ISO/IEC Guide 46:2017

ISO/IEC GUIDE 46
Second edition
2017-02
Comparative testing of consumer
products and related services —
General principles
Essais comparatifs des produits de consommation et de leurs
services — Principes généraux
Reference number
ISO/IEC GUIDE 46:2017(E)
©
ISO/IEC 2017

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ISO/IEC GUIDE 46:2017(E)

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ii © ISO/IEC 2017 – All rights reserved

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ISO/IEC GUIDE 46:2017(E)

Contents Page
Foreword .iv
Introduction .v
1 Scope . 1
2 Normative references . 1
3 Terms and definitions . 1
4 General principles . 1
4.1 Choice of products or services. 1
4.2 Sampling . 1
4.3 Choice of characteristics . 2
5 Test programme . 2
5.1 Test methods . 2
5.2 Evaluation of test results . 2
5.3 Presentation of test results . 2
Annex A (informative) Focus and range of comparative testing activities . 3
Bibliography . 5
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ISO/IEC GUIDE 46:2017(E)

Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) and IEC (the International Electrotechnical
Commission) are worldwide federations of national standards bodies (ISO member bodies and IEC
National Committees). The work of preparing International Standards is normally carried out through
ISO and IEC technical committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a technical
committee has been established has the right to be represented on that committee. International
organizations, governmental and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO or IEC, also take part in the
work. ISO collaborates closely with the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on all matters
of electrotechnical standardization.
The procedures used to develop this document and those intended for its further maintenance are
described in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1. In particular the different approval criteria needed for the
different types of ISO documents should be noted. This document was drafted in accordance with the
editorial rules of the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2 (see www .iso .org/ directives).
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject
of patent rights. ISO and IEC shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent
rights. Details of any patent rights identified during the development of the document will be in the
Introduction and/or on the ISO list of patent declarations received (see www .iso .org/ patents).
Any trade name used in this document is information given for the convenience of users and does not
constitute an endorsement.
For an explanation on the meaning of ISO specific terms and expressions related to conformity assessment,
as well as information about ISO’s adherence to the World Trade Organization (WTO) principles in the
Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) see the following URL: www . i so .org/ iso/ foreword .html.
This document was prepared by the ISO Committee on Consumer Policy (COPOLCO).
This second edition cancels and replaces the first edition (ISO/IEC Guide 46:1985), which has been
technically revised.
The main changes compared with the previous edition are as follows:
— clarification in the scope to exclude conformity assessment and anti-counterfeiting;
— clarification in Clauses 2 and 3 on the use of International Standards for accredited laboratories, e.g.
ISO/IEC 17025;
— addition of Annex A to explain how comparative testing differs from other types of testing, including
for market surveillance and conformity testing;
— updating of notes and bibliographical references.
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ISO/IEC GUIDE 46:2017(E)

Introduction
This document sets out general principles for the conduct of comparative testing. These principles
are applicable to consumer products, services and a combination of both. They can be used by bodies
and associations which conduct comparative testing programmes. The purpose of this document is to
enable meaningful test results and information to be presented in a way which will help consumers and
others to make an informed choice suitable to their own needs. The products and services under test
can be based on a local, national or international market and the characteristics tested can be either
very specific or broadly based, provided that the range and limits are clearly stated.
NOTE 1 This document indicates some, but not all, of the means of applying the principles.
NOTE 2 The purpose of comparative testing is different from that of conformity assessment testing (see
ISO/IEC 17000).
NOTE 3 Counterfeit goods are a real and growing problem in all countries. While conformity assessment
testing is much more likely to detect cases of counterfeit goods than comparative testing, counterfeit goods and
other emerging challenges are creating a new environment for comparative testing organizations which might
entail the need for closer cooperation with regulatory authorities in the future.
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GUIDE ISO/IEC GUIDE 46:2017(E)
Comparative testing of consumer products and related
services — General principles
1 Scope
This document establishes general principles for the conduct of comparative testing of products and
services for the information of consumers.
It does not cover anti-counterfeiting or conformity assessment.
NOTE ISO 12931 provides performance criteria for authentication solutions used to combat counterfeiting
of material goods. The ISO Committee on Conformity Assessment (CASCO) develops standards on conformity
assessment.
2 Normative references
There are no normative references in this document.
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.
ISO and IEC maintain terminological databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at http:// www .iso .org/ obp
— IEC Electropedia: available at http:// www .electropedia .org/
3.1
comparative testing
process of measuring the properties or performance of products
4 General principles
4.1 Choice of products or services
Every reasonable effort should be made to reflect what is or will be available on the market, unless the
limits of selection are explained.
NOTE “Reasonable efforts to reflect what is available on the market” might include consulting manufacturers
(agents/representatives/importers) or checking current literature, catalogues and a variety of other sources,
...