What Does ISO Mean?

Ask a room full of managers what ISO stands for and you’re likely to hear a dozen confident answers, most of them wrong. The three letters show up on camera dials, quality certificates, shipping containers, and the spine of nearly every book you own, yet ISO means different things to different people. So what does ISO stand for, and what does it even mean?

The short answer is that ISO is not an acronym at all. Once you understand where the name comes from, the connection between film speed, screw threads, and the ISO 9001 quality management standard starts to make a lot more sense. Let’s learn the real meaning of ISO and clear up the confusion for good.

What Does ISO Mean?

Many people think ISO stands for something, that it’s an acronym for the developer and publisher of International Standards, the International Standards Organization. But that ISO organization is actually called the International Organization for Standardization, or IOS.

Since the IOS is an international organization, it would have a different acronym in different languages. Hence the ‘ISO’ in English versus the ‘IOS’ in another language, or the ‘OIN’ in French (Organisation internationale de normalisation). To avoid a different set of initials in every country, the founders needed one short name that worked everywhere.

So the ISO standards are not named after an acronym. The ISO definition comes from the Greek word ‘isos’ for equal. All ISO standards use the name ISO to mean ‘isos’ and not to mean an acronym I.S.O. So now, no matter what country or language ISO is used in, the ISO standards are always pronounced the same. It is not an I.S.O. standard as many people think, it is an ISO standard. ISO is one word, with no pauses or periods.

What Is ISO?

Vintage 35mm film camera and film canisters on a wooden desk illustrating ISO film speed

To answer “what is ISO” you may remember the term ISO being used on canisters of film to denote the film speed. ISO 400 meant the amount of light needed for exposure for the chemical emulsion process to take place. Higher ISO numbers mean a greater sensitivity to light. Today film is mostly a digital process, but the nomenclature is still used on digital cameras to represent the digital sensor’s response to light, its sensitivity, or digital film speed.

ISO (International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards bodies, with a member body in each country. The object of ISO is to promote the development of standardization and related activities in the world with a view to facilitating the international exchange of goods and services, and to developing cooperation in the spheres of intellectual, scientific, technological and economic activity. The results of ISO technical work are published as International Standards.

The ISO film speed standard is just one such standard out of more than 20,000 International Standards used to promote worldwide trade. From the food you eat to the aircraft you fly in, standardization quietly makes modern commerce possible.

What Is ISO 9000?

Two quality auditors reviewing an inspection checklist on a manufacturing facility floor

The ISO 9000 family of standards represents an international consensus on best quality management system practices, with the aim of ensuring that an organization can continuously deliver products or services that meet the client’s quality requirements. These best practices have been distilled into a set of standardized requirements for a quality management system, ISO 9001, regardless of what your organization does, its size, or whether it is in the private or public sector.

Why Implement ISO 9001?

Quality manager presenting an ISO 9001 quality report to an engaged team in a meeting room

To keep customers satisfied, your product or service needs to meet their requirements. ISO 9001 provides an internationally tried and tested framework for taking a systematic approach to managing your business processes, your organization’s activities, so that they consistently turn out products conforming to customer expectations. The result is consistently happy customers.

What’s more, many industries all over the world now require it from their subcontractors, including the automotive (IATF 16949), aviation (AS9100), and government and military sectors. The bottom line is that more and more, customers are demanding a commitment to, and proof of, quality.

How Does the ISO 9001 Standard Work?

Operations manager reviewing printed business process flowchart pages at a desk

The requirements for a quality system have been standardized even though most of us think our business is unique. So how does ISO 9001 allow for the diversity of a small enterprise versus a multinational manufacturing company with service components, or a public utility, or a government administration?

ISO 9001 Requirements

The answer is that ISO 9001 lays down the requirements your quality system must meet, but does not dictate how you should meet them within your organization. That leaves great scope and flexibility to implement the ISO 9001 Standard across different business sectors and business cultures, as well as different national cultures.

ISO 9001 Standards Family

The ISO 9000 standards family consists of standards that give organizations guidance and requirements on what constitutes an effective quality management system. ISO 9004 and its other parts are the standards giving guidelines on the elements of quality management and a quality system.

The family also includes the ISO 9001:2015 criteria, which can be used to audit the organization to provide clients assurance that the system is operating effectively. Lastly, the family includes ISO 9000, which is a standard on terminology that can be described as a supporting tool, and others like ISO 19011 to provide guidance on specific aspects, such as auditing quality systems.

How to Become ISO 9001 Conforming

We have many articles on how to become ISO 9001 compliant. Check out our ISO category for more articles and information on ISO requirements, compliance, registration, and how to get started.

What Are Some Common ISO Examples?

Stacked intermodal freight containers at a shipping port made possible by international standardization

Take a look at the graphical symbols on the dashboard of your car, or at the pictorial symbol on a package marked with handling instructions such as “This way up.” Various ISO technical committees have developed or adopted hundreds of carefully researched signs and symbols that convey clear-cut messages which cross language boundaries.

ISBN Is Based on ISO

On the inside cover of nearly every book, there is something called an ISBN number. ISBN stands for International Standard Book Number. Publishers and booksellers are very familiar with ISBN numbers, since they are the key way that books are ordered and bought. Try buying a book on the internet, and you will soon learn the value of the ISBN number: there is a unique number for the book you want, and it is based on an ISO standard.

Almost everything you need and use for work and home comes from somewhere else. Whether departure and destination points are as close as A to B, or as far apart as Antwerp and Bangkok, freight containers ensure a smooth passage for your goods and materials. From truck to train, from boat to plane, there are more than five million freight containers transiting across the globe. This has become possible principally through international standardization.

ISO Standard for Screw Threads

Engineer sorting standardized metric bolts nuts and screw threads on a machine shop workbench

Yet another example: the chair that you’re probably sitting on, or the desk your computer is perched on, are held together by bolts and screws. Humble bolts and screws also hold together our children’s bicycles and the aircraft we trust our lives to during business trips or holiday travel.

The diversity of screw threads used to represent big problems for industry, particularly in maintenance, as lost or damaged nuts and bolts could not easily be replaced. A global solution is supplied in the ISO standards for metric screw threads. A last example: the credit card you may have used to buy your computer can be used worldwide because all its basic features are based on ISO standards. We tend to assume objects like credit or telephone cards just fell out of the sky, when in fact the ease with which we use them can be traced back to an ISO standard.

The ISO 9001 Quality Standard

Quality control inspector measuring a manufactured metal part with calipers on a production line

ISO 9001 was originally designed in 1987 to set management system requirements for business quality, specifically quality in manufacturing. It was revised in 1994, 2000, 2008, and 2015, and now applies to both manufacturing and services. It is in use worldwide by over one million organizations in order to provide consistent quality products that meet customer requirements.

ISO 9001:2015 is built around seven Quality Management System (QMS) principles to increase the focus on management commitment, customer satisfaction, and continuous improvement. You can click to download free ISO 9001:2015 procedures and see how the requirements come together in practice.

Why Implement ISO 9001 Quality?

Leadership team reviewing printed performance charts on a boardroom wall to weigh ISO 9001 benefits

If your reason for implementing the standard is improvement, then it can truly help your organization become better. Here are four great reasons to implement ISO 9001 in your business.

Effectiveness

Ensure your organization continually improves and succeeds. ISO is all about effectiveness.

Marketing

Improve your consistency, customer satisfaction, and competitive advantage. ISO is key to marketing.

Cost

Reduce your Cost Of Quality (COQ). Implementing ISO effectively will drive down costs.

Morale

Demonstrate your quality and commitment to customers, employees, and suppliers, and you will improve morale.

ISO Meaning

ISO means different things to different people. It comes from the Greek word ‘isos’ for equal, but if you want to think of the standards organization itself as ISO, well, at least it works that way in the United States, where we tend to say International Standards Organization. Just remember it is different in other countries. Download free ISO 9001:2015 procedures to see how easy it is to edit MS Word templates and build your own policy and procedure quality management system.

ISO 9000 Links

Below is a list of organizations and publications that provide additional information on ISO 9000 and ISO 14000.

Organizations

Information Sources and Publications

Frequently Asked Questions

Does ISO Stand for International Standards Organization?

No. ISO is not an acronym. The name comes from the Greek word ‘isos’ for equal, so the standards body is pronounced the same in every language even though its full title is the International Organization for Standardization.

What Does ISO Mean on a Camera?

On a camera, ISO refers to film speed, the sensitivity to light. It began as the ISO film speed standard, and higher ISO numbers mean greater sensitivity to light. Digital cameras still use the term to describe the sensor’s response to light.

What Is ISO 9000 Versus ISO 9001?

ISO 9000 is the family of quality management standards, and it also serves as the standard on terminology. ISO 9001 is the specific standard within that family that lays down the requirements an organization must meet to be certified.

Why Is ISO 9001 Important for a Business?

ISO 9001 gives you a tried and tested framework for managing your business processes so they consistently meet customer expectations. It improves effectiveness, supports marketing and competitive advantage, reduces the Cost of Quality, and can lift employee morale.

Where Else Are ISO Standards Used in Everyday Life?

ISO standards are everywhere. They underpin the ISBN numbers on books, the metric screw threads that hold products together, the freight containers that move goods worldwide, and the basic features of the credit cards accepted around the globe.