DIN norms are the technical standards for quality assurance in industrial and scientific products in Germany.
The DIN standards represent regulations that operate on trade, industry, science and public institutions regarding the development of German products. DIN is an acronym for 'Deutsches Institut für Normung', or "German Institute for Standardization", which is the institution, based in Berlin and established in 1917, that deals with German standardization. The DIN performs the same functions as international organizations such as ISO.
DIN standards seek to correspond with the so-called "state of science", guaranteeing quality and safety in production and consumption. Sometimes, the regulation of DIN standards influences the regulations of other international standardization bodies.
The DIN can be classified as "fundamental of general type" (standards of formats, types of lines, labeling and others), "fundamental of technical type" (standards of characteristics of mechanical elements and equipment), "of materials" (standards of quality of materials, designation, properties, composition, etc.), "of dimensions of parts and mechanisms" (norms of shapes, dimensions, tolerances). And they can also be classified according to their scope of application, such as "international", "regional", "national" or "company".
These rules are classified with various numbers and regulate all kinds of aspects of economic and productive life in Germany. For example, the DIN 476 standard defines the formats and sizes of papers that must be officially adopted.
The use of DIN standards can be seen, for example, in tool making. One case is the development of parts like a key, where the DIN regulates the voltages, tolerances and more specifications regarding the final product.
That a product complies with DIN standards is often and for the buyer and user of the same a guarantee of trust, safety and quality.
