ISO/IEC 17067:2013 PDF

Overview

ISO/IEC 17067:2013 - "Conformity assessment - Fundamentals of product certification and guidelines for product certification schemes" provides guidance on the fundamentals of product certification and on developing, operating and maintaining product certification schemes. Issued by ISO/IEC CASCO in 2013, this guidance standard is intended for anyone with an interest in third‑party product, process or service certification - particularly certification scheme owners.

Key points:

• Describes the concept and objectives of product certification as a form of third‑party attestation to specified requirements (e.g., safety, performance, interoperability, sustainability).
• Offers practical guidance (not mandatory requirements) for structuring and managing certification schemes.
• Emphasizes the functional approach to conformity assessment and includes new guidance (Clause 6) on setting up and operating schemes.

Key topics and technical elements

ISO/IEC 17067 organizes product certification around core conformity‑assessment functions and activities:

• Selection - planning, sampling and specification of requirements (normative documents/standards).
• Determination - assessment techniques such as testing, inspection, design appraisal, and assessment of services/processes.
• Review - verification of evidence and assessment results.
• Decision on certification - granting, maintaining, extending, suspending or withdrawing certification.
• Attestation - issuing certificates or statements of conformity and authorizing use of conformity marks.
• Surveillance - routine follow‑up (market sampling, factory testing, production assessment, audits) to maintain validity of certification.

Other technical topics:

• Types of product certification schemes (including type and batch certification models).
• Scheme development and maintenance (scheme owner responsibilities, documentation and scheme content).
• Mapping of functions to activities (Table 1 provides examples for building schemes).

Note: ISO/IEC 17067 gives guidance (“should”, “may”) and is compatible with requirements standards such as ISO/IEC 17065 (requirements for bodies certifying products, processes and services) and linked to ISO/IEC 17000 (vocabulary and principles).

Applications - who uses it and why

ISO/IEC 17067 is aimed at:

• Certification scheme owners (certification bodies, regulators, industry associations, purchasing agencies, NGOs, consumer organizations)
• Product manufacturers and suppliers planning certification strategies
• Regulators and procurement authorities designing certification requirements
• Accreditation bodies and conformity‑assessment stakeholders

Practical benefits:

• Designing consistent, transparent certification schemes
• Choosing appropriate assessment methods (testing, inspection, audits)
• Implementing surveillance to protect market confidence and facilitate trade and market access

Related standards

• ISO/IEC 17065 - Requirements for bodies certifying products, processes and services
• ISO/IEC 17000 - Conformity assessment vocabulary and general principles
• ISO/IEC Guide 28 and other CASCO guidance referenced for scheme models

Keywords: ISO/IEC 17067, product certification, certification scheme, conformity assessment, scheme owner, testing, inspection, surveillance, ISO/IEC 17065.