ANSI (American National Standards Institute) is a private, nonprofit organization that coordinates the U.S. voluntary standards and conformity assessment system. ANSI does not develop standards itself or certify products. Instead, it accredits standards developers and approves qualifying documents as American National Standards (ANS) when they meet established requirements for openness, balance, due process, and consensus.
ANSI’s standards framework applies across industries such as manufacturing, electrical engineering, energy, transportation, and technology. In the battery industry, ANSI-approved standards are particularly relevant to battery systems, electric vehicles, energy storage, testing, safety, and quality assurance.
What Is ANSI?
The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) was established in 1918 to coordinate and administer the U.S. voluntary standards and conformity assessment system. It is not a government agency and does not itself write technical standards.
ANSI works with standards-developing organizations, industry, government agencies, professional associations, and other stakeholders to support a consistent standards-development process.
In simple terms, ANSI provides oversight for how American National Standards are developed and approved rather than writing the technical requirements itself.
What Is an ANSI Standard?
An ANSI standard, more precisely an American National Standard (ANS), is a voluntary consensus standard developed by an ANSI-accredited standards developer and approved through ANSI’s oversight process.
For a standard to receive ANSI designation, its development must follow ANSI’s Essential Requirements, which address:
- Openness and participation
- Balance among interested parties
- Consideration of views and objections
- Consensus
- Due process
- Appeals
- Coordination and harmonization
ANSI currently works with hundreds of accredited standards developers. Only ANSI-accredited standards developers can submit documents for approval as American National Standards.
How Are ANSI Standards Developed?
The process generally involves:
- Standards project initiation by an accredited standards developer.
- Stakeholder participation through a consensus body.
- Drafting and public review of the proposed standard.
- Voting and consideration of comments and objections.
- Resolution of comments and appeals, where applicable.
- ANSI review and approval based on evidence that the required process and consensus requirements were followed.
- Publication and maintenance of the approved American National Standard.
Therefore, seeing “ANSI” in a standard’s designation does not mean ANSI wrote the standard. It indicates that the document has gone through the applicable ANSI approval process.
What Does ANSI Certification Mean?
ANSI certification is not a general certification issued by ANSI. ANSI states that it does not certify products, processes, services, personnel, or management systems.
Instead, certification is a conformity assessment activity in which an independent body provides written assurance that a product, process, service, person, or management system meets specified requirements.
The terms can be separated as follows:
| Term | Meaning |
| ANSI | Coordinates the U.S. voluntary standards and conformity assessment system |
| American National Standard (ANS) | A voluntary consensus standard approved through the ANSI process |
| Certification | Independent confirmation that specified requirements have been met |
| Accreditation | Third-party recognition of an organization’s competence to perform specified activities |
ANSI’s affiliate, the ANSI National Accreditation Board (ANAB), accredits conformity assessment bodies such as testing laboratories and certification bodies.
Are ANSI Standards Mandatory?
ANSI standards are generally voluntary, not laws. However, a voluntary standard can become mandatory when it is incorporated by reference into a regulation or required through a contract, procurement specification, or other applicable requirement.
For manufacturers, this means that compliance should always be evaluated against the specific standard, regulation, customer specification, and intended application rather than assuming that every ANSI standard is legally required.
What Are ANSI Standards Used For?
ANSI-approved standards can establish consistent requirements, specifications, test methods, terminology, performance criteria, and safety practices.
They are used across areas such as:
- Electrical and electronic equipment
- Industrial manufacturing
- Automotive and transportation
- Construction
- Energy
- Information technology
- Product and workplace safety
- Consumer products
For B2B manufacturers and suppliers, applicable standards can provide a common technical reference for product development, testing, qualification, procurement, and conformity assessment.
Why Are ANSI Standards Important in the Battery Industry?
The battery industry covers cells, modules, battery packs, BMS, electric vehicles, and energy storage systems. Since requirements vary by product and application, manufacturers need to follow the standards relevant to their specific use case.
There is no single universal “ANSI battery standard.” Different ANSI-approved standards address specific battery technologies and applications.
1. Stationary and Auxiliary-Power Batteries
ANSI/CAN/UL 1973:2022 covers batteries for stationary and motive auxiliary-power applications, including certain energy-storage, UPS, rail, and vehicle auxiliary-power uses. It also addresses the battery system’s response to simulated abuse conditions.
2. Light Electric Vehicle Batteries
ANSI/CAN/UL/ULC 2271:2023 covers electrical energy storage assemblies, including battery packs and modules, used in light electric vehicles (LEVs). Its scope is application-specific and excludes certain on-road EV categories covered by other standards.
3. Battery Energy Storage Systems
ANSI/CAN/UL 9540:2023 applies to energy storage systems and equipment, including systems that store and supply electrical energy. Because it is a system-level standard, it should not be treated as a general standard for individual batteries.
4. Thermal Runaway and Fire Propagation
ANSI/CAN/UL 9540A:2026 provides a test method for evaluating the fire and explosion characteristics of battery energy storage systems capable of thermal runaway. Its results can support decisions on installation spacing and fire- and explosion-protection measures.
5. Battery Reliability and Quality Assurance
CSA/ANSI C800-2025 provides a testing protocol for electrical energy storage system reliability and quality-assurance programs. It helps manufacturers and other industry stakeholders evaluate system reliability through structured testing.
Overall, the applicable ANSI-approved standard depends on the battery type, system design, intended application, and market requirements. Manufacturers should therefore identify the specific standard and edition relevant to their product rather than making a broad “ANSI compliant” claim.
Benefits of Applicable ANSI Standards for Battery Manufacturers
Using the correct standards can help battery companies establish consistent technical and testing requirements across product development and supply chains.
Key areas include:
- Product testing: Provides defined methods for evaluating specified characteristics.
- Safety evaluation: Supports assessment against application-specific safety requirements.
- Quality assurance: Creates structured testing and documentation expectations.
- Supplier qualification: Gives OEMs and buyers objective technical requirements for evaluating products.
- System integration: Helps manufacturers address requirements that apply to batteries within larger electrical systems.
- Market requirements: Helps companies identify standards referenced by customers, regulations, codes, or procurement specifications.
However, an ANSI designation alone does not establish that a battery is universally safe, suitable, or superior. Manufacturers must verify the exact standard, edition, scope, test requirements, certification pathway, and intended application.
ANSI vs ISO vs IEC: What Is the Difference?
| Organization | Primary role |
| ANSI | Coordinates the U.S. voluntary standards and conformity assessment system |
| ISO | Develops international standards across many industries |
| IEC | Develops international standards primarily for electrical, electronic, and related technologies |
ANSI also represents the United States in ISO and participates in international electrotechnical standardization through the U.S. National Committee to the IEC.
For battery manufacturers serving international markets, understanding both U.S. and international standards can be important when developing products for different regions.
How Can Battery Manufacturers Demonstrate Compliance?
A typical standards and conformity assessment process can be summarized as:
Identify applicable requirements → Select the correct standard → Test or evaluate the product → Address nonconformities → Complete applicable certification → Maintain documentation and ongoing conformity.
The exact process depends on the product, standard, market, and customer or regulatory requirements.
Manufacturers should therefore avoid making a broad “ANSI certified” claim unless they can identify the specific applicable certification and conformity-assessment basis. ANSI itself does not issue a general product certification.
Conclusion
ANSI plays a central role in coordinating the U.S. voluntary standards system, but it does not itself write technical standards or certify products. For battery manufacturers, the practical value lies in identifying the specific ANSI-approved standards applicable to the battery, vehicle, energy-storage system, or intended application. Standards such as ANSI/CAN/UL 1973, ANSI/CAN/UL/ULC 2271, ANSI/CAN/UL 9540, ANSI/CAN/UL 9540A, and CSA/ANSI C800 demonstrate how this framework supports different areas of the growing battery and energy-storage industry.
FAQs
ANSI stands for the American National Standards Institute, a private, nonprofit organization that coordinates the U.S. voluntary standards and conformity assessment system.
An ANSI standard is generally an American National Standard (ANS) developed through an ANSI-accredited consensus process and approved under ANSI’s oversight requirements.
No. ANSI accredits standards developers and approves standards as American National Standards when the required consensus and due-process requirements are met.
No. ANSI is not a product certification body. Certification is performed by independent conformity assessment bodies when applicable.
Not generally. They are voluntary unless incorporated into applicable laws or regulations or required through contracts, specifications, procurement requirements, or similar obligations.
They provide application-specific technical references for areas such as battery safety, testing, energy storage, reliability, and quality assurance. The applicable standard depends on the battery’s design and intended use.