“The International language of commerce is standards.”¹

- Donald L. Evans, Former Secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce (2004)

Standards, technical regulations and conformity assessment play a vital role in any company’s competitiveness – both at home and in the global marketplace.

The following pages focus on the U.S. market and will provide answers to the following frequently asked questions:

• What technical requirements must my product meet to enter and compete in the U.S. market?
• How can I get early warning about changes to these requirements?
• How can I ensure that my company’s perspectives are heard and considered in the development of U.S. requirements and policies that could affect my business?

In addition to the market access and market acceptance requirements discussed above, companies may also need to be aware of other requirements before attempting to place products in the U.S. market.  The links below provide information about some of these requirements:

• U.S. Customs Requirements - General Information
• Intellectual Property Rights Policies and Enforcement
• Antidumping and Countervailing Duties
• Global, Regional, and Bilateral Trade Agreements
• Container Security Initiative
• Other Helpful Links