Tea is made quickly. But not when it comes to ISO standard 3103. The process is explained on six pages. These and other strange directives.
One of the most unusual standards is ISO 3103. It deals with the question of how a perfect cup of tea is prepared.dpa/Karl-Josef Hildenbrand
Standards make life easier: They allow bank cards to fit into the slots provided anywhere in the world. The best known is probably the DIN A4 format. It’s been around for exactly 100 years now. In 1922, the German Institute for Standardization (DIN) published Standard 476 for paper sizes. This guideline no longer exists, but the system does: The DIN formats are now adapted as ISO 216 almost everywhere in the world by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). There are now more than 24,500 ISO and around 34,000 DIN standards. Among them you can find curiosities. Here are some examples for World Standards Day (October 14):
perennial favourite: The oldest still valid DIN standard is guideline 1289 entitled “Fire cabinets for tiled stoves; Filling door for filling firing”. It was published 94 years ago. That was in 1928. It deals with the construction and locking of the door on tiled stoves. By the way: DIN 1 was published in March 1918 as the very first standard. This specified the dimensions of taper pins used in mechanical engineering. It was valid for more than 84 years and was replaced by the European standard DIN EN 22339 in October 1992.
An “elongated egg” as a wine glass
brewed: One of the most unusual standards is ISO 3103. It deals with the question of how a perfect cup of tea is prepared. The size, material and shape of the teapot, the proportion of water, the brewing time and how the milk is poured are defined on six pages. The ISO standard, first published in 1980 and revised in 2019, was awarded an Ig Nobel Prize in 1999 – pronounced “ignoble”, which translates as “dishonourable”. This is how curious research is honored annually at Harvard University.
When a goal is scored: Ironically, on April 1st, a goal was to be scored before the soccer game started. In Real Madrid against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League, the square collapsed, although the round was not even in the game. That was on April 1, 1998 at 8:44 p.m., about 60 seconds before kick-off. It took 76 minutes for a replacement goal to be installed. The incident meant a great moment for the moderators for Günther Jauch and Marcel Reif, but also a clear violation of the rules of DIN EN 748. Because this Europe-wide standard sets requirements for the stability of the goals, the stability of the crossbars, the strength of the foundations and the tear resistance of the goal net fixed.
toast: ISO 3591 has defined the manufacture of a glass for wine tasting since 1977. The standard defines such a wine glass as a goblet described as an “oblong egg”. This is “supported by a stem resting on a pedestal”. It goes on to say that the opening of the cup is “narrower than the convex part in order to concentrate the bouquet”. In addition, further properties are described in the standard and recommendations for use are given.
Well brushed: If you follow the advice of your dentist, you will benefit from it at least twice a day. The tuft extraction test ensures that each individual small tuft of a toothbrush withstands a force of at least 15 Newtons in accordance with the international standard DIN EN ISO 20126. For comparison: The average compressive force in a man’s entire hand is about 500 Newtons. Thanks to the standard, the tufts should remain in the brush head and not be swallowed. According to the German Institute for Standardization, this works well in practice. Because before the bristles fall out, they are usually so bent that the user prefers to use a new toothbrush.
The norm of norms
In unison: Not all standards are about tangible things. Thanks to the ISO 16 standard, a visit to an orchestra is in most cases a treat for the ears. However, if this is not the case, the violinist may not have complied with an international guideline. The ISO 16 standard sets the pitch of the note A at 440 Hertz. Tuning forks and electronic tuners are tuned to this pitch.
The norm of norms: There is also a norm for the norms themselves. With around 34,000 DIN standards, this is no longer a surprise. The DIN 820-1 guideline states which criteria must be observed when assigning standards. Under “General Principles” it says: The standardization should serve the “safety of people and things as well as quality improvement in all areas of life” and must “not lead to a special economic advantage of individuals”. (dpa)