PUBLICATIONS AlllQS DMEbSS Technology Administration National Institute of Standards and Technology NIST Special Publicatiot1903 Directory of U.S. Private Sector Product Certification Programs Charles W. Hyer, Editor NIST Special Publication 903 Directory of U.S. Private Sector Product Certification Programs Charles W. Hyer, Editor Office of Standards Services Technology Services National Institute of Standards and Technology Gaithersburg, MD 20899-0001 (Supersedes NIST Spec. Publ. 774) July 1996 U.S. Department of Commerce Michael Kantor, Secretary Technology Administration Mary L. Good, Under Secretary for Technology National Institute of Standards and Technology Arati Prabhakar, Director Library of Congress U.S. Government Printing Office For sale by the Superintendent Catalog Card Number: 89-600785 Washington: 1996 of Documents National Institute of Standards U.S. Government Printing Office and Technology Washington, DC 20402 Special Publication 903 (Supersedes NIST Spec. Publ. 774) Natl. Inst. Stand. Technol. Spec. Publ. 903 439 pages (July 1996) CODEN: NSPUE2 . FOREWORD This document updates information contained in NIST SP 774, Private Sector Product Certification Programs in the United States . It is one of a series of publications designed to provide information on national, regional, and international organizations which participate in standards-related activities. This directory includes 178 entries on organizations engaging in product certification activities. Entries describe: the type and purpose of each organization, the nature of the activity, products certified, standards used, certification requirements, any accreditation or recognition by a U.S. or foreign government agency or by the private sector, availability of services, methods of cost determination, and other relevant details. Where available, a representation of the organization's mark is included with each entry, as well as a pictorial index of all such marks The information contained in this directory is based primarily on information provided by each organization, and therefore reflects the organization's view of its own activities. Users of these certification services are encouraged to review and compare the offered services and to select the program most appropriate to their needs This volume supports an effort by the National Institute of Standards and Technology to provide information related to private sector activities in the area of certification. It is designed to serve the needs of federal agencies and standards writers for information on U.S. private sector certification programs. Manufacturers, engineers, specifiers, purchasing agents, and others may also find this directory of value. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank Paul Gerardi, Computer Consultant of Danbury, Connecticut, and the people at Quality Word Processing Services in Brookfield, Connecticut, for all the help they provided in developing the File Maker Pro, Claris for Macintosh database for this Directory information. They also have my thanks for helping with the long and arduous task of entering not only the data, but also for developing the optics methodology for including the program marks for each program and compiling the pictorial index. In addition, their help in converting the Apple Macintosh platform to the PC WordPerfect platform required by NIST was also invaluable. I would like to also thank NIST's Maureen Breitenberg, the Contracting Officer's Technical Representative (COTR) for this contract, and her supporting staff for the patience and help provided in converting my submission to the desired format. I should also like to thank Mary E. Hannon, Esq., Staff Attorney in the Office of the Assistant Commissioner for Trademarks of the Patent and Trademark Office, for providing the help and information needed to include federal registration information. Finally, and of key importance, I would like to thank all the organizations which provided information on their activities. Without their assistance, this directory would not have been possible. While I have tried to be comprehensive, some organizations may have been missed. Organizations which were omitted and which would like to provide updated information to be included in subsequent editions are invited to send pertinent information to: Maureen Breitenberg National Institute of Standards of Technology Office of Standards Services Building 820, Room 282 Gaithersburg, MD 20899 Charles W. Hyer Editor iv ABSTRACT This document, a revision of NIST SP 774, Private Sector Product Certification Procrram in the United States , presents information on 178 private sector groups in the United States which engage in product certification activities. Entries describe the type and purpose of each organization, the nature of the activity, a pictorial representation of the organization's mark (if available) , products certified, standards used, certification requirements, any accreditation or recognition by a U.S. or foreign private sector or government agency, availability of services, methods of cost determination, and other relevant details. This directory is part of an ongoing NIST effort to establish and maintain comprehensive information on standards, regulations, certification programs and related topics. This material has been compiled to meet the needs of government, industry, and the public for information on private sector product certification programs in accordance with the requirements of the U.S. Trade Agreements Act of 1979 and other relevant legislation. Key Words: certification; certification mark; certifiers; conformity assessment; grading; inspection; listing; product approval; registered mark; registration; specifications; standards; testing V / CONTENTS PAGE Foreword iii Acknowledgments , iv Abstract v Section A - Introduction A-1 Section B - Alphabetical Listing of Organizations B-1 Section C - Indices and Related Listings I. Index of Logos/Marks by Organization C-3 II. Index of Organizations C-21 III. Index of Acronyms /Initials C-27 IV. Index by Organizations Cross-Ref erence C-41 V. Index of Products Certified C-45 Section D - Appendices Appendix I - Private Sector Product Certification Directory Questionnaire D-3 Appendix II - References D-5 Appendix III - List of Office of Standards Services Publications D-7 vii " . : , SECTION A INTRODUCTION Background: The Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (also known as the "Standards Code") was one of the major agreements under the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) . It was one of the first international agreements related to trade that recognized the importance of standards and certification systems for "improving efficiency of production and facilitating the conduct of international trade . The U.S. Trade Agreements Act of 1979 implemented the Standards Code in the United States. Title IV of the Act specifies obligations for the Federal Government, including responsibilities bearing on certification. Each federal agency must ensure that foreign products are treated in the same manner as domestic goods. Moreover, the Federal Government is to take reasonable measures to promote similar practices by state governments and the private sector. In addition to this general mandate, the Departments of Agriculture and Commerce are charged with specific actions to be carried out with regard to agricultural and nonagricultural products, respectively. As one of its responsibilities, the Department of Commerce is required to maintain a center for information on standards and such standards-related subjects as conformity assessment, of which certification is an important element. The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) Implementation Act added to these responsibilities, as did the 1994 Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade, negotiated under the Uruguay Round of the Multilateral Trade Negotiations (MTNs) that established the World Trade Organization (WTO) Role of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) The Department of Commerce has designated the International Trade Administration (ITA) and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) (formerly the National Bureau of Standards (NBS) ) to carry out departmental responsibilities with respect to the GATT and WTO Agreements. The NIST functions are conducted within the Office of Standards Services (OSS) . One of the primary objectives of the OSS efforts related to certification is to, improve the accessibility and use of information on U.S. certification and certification programs. OSS believes that this directory will aid in recognizing the diversity (and therefore the complexity) of U.S. private sector product certification activities and will serve as a useful reference for identifying specific programs. Within the OSS, the National Center for Standards and Certification Information (NCSCI) maintains a reference collection consisting of: . U.S., foreign, and international voluntary standards; mandatory U.S. Government regulations; and rules of certification for non-agricultural products. NCSCI serves as a referral service and focal point in the United States for information about standards and standards-related information and responds to requests for such information from governmental and private sector organizations, as well as from individuals in the United States and abroad. Recently, Section 12, "Standards Conformity," of the National Technology Transfer and Advancement Act of 1995 also gave NIST responsibility for coordinating "Federal, State, and local