In this Q&A, ASTM Committee C28 leaders outline the goals and progress of the committee and its importance to the ceramics community.

1. What is an ASTM standard, and why are standards important?

An ASTM International standard is a document developed with the consensus principles of the society that meets the approval requirements of ASTM regulations. In a technical sense, it distills the knowledge required to perform a measurement that can be used for material comparison, quality control, or design-related activities. During the materials development process, ceramic materials often are made in the form of square or circular plates. If an important characteristic of the material is fracture strength, then we could follow the requirements in ASTM Test Method C1499 to conveniently and reliably determine the material’s strength. Standards tend to be prescriptive in nature, but within Committee C28, we include notes explaining the background behind the requirements.