1.1 This standard defines terms related to conformity assessment. It includes terms used in those standards under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee E36. When definitions are those used by other ASTM committees, the committee designation is given in parentheses after the definition. When definitions are based on those used by other organizations, the symbol or abbreviation of the name of the organization is given. In either case, a postscript letter is used to indicate the degree of correspondence between the definition given herein and that in the citation. Postscript "A " indicates the definition is identical to the definition cited by the organization indicated. Postscript "B " indicates the given definition is a modification of that cited, though the essential meaning differs little. Postscript "C" indicates the given definition differs substantially from the one cited.

1.2 Since conformity assessment is being carried out by many accrediting bodies in several fields of testing and numerous product areas, usage of descriptive terms varies considerably. There is no attempt to include all conformity assessment terms in this standard, but to concentrate on those most commonly encountered.