ISO 1

ISO 1 is an international standard set by the International Organization for Standardization that specifies the standard reference temperature for geometrical product specification and verification. The temperature is fixed at 20 °C, which is equal to 293.15 kelvins and 68 degrees Fahrenheit.^[1]

Due to thermal expansion, precision length measurements need to be made at (or converted to) a defined temperature. ISO 1 helps in comparing measurements by defining such a reference temperature. The reference temperature of 20 °C was adopted by the CIPM on 15 April 1931, and became ISO recommendation number 1 in 1951.^[2] It soon replaced worldwide other reference temperatures for length measurements that manufacturers of precision equipment had used before, including 0 °C, 62 °F, and 25 °C. Among the reasons for choosing 20 °C was that this was a comfortable and practical workshop temperature and that it resulted in an integer value on both the Celsius and Fahrenheit scales.

See also

• Metre
• International Organization for Standardization

References

1. "ISO 1:2016 - Geometrical product specifications (GPS) -- Standard reference temperature for the specification of geometrical and dimensional properties". Iso.org. 2016-08-26. Retrieved 2016-09-15.
2. Ted Doiron: 20 °C—A Short History of the Standard Reference Temperature for Industrial Dimensional Measurements. Journal of Research of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, Vol. 112, No. 1, January–February 2007.