The annual production of more than 1.5 billion tons of various steel products by leading steel manufacturers and industrialized countries has led different producing nations to establish standards for the classification of steel, making its production and international trade more efficient. In practice, the identification and classification of different types of steel are based on the standards applied throughout their manufacturing processes.

The European Standards (Euronorm) and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) remain among the most widely used standards for steel production and international trade. However, many countries continue to apply other well-established standards developed by major steel-producing nations due to their long-standing recognition and acceptance in global markets. Therefore, a thorough understanding of steel standards and steel products such as steel beams, reinforcing bars, steel plates, pipes, and other related products is essential for professionals working in the steel industry.

Today, the most important steel standards adopted by advanced industrial countries include AISI-SAE and ASTM (United States), DIN (Germany), JIS (Japan), BS (United Kingdom), GOST (Russia), and AFNOR (France).

These standards classify steel products according to criteria such as chemical composition (carbon steel, alloy steel, stainless steel, etc.), manufacturing process, product form and raw material type (slabs, plates, billets, blooms, etc.), deoxidation method, microstructure (pearlitic, ferritic, etc.), heat treatment, quality level, and intended applications.