NEW YORK, July 21, 2009 – This year’s celebration of the 125th anniversary of ASME codes and standards activity is a tribute to the organization’s commitment to public safety, which had its beginnings with the publication of the Society’s first performance test code, in 1884, which addressed steam boilers.

Thirty years following Code for the Conduct of Trials of Steam Boilers, the Society issued, in 1914, Rules for the Construction of Stationary Boilers and for Allowable Working Pressure.  This code was an act of public service, developed in response to the numerous boiler failures and mishaps, including deadly explosions, that occurred onboard steamships and in steel mills, factories and woodworking shops at the turn of the twentieth century.

The 114-page publication, known as the 1914 edition, evolved into the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code (BPVC), which today encompasses 12 sections, 28 books, and more than 14,000 pages in total.  The BPVC covers industrial and residential boilers as well as nuclear reactor components, transport tanks, and other types of pressure vessels.  The code covers every aspect of systems design, fabrication, installation and inspection, and includes specifications for welding, along with rules and guidelines related to material stress and fatigue in pressure components.

The Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code has become virtually synonymous with ASME and contributed strongly to the organization’s stature in the U.S. and global standards-setting community.  The BPVC has been incorporated into the laws of all 50 United States and throughout the provinces of Canada.  More than 92,000 copies of the code are in use in 100 countries around the world, with translations in a number of international languages.

The first performance test code set in motion 125 years of codes and standards development in plumbing devices, process piping, cranes, hand tools, elevator and escalator systems, bioprocess equipment, and many other technical areas in which mechanical engineering has a role. Today ASME publishes more than 500 codes and standards used worldwide.

The extensive codes and standards program of ASME also involves training and certification.  There are more than 5,000 ASME certified manufacturers around the globe.

On June 10, Sen. Ted Kaufman, honoring the Society’s 125th codes and standards anniversary, sponsored Senate Resolution 179 recognizing the lasting impact of ASME codes and standards in the United States and throughout the world.  “It is impossible to ignore the effect ASME’s codes and standards have had on global development,” Sen. Kaufman said before the 111th Congress.

ASME regularly updates the code to reflect advancements in design, materials, construction methods, and applications, and issues a new edition every three years. The most recent edition of the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code was released in 2007. 

About ASME
ASME helps the global engineering community develop solutions to real world challenges. Founded in 1880 as the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, ASME is a not-for-profit professional organization that enables collaboration, knowledge sharing and skill development across all engineering disciplines, while promoting the vital role of the engineer in society. ASME codes and standards, publications, conferences, continuing education and professional development programs provide a foundation for advancing technical knowledge and a safer world.

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ASME Contact:
John Varrasi, ASME
varrasij@asme.org or 212.591.8158

Media Contact:
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