11/2/2019 A review of ISO and ANSI pump standards | KSB

A review of ISO and ANSI pump standards

Standards for Industrial Pumps: ISO 5199 and ANSI B73.1

Standards are an extremely important part of the industrial and commercial landscape. By specifying standards-
compliant products, buyers can be assured that the items they acquire will meet important performance and safety
requirements, even if they come from companies that the buyers have never dealt with before. Standards also
guarantee an important degree of interoperability between products from different manufacturers. All of this
contributes to competitive markets and economic efficiency.

Given that standards are so useful, it is perhaps not surprising that there are a lot out there, including “industry
standards” (standards set by a dominant industry player), standards set by trade associations (e.g. NEMA for
electrical equipment or API for oil and gas production machinery), national standards (e.g. ANSI, CSA, DIN…) and
international standards (ISO). This article will focus on a comparison of two important sets of standards for industrial
pumps: ANSI B73.1 and ISO 5199.

A Bit of History

The American National Standards Institute

(ANSI) is a private, non-profit membership
organization that was founded in 1918 as a
cooperative venture by engineering
organizations such as the IEEE, ASME and
ASCE, and several US government
departments. There are currently over 10,000
American National Standards (ANS) covering
a wide range of products and processes.

ISO (a language-neutral title for the

International Standards Organization) traces
its roots back to 1946 when delegates from
25 countries met in London to discuss the
future of international standards that could bridge the many national and industry-specific standards. There are now
more than 19,500 international standards covering many aspects of technology and business.

Historically, ISO standards have had more impact in Europe and Asia, while ANSI standards are widely observed in
the US and other parts of the Americas. However, there has been a degree of convergence as the two standards
bodies borrow from each other. With the rise of globalization, ISO standards are increasingly influential.

ANSI B73.1 (Sometimes referred to as ASME B73.1.)

This standard was developed to address the needs of the chemical industry for a robust family of single-stage end-
suction centrifugal pumps. The standard covers 27 pump sizes and specifies a number of key dimensions for each of
these. Dimensions include overall height and length of the bare pump, nozzle and shaft diameters, the size, location
and spacing of mounting bolts, etc. ANSI B73.1 also specifies some performance characteristics and a number of
design features that are intended to ensure provide reliable service and simplified maintenance (e.g. back pull-out
construction with replaceable wear rings).

Standardizing dimensions, mounting arrangements and basic layout means that ANSI B73.1 pumps from different
manufacturers can be readily substituted for one another.
https://www.ksb.com/ksb-ca-en/News/technical-articles/archives-2016-ca-en/a-review-of--iso-and-ansi-pump-standards/1091236/ 1/2
11/2/2019 A review of ISO and ANSI pump standards | KSB

ISO 5199 (and ISO 2858)

These two standards cover the same type of industrial pumps as ANSI B73.1. The older ISO 2858 focussed on
external dimensions and mounting details, while ISO 5199 also specifies a variety of performance requirements (e.g.
minimum bearing life) and construction features (e.g. general layout, seal configurations). In some aspects (e.g.
maximum permissible vibration levels) ISO 5199 is more stringent than ANSI B73.1

In general, pumps manufactured to meet the ISO 5199 standard will meet or exceed ANSI B73.1 requirements in
terms of performance, reliability, serviceability and longevity. However, ISO 5199 pumps can’t be used as direct
substitutes for ANSI B73.1 machines without some adaptations to the mounting plates and motor couplings. This is
because mounting bolt layouts, shaft diameters and intake/discharge nozzle locations are different, even for
equivalent size pumps. Because of their respective areas of origin, many ANSI B73.1 pumps have been designed to
be attached to asynchronous electric motors with 60 Hz power supplies, with ISO 5199 pumps designed to be
compatible with 50 Hz electrical services. However, most manufacturers of ISO 5199 pumps have 60 Hz models
available. As well, the increased popularity of variable frequency drives (VFD’s) makes this distinction largely
irrelevant.

While of course the easiest and most straight forward option for a North American company may be to pursue only
ANSI standard products, doing so significantly limits your choices. Many of the ISO certified products coming out of
Europe, and Germany specifically, have impressive new energy efficient technologies that may not be available in
their ANSI counterparts. There is a reason that German designed products are known for their quality, efficiency, and
long service lives. Why not at least consider an ISO pump for your system, even if it isn’t the easiest choice?
Energy savings from a European ISO product may just make it worth the effort.

https://www.ksb.com/ksb-ca-en/News/technical-articles/archives-2016-ca-en/a-review-of--iso-and-ansi-pump-standards/1091236/ 2/2