Field Guide
Technical Writing Standards That Apply
The Short Answer
Pick by Layer, Not by Name
Searches for technical writing standards return a mix of things that do not compete: a controlled language, an XML architecture, a safety-message standard, and a military style guide. They answer different questions. Start with what the contract or the regulator asks for, then fill in the layers it leaves open.
The tables below give one row per standard: the current edition, who it applies to, and the page on this site with the detail. For military numbers in depth, see the MIL-STD list and which MIL-STD governs a technical manual. For the full catalog, browse the standards index.
Language
How are the sentences written?
| Standard | Edition and status | Who it applies to |
|---|---|---|
| ASD-STE100 | Issue 9, January 2025 | Aerospace and defense maintenance text, and anyone who adopts it as a controlled language. Writing rules plus a controlled dictionary. |
Instructions content
What must the instructions contain, and how are they prepared?
| Standard | Edition and status | Who it applies to |
|---|---|---|
| IEC/IEEE 82079-1 | Edition 2.0, 16 May 2019. Edition 3 is at committee draft stage, with no publication date. | Instructions for use of any product, from consumer goods to industrial plant. |
| ISO 20607 | ISO 20607:2019 is the published edition. Edition 2 is a final draft (stage 50.00, 19 January 2026) that will replace it. | Machine manufacturers, for the safety-relevant parts of a machine's instruction handbook. |
Safety messages
How are hazards worded and placed?
| Standard | Edition and status | Who it applies to |
|---|---|---|
| ANSI Z535.6 | 2023 edition | Safety messages in product manuals, instructions, and other collateral materials. Voluntary consensus standard, mainly U.S. commercial products. |
| MIL-STD-38784 | Revision C, 4 September 2024 | DoD technical manuals. Its own conventions for warnings, cautions, and notes apply, and they differ from Z535.6. |
Structure and markup
How is the content organized and tagged?
| Standard | Edition and status | Who it applies to |
|---|---|---|
| S1000D | Issue 7, released 2026 | Aerospace, defense, and other equipment programs that specify modular data modules held in a CSDB. |
| MIL-STD-40051 | Revision E, 25 March 2025; Change 1, 30 July 2025 | U.S. Army technical manuals, page-based and interactive. |
| MIL-STD-3001 | Issued in eight parts; see the MIL-STD list for the revision | NAVAIR technical manuals built as work packages. |
| ATA iSpec 2200 | Revision 2025.1 | Commercial aircraft maintenance information from manufacturer to operator. |
| DITA | DITA 1.3 with Errata 02; DITA 2.0 is not yet approved | Topic-based authoring in any industry. An open XML architecture, not a content mandate. |
| DocBook | DocBook 5.2, OASIS Standard of 6 February 2024 | Book-style technical documentation, often software and hardware manuals. |
Software documentation
How is user documentation for software planned and tested?
| Standard | Edition and status | Who it applies to |
|---|---|---|
| ISO/IEC/IEEE 26514 | 26514:2022, published January 2022 | Designers and developers of information for users of software. |
| ISO/IEC/IEEE 26511 | 26511:2018, confirmed in 2024; a revision is in draft | Managers of user documentation. |
| ISO/IEC/IEEE 26512 | 26512:2026, published August 2026, replacing the 2018 edition | Acquirers and suppliers of information products and services. |
| ISO/IEC/IEEE 26513 | 26513:2017; under revision | Testers and reviewers of information for users. |
| ISO/IEC/IEEE 26515 | 26515:2018, confirmed in 2024 | Teams developing user information in an agile environment. |
Accessibility
Can everyone use the delivered document?
| Standard | Edition and status | Who it applies to |
|---|---|---|
| EN 301 549 | V4.1.1, published 2 September 2026. Not cited in the Official Journal under the EAA as of 2 October 2026. | ICT products and services sold in the EU, including digital documents. Aligned to WCAG 2.2 in its web and document clauses. |
Illustrations
In what format do the graphics travel?
| Standard | Edition and status | Who it applies to |
|---|---|---|
| WebCGM | WebCGM 2.1, W3C Recommendation of 1 March 2010 | Hotspot-linked technical illustrations in interactive manuals. |
Two Common Confusions
Where the Layers Overlap
82079-1 and 20607. Both tell you how to prepare instructions. IEC/IEEE 82079-1 is the general standard for any product. ISO 20607 narrows to machinery and to the safety-relevant parts of the instruction handbook. A machine builder may use both: 82079-1 for the overall method, 20607 for the safety content (see ISO 20607 vs IEC/IEEE 82079-1 for the side-by-side). Both have newer editions in progress, so check the edition a customer or notified body names. The EU side is in the Machinery Regulation and digital instructions and the comparison of EU digital instruction rules; medical devices are covered in electronic instructions for use, and the information a device manufacturer must supply is the subject of ISO 20417.
Z535.6 and DoD conventions. The same signal words carry different meanings in ANSI Z535.6 and in DoD manuals. A team that writes for both markets has to know which rule book governs each deliverable; warnings, cautions, and notes explains the difference.
Language is separate from structure. A manual can be authored in S1000D and written in plain English, or written in ASD-STE100 and delivered as a PDF. See writing to ASD-STE100 in practice, and S1000D versus DITA for the structure choice. If you are still deciding what counts as a technical publication, start with what technical publications are.
FAQ
Questions We Hear
Is there one standard for technical writing?
No. Standards cover separate layers: the language, the content of the instructions, the safety messages, and the structure. A contract usually names one or two, and the rest are choices you make or customs of your industry.
Which ISO standard applies to user manuals?
It depends on the product. IEC/IEEE 82079-1, which ISO co-publishes, covers instructions for use of products in general. ISO 20607 covers the instruction handbook of machinery. ISO/IEC/IEEE 26514 covers information for users of software. A product with embedded software can draw on more than one.
What is the difference between IEC/IEEE 82079-1 and ISO 20607?
Scope. IEC/IEEE 82079-1 applies to information for use of any product. ISO 20607 sets requirements for machine manufacturers on the safety-relevant parts of a machine's instruction handbook. Whether either gives a presumption of conformity under a given law is a legal question, so read the text of the rule and the list of cited standards.
Are corporate style guides technical writing standards?
No. A style guide is one organization's house rules for its own content. A standard is published by a standards body or a government and can be cited in a contract. A style guide sits below the standards that apply to you and fills in what they leave open.
Which standard does a defense contract require?
The one the contract cites, at the revision it cites. For U.S. military manuals that is usually a content standard plus MIL-STD-38784 for style and format. Our guide to which MIL-STD governs a technical manual walks through the choice, and the MIL-STD list shows the current revisions.
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Know the Standard Before You Write
Send us the contract clause, the regulation, or the customer requirement that names a standard. We will tell you which layers it covers and which are still open.