Standards · Standards worlds
Standards worlds by region: where EN applies, where ASME, where both
Can one say which part of the world uses which standards system? Not as a statistic – there is none. But as a derivation from three layers: what the law of the land demands, which national codes apply beside it and what operators prescribe in their company standards. The table names layer and source for every statement.
- Three layers
- law of the land · national code · industry practice
- Regions
- 13 statements, 12 with a web source, one from experience
- Example
- France: EU law and CODAP – and yet often ASME
- Approval
- regional list Martin Haiß, 30 September 2026; export department reviews
Three layers instead of a world map
A two-colour world map would be wrong. Which standards system applies in a country has three sources that overlap. Layer 1, law of the land: in the EEA the Pressure Equipment Directive carries the harmonised EN standards, and the CEN members must withdraw conflicting national standards; in the USA and Canada the states and provinces prescribe the ASME code by law (the National Board Synopsis lists which); China, Australia, India, Russia and Japan have their own national standards with their own approval chain.
Layer 2, national codes: beside or beneath the big worlds national codes live on – AD 2000 in Germany, CODAP in France, PD 5500 in the United Kingdom. They are recognised rules of engineering, not harmonised standards, and continue to be cited in contracts. Layer 3, industry practice: large operators and plant engineering contractors prescribe in their company standards the world they think in – oil, gas and chemicals mostly ASME and API, regardless of location. A flange in a refinery near Marseille can therefore be a Class 150 flange although the country is EN world.
The regions in the table
Show full table · more than 10 rows
| Region | Layer | Standards world | Statement | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Europe (EU/EEA, Switzerland, Turkey, UK) | law of the land | EN EN 13445 / EN 13480 under PED 2014/68/EU | EN 13445 and EN 13480 are the ruling world because they carry the presumption of conformity under the Pressure Equipment Directive, and the national standards bodies have adopted them. | documented CEI EN 13445 (country list), Arveng EN 13480 vs ASME B31, CEN member list |
| Europe, national codes | national code | EN AD 2000 (DE), CODAP (FR), PD 5500 (UK) | National codes stay in use beside EN: AD 2000 in Germany, CODAP in France, PD 5500 in the UK – recognised rules of engineering, not harmonised standards. | documented Wikipedia PD 5500, CEI, Corrosionpedia |
| International projects (also in Europe) | industry practice | ASME ASME B31 (B31.1, B31.3) | Oil, gas and power projects run on ASME B31 worldwide as soon as American clients or markets with an Anglo-Saxon regulatory tradition are involved. | documented Arveng EN 13480 vs ASME B31 |
| Middle East | industry practice | ASME/API operator specifications (Saudi Aramco SAES, SABIC, ADNOC) | ASME and API are the lived world, resting on operator specifications (Saudi Aramco SAES, SABIC, ADNOC) rather than on a national law – local manufacturers offer European codes in addition. | documented Corrosionpedia, Zamil Steel (Codes and Standards), ADNOC pressure vessel specification |
| North Sea offshore | industry practice | ASME + NORSOK ASME B31.3, NORSOK L-001 / M-630 | ASME B31.3 is the mechanical basis, with NORSOK (Norway) on top and its own material data sheets (M-630) that list ASTM and EN materials side by side. | documented industrialmonitordirect offshore guide, NORSOK L-001/M-630 |
| USA and Canada | law of the land | ASME ASME BPVC / B31 by state law, Canada CSA B51 and CRN | ASME is prescribed by state and provincial law – Canada adds CSA B51 and the provincial registration (CRN). | documented industrialmonitordirect compliance guide, National Board Synopsis |
| China | law of the land | GB/TSG GB/T 150, TSG | For pressure equipment made and operated in China GB/T 150 and the TSG rules are mandatory – imported ASME equipment is admitted when it proves the Chinese safety requirements. | documented industrialmonitordirect ASME vs GB150 |
| Australia | law of the land | AS AS 1210 / AS 4041 | AS 1210 and AS 4041 are the national standards, with design by registered engineers – ASME and EN are accepted as recognised codes. | documented industrialmonitordirect compliance guide |
| India | law of the land | IBR / ASME Indian Boiler Regulations (IBR) | Steam lines and boilers fall under the IBR with their own inspection chain (Form III-C, approved foundries) independent of the manufacturing code – process industry outside the IBR mostly follows ASME. | documented gutevalve IBR guide, Corrosionpedia |
| Russia and Eurasian Economic Union | law of the land | GOST / TR ZU TR CU 032/2013 with EAC, GOST 34347 | TR CU 032/2013 with EAC certification and GOST as the standards world (e.g. GOST 34347 for vessels) – ASME or EN equipment needs the EAC conformity. The EU members in the east belong to the EN world – the GOST heritage concerns the EAEU states. | documented certifier pages on TR CU 032/2013 (schmidt-export, gost-standard) |
| Japan and South Korea | law of the land | JIS / KGS + ASME Export JIS B 8265, JIS B 8267, KGS codes | Own national standards for the home market – Japan JIS B 8265 (pressure vessels) and JIS B 8267 (design) under the High Pressure Gas Safety Act and the Industrial Safety and Health Act, Korea the KGS codes – ASME for export – manufacturers run both. | documented Corrosionpedia, manufacturer brochures |
| Pharma and biotech (worldwide) | industry practice | ASME BPE ASME BPE beside DIN 11866 / ISO 1127 | ASME BPE is the worldwide yardstick for hygienic stainless steel piping, also in Europe – beside DIN 11866 and ISO 1127 as dimension standards. | documented NEUMO (German manufacturer on the BPE committee) |
| Southeast Asia and Africa | industry practice | ASME/API ASME / API | Mostly ASME and API in plant engineering – our experience, not a statistic. | our experience (Zickwolff) |
What we do not know. There are no statistics on what share of a region’s piping is built to EN or ASME. The table says what the law demands, which codes apply and what operators prescribe – not how much of it sits in a warehouse. Statements of the level “experience” rest on our export practice, not on a source; we mark them.
France as the example: EU law, CODAP – and ASME
France shows all three layers at once. As an EU member the Pressure Equipment Directive applies, the harmonised EN standards carry the presumption of conformity (layer 1). Beside it lives CODAP, the French pressure vessel code of the SNCT, as a recognised rule – designed to conform to the PED, still cited in contracts; in nuclear power RCC-M, historically descended from ASME Section III (layer 2). And in export and group projects of the oil and gas industry ASME B31.3 stands in the specification because the client or the market thinks Anglo-Saxon (layer 3).
For a stockholder this means: an enquiry from France is not automatically an EN enquiry. What counts is the project specification – and that names the world. What then fits dimensionally is explained on Mixing standards worlds; the inch connection comes from the ASME dimension table.
Counter-movements and the third world: ISO
Brexit. The United Kingdom has kept the EN standards: BSI remains a CEN member, the Pressure Equipment Directive lives on as UK regulation with “designated standards”, the UKCA mark stands beside the CE mark. Technically nothing has changed for flange and pipe. Commonwealth heritage. In Australia, South Africa and parts of Asia one still meets flanges to BS 10 Table D and E – a third flange world that is neither PN nor Class and for which there is no EN stock part. JIS in Southeast Asia. Japanese plant contractors bring JIS flanges (JIS B 2220) whose JIS 10K bolt circles form a series of their own.
ISO as the third world. ISO wanted to unite the standards worlds and succeeded where nobody lost what they had: ISO 4200 for pipe dimensions, ISO 15156 for materials in sour service (at the same time NACE MR0175), the EN ISO standards for welding and testing. With flanges it failed – ISO 7005 was adopted by neither world. Where an ISO applies today it mostly stands as EN ISO in the European world and as an ASME or API reference in the American one.
Further reading
The standards-worlds topic: Why standards are replaced · How binding standards are · EN and ASME compared · Mixing standards worlds · Standards translator · Materials between the worlds.
From our knowledge base: Standards guide · ASME and ASTM profiles · EN 1092-1 versus ASME B16.5 · ASME flange dimensions · Standards comparison · Inspection documents to EN 10204 · Reading markings · Identifying a component.
Frequently asked questions
Can I supply ASME parts to a customer in France?
If the project specification requires them, yes – and in oil, gas and petrochemicals that is common. For pressure-retaining parts under the Pressure Equipment Directive the ASTM material then needs a material appraisal; see Materials between the worlds.
Does the Pressure Equipment Directive apply in Switzerland and Turkey?
Both countries have adopted it into national law and are CEN members – the EN standards apply there as in the EEA. The table therefore lists them with Europe.
What about Russia and the Eurasian Economic Union?
There the technical regulation TR CU 032/2013 applies with EAC certification and GOST standards; EN or ASME equipment needs EAC conformity. The EU members in the east are EN world – the GOST heritage concerns the EAEU states.
Where do the statements come from?
From standards bodies and inspection bodies, technical articles by engineering firms and certifiers and operator practice; Martin Haiß approved the list on 30 September 2026, the export department reviews it. Every row names its level – documented or experience.
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As of 2 October 2026. Statements taken from forewords and scopes of standards, legal texts (Pressure Equipment Directive, German Betriebssicherheitsverordnung), standards bodies, inspection bodies and technical articles; regional list approved 30 September 2026. No standard text reproduced. Not legal advice.