International Standard: as defined in IEC/ISO Guide 2, an IS is a document, established by consensus and approved by a recognized body, that provides, for common and repeated use, rules, guidelines or characteristics for activities or their results, aimed at the achievement of the optimum degree of order in a given context. An international standard is a standard adopted by an international standardizing/standards organization and made available to the public.

The definition given in all IEC standards reads: "A normative document, developed according to consensus procedures, which has been approved by the IEC National Committee members of the responsible committee in accordance with Part 1 of the ISO/IEC Directives as a committee draft for vote and as a final draft International Standard and which has been published by the IEC Central Office."

The word "consensus" is important since it represents a common viewpoint of those parties concerned with its provisions, namely producers, users, consumers and general interest groups. IEC's International Standards are reached by international consensus among the IEC's members (National Committees). Any member of the IEC may participate in the preparatory work of an International Standard, and any international, governmental and non-governmental organization liaising with the IEC also participates in this preparation.

Another vital feature of a truly international standard is the fact that it can be submitted to public enquiry in any country. Thus, through the democratic tools of consensus and public enquiry, any interested party may speak up and have their say in the development and publication of an international standard.

Adoption of IEC standards by any country, whether it is a member of the Commission or not, is entirely voluntary.

The IEC is one of the bodies recognized by the World Trade Organization (WTO) and entrusted by it for monitoring the national and regional organizations agreeing to use the IEC's international standards as the basis for national or regional standards as part of the WTO's Technical Barriers to Trade Agreement.    

Amendment: a normative document developed according to consensus procedures. It is approved by the IEC membership and it changes the technical normative elements of a particular international standard.

Technical Specification: similar to an IS in that it is normative in nature, developed according to consensus procedures and is approved by two/thirds of the Participating Members of an IEC technical committee or subcommittee. A TS is published when required support for an IS cannot be obtained, or when the subject is still under technical development, or when there is a future - but no immediate - possibility of an IS.

Technical Report: more descriptive than normative, this is an informative document of a different kind from normative documents (e.g. collection of data). A TR is approved by simple majority of Participating Members of an IEC technical committee or subcommittee.

Technical Corrigendum: corrects a technical error or ambiguity in an IS. It also corrects information that has become outdated, provided the modification has no effect on the technical normative elements of the document it corrects.

Guide: document giving rules, orientation, advice or recommendations relating to international standardization.

Industry Technical Agreement: a normative or informative document that specifies the parameters of a new product or service. It is developed outside the technical structures of the IEC and it helps to enable production and/or market launch of industry products to proceed. It is similar to an industrial de facto standard or specification. Fast moving technology sectors are the main potential users of ITAs, but the whole domain of electrical and electronic engineering (including ICT) may be covered.

It does not cover horizontal aspects of safety, health, environmental protection and other similar subjects that are normally the province of regulation and consensus standards. ITAs offer a new and dynamic way of achieving market acceptance of a new technology with the IEC's intrinsic seal of approval because they offer:

• quick development time, so costs are limited
• participants have full control because they are sole arbiters of technical content
• acceptance is achieved among participants

Publicly Available Specification: a normative document that represents a consensus among experts. A simple majority of the Participating Members of a technical committee or subcommittee approve the document. An IEC-PAS responds to an urgent market need for such a normative document and is designed to bring the work of industry consortia into the realm of the IEC.

Technology Trend Assessment: highlights certain aspects of a technology that might conceivably become an area for standardization in the near-to-medium term. It responds to the need for global collaboration on standardization questions during the early stages of technical innovation. A TTA gives the state of the art or trend in emerging fields. It is typically the result of pre-standardization work or research.