Standards in the European steel industry take a number of forms, from regulatory requirements through to opt-in technical norms used to facilitate production processes or end-user manipulation of the steel sent to them by producers.

Examples of regulatory requirements include the Best Available Techniques (BAT) Reference Documents (BREFs). These are needed as part of the exchange of information to determine EU policies, such as the Industrial Emissions Directive.

By building a framework for the deployment of recognised standards for products and processes, the steel industry can ensure that its output is created as efficiently as possible and to the highest quality levels.