British Standards Online is a bibliographic, citation and full-text database of more than 55,000 standards. It is rich in business-critical content covering a broad range of disciplines for all industry sectors. Delivering British Standards information directly to the desktop allows access to the full-text, in pdf format, of any draft or current standard.

British Standards Online provides:

  • the most comprehensive British Standards collection maintained, stored, managed and updated daily
  • information accessible directly from the desktop at the library premises (including branch libraries) or remotely via a secure link to authenticated users 
  • maximum value for money for Arts Council subscribers, including financial predictability
  • summary pages providing the salient points of the standard’s subject matter and its application
  • 24/7 instant access with unlimited concurrent users
  • browse, search, copy/paste and download options
  • 'my notifications' email alert service 
  • British Standards classified according to International Classification for Standards (ICS) 
  • detailed help text and FAQs within the product and online support team available during UK office hours 
  • comprehensive usage statistics
  • regular British Standsards Online updates via a news page, newsletters, customer updates and a LinkedIn page 
  • rights to sell complete hard copies of British Standards to library patrons 

How to subscribe 

If you wish to subscribe, first take a look at the model licence.

For pricing information please use the contact details below quoting Arts Council England Reference Online: 

BSI Standards Ltd
Telephone: +44 (0) 20 8996 9001
Email: