Overview of ISO Standards Applicable to the Hydrogen Sector (Status as of December 2025)

1. Introduction

The rapid global deployment of hydrogen technologies has made international standardisation a critical enabler for safety, interoperability, market development, and cross-border trade. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) plays a central role in this process through ISO/TC 197 – Hydrogen technologies, which develops standards covering the entire hydrogen value chain, from production and storage to transport, refuelling and end use.

As of December 2025, a growing suite of ISO standards has been published or updated, providing a solid technical and regulatory foundation for the commercialisation of hydrogen worldwide.

2. Core ISO Standards for the Hydrogen Sector

2.1 ISO 14687:2025 – Hydrogen fuel quality — Product specification

Scope
ISO 14687 defines the quality requirements for hydrogen fuel, including purity levels and maximum allowable concentrations of contaminants.

Key relevance

• Applies to hydrogen used in fuel cells, industrial processes, and energy systems

• Protects fuel cell durability and performance

• Enables international trade by harmonising hydrogen quality specifications

Importance
ISO 14687 is widely regarded as the cornerstone standard for hydrogen fuel markets, underpinning refuelling infrastructure, mobility applications, and certification schemes.

2.2 ISO 22734-1:2025 – Hydrogen generators using water electrolysis — Safety

Scope
Specifies safety requirements for hydrogen generators based on water electrolysis.

Key relevance

• Covers design, construction, installation and operation

• Applicable to alkaline, PEM and other electrolysis technologies

• Critical for green hydrogen production projects

Importance
This standard is essential for ensuring safe scale-up of electrolyser deployment and is frequently referenced in permitting and tender documents.

2.3 ISO 19880 Series – Hydrogen fuelling stations

Key standards in the series

• ISO 19880-1:2020 – General requirements for hydrogen fuelling stations

• Additional parts addressing components, safety devices and system interfaces

Scope
Provides technical and safety requirements for hydrogen refuelling infrastructure.

Importance
The ISO 19880 series is foundational for the development of public and private hydrogen refuelling networks, particularly for road transport.

2.4 ISO 19885-1:2024 – Gaseous hydrogen — Fuelling protocols for hydrogen-fuelled vehicles

Scope
Defines fuelling protocols for gaseous hydrogen vehicles.

Key relevance

• Ensures safe, fast and standardised refuelling

• Supports interoperability between vehicles and stations

• Reduces operational risks at refuelling stations

2.5 ISO 19881:2025 – Gaseous hydrogen — Land vehicle fuel containers

Scope
Specifies performance and safety requirements for compressed hydrogen containers used in land vehicles.

Key relevance

• Covers design, materials, testing and marking

• Supports safe onboard hydrogen storage

Importance
This standard underpins the safety of hydrogen-powered vehicles and logistics systems.

2.6 ISO 17268 – Gaseous hydrogen land vehicle refuelling connection devices

Scope
Standardises refuelling connectors between hydrogen vehicles and stations.

Importance

• Enables global compatibility

• Reduces risk of misfuelling

• Facilitates international vehicle deployment

2.7 ISO 24078:2025 – Hydrogen in energy systems — Vocabulary

Scope
Establishes a common terminology for hydrogen technologies and energy systems.

Importance
This standard supports regulatory clarity, technical consistency and effective communication across industry, policymakers and researchers.

3. Hydrogen Safety and Risk-Related Standards

ISO/TR 15916 – Basic considerations for the safety of hydrogen systems

• Technical Report providing fundamental safety principles

• Widely referenced in system design, risk assessments and regulatory frameworks

• Under continuous review to reflect technological advances

4. Emerging and Supporting ISO Standards

Several standards are under development or revision, reflecting the rapid evolution of the hydrogen sector:

• ISO 19870 – Methodology for assessing greenhouse gas emissions in hydrogen supply chains

• Extensions to the ISO 19880 series covering advanced refuelling technologies

• Standards related to liquid hydrogen storage, interfaces and testing

• Ongoing updates aligned with large-scale industrial and energy applications

These standards are expected to play a major role in hydrogen certification, carbon accounting and sustainability verification.

5. Role of ISO Standards in Hydrogen Market Development

Safety and risk mitigation

ISO standards establish globally recognised safety benchmarks for hydrogen systems, reducing technical and operational risks.

Market harmonisation

Common standards enable cross-border trade, technology transfer and interoperability, accelerating market growth.

Investment and bankability

Projects aligned with ISO standards benefit from greater investor confidence, easier permitting and improved access to finance.

Policy and regulation

Many national hydrogen strategies and regulations directly reference ISO standards as technical compliance benchmarks.

6. Conclusion

As of December 2025, ISO has established a robust and expanding framework of standards supporting the hydrogen economy. Core standards such as ISO 14687, ISO 22734, ISO 19880 and ISO 19881 form the technical backbone of hydrogen production, infrastructure and end-use applications.

Together, these standards are instrumental in enabling the safe, scalable and internationally integrated deployment of hydrogen technologies, supporting global decarbonisation and the transition to a net-zero energy system.