have greatly value the opportunity to work with ISA to collaborate with leading automation experts to develop internationally recognized standards in key areas as SCADA, industrial cybersecurity, documentation and functional safety; all of which are core to delivering integrated automation systems across multiple industries. —Willowglen Systems
