International standard

When adopted, they lead to the creation of national standards that are either equivalent to or largely align with the international standards in technical content, though they may have: (i) editorial variations, such as differences in appearance, the use of symbols, measurement units, or the choice of a point over a comma as the decimal marker, and (ii) variations arising from conflicts with government regulations or industry-specific requirements, which may be influenced by factors such as climate, geography, technology, infrastructure, or the safety standards deemed necessary by the relevant authorities.

Technical barriers arise when different groups come together, each with a large user base, doing some well established thing that between them is mutually incompatible.

Henry Maudslay developed the first industrially practical screw-cutting lathe in 1800, which allowed for the standardisation of screw thread sizes for the first time.

Joseph Whitworth's screw thread measurements were adopted as the first (unofficial) national standard by companies around the country in 1841.

An important figure was R. E. B. Crompton, who became concerned by the large range of different standards and systems used by electrical engineering companies and scientists in the early 20th century.

Many companies had entered the market in the 1890s and all chose their own settings for voltage, frequency, current and even the symbols used on circuit diagrams.

[9] In 1904, Crompton represented Britain at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis as part of a delegation by the Institute of Electrical Engineers.

Instead, these standards are developed by private sector entities, like NGOs and for-profit organizations, often without transparency, openness, or consensus considerations.