Deutsches Institut für Normung facts for kids

Logo of the German Institute for Standardization

Head office of the German Institute for Standardization in Berlin-Tiergarten

The Deutsches Institut für Normung e.V. (DIN), which means the German Institute for Standardisation in English, is Germany's main group for creating standards. It is also Germany's representative for the ISO. DIN is a special kind of club or association (called an e.V. in Germany) and its main office is in Berlin.

Right now, there are about 30,000 DIN standards. These rules cover almost every area of technology, from how things are made to how they work.

What is DIN?

DIN creates rules and guidelines that help make sure products and services are safe, reliable, and work well together. These rules are called "standards." For example, a standard might say how big a piece of paper should be, or how a certain electronic plug should look. This helps different companies make things that fit together and work correctly.

History of DIN

DIN started in 1917. Back then, it was called the Normenausschuß der deutschen Industrie (NADI). This means the "Standardisation Committee of German Industry."

In 1926, the group changed its name to Deutscher Normenausschuß (DNA). This means "German Standardisation Committee." They changed the name because they were making standards for many different things, not just for industrial products.

Then, in 1975, they changed the name again to Deutsches Institut für Normung, or 'DIN'. The German government officially recognized DIN as the group that sets national standards. This means DIN represents Germany when it comes to creating rules with other countries in Europe and around the world.

The Old Name Mistake

Many people still think 'DIN' stands for Deutsche Industrienorm, which means "German Industry Standard." This is because of the group's first name, NADI. When NADI first published its rules, they were called DI-Norm (Deutsche Industrienorm). For example, the very first rule they published in 1918 was 'DI-Norm 1'. It was about tapered pins. Even though the name changed, some people still use the old term by mistake.

Famous DIN Standards

One of the earliest and most famous DIN standards is DIN 476. This rule was created in 1922 and it set the sizes for paper, like the A4 paper you might use in school. In 1975, this standard was adopted by the world as ISO 216.

You might also know about DIN and mini-DIN connectors. These are types of plugs used for electronics. Another example is the DIN rail, which is a metal rail used to mount electrical parts in a cabinet.

In 2020, DIN published DIN SPEC 3105. This was special because it was the first German standard to be shared with an open license. This means people can use and share it freely, which helps make the process of creating standards more open.

How DIN Standards are Named

The name of a DIN standard tells you where it comes from and what kind of standard it is. Here's what the names mean:

• DIN #: This is for German standards that are mainly used in Germany or are a first step towards becoming an international standard.
  • E DIN # means it's a draft standard, so it's still being worked on.
  • DIN V # means it's a preliminary standard, which is like a test version.
• DIN EN #: This means it's the German version of a European standard.
• DIN ISO #: This means it's the German version of an international standard from ISO.
• DIN EN ISO #: This is used if a standard has been adopted as both a European standard and an ISO international standard.

Examples of DIN Standards

Here are some examples of rules that DIN has created:

• DIN 476: This standard is about international paper sizes. It is now known as ISO 216 or DIN EN ISO 216.
• DIN 1451: This is a special typeface (a style of letters) used by German railways and on traffic signs.
• DIN 31635: This rule helps with transliterating (writing in Roman letters) the Arabic language.
• DIN 41612: This is a mechanical standard for how electrical connections work on backplanes (parts of computers).
• DIN 72552: This standard gives numbers to electric terminals in automobiles.

Getting Access to Standards

Normally, you might have to pay to get copies of some standards. However, in March 2024, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) made an important decision. They said that four specific standards, which are available as DIN-EN standards, must be made available for free. This is because these standards are part of European Union law, and citizens should be able to access laws easily.

See also

• Austrian Standards International
• Swiss Association for Standardization
• Die Brücke, an earlier German group that also tried to set standard paper sizes.
• DIN film speed
• DIN connector
• Scuba diving: DIN connection, DIN connectors
• DQS - Deutsche Gesellschaft zur Zertifizierung von Managementsystemen, a company partly owned by DIN.
• DGQ - Deutsche Gesellschaft für Qualität, a group that helped start DQS with DIN in 1985.