British Standards (BS) are the standards produced by the BSI Group which is incorporated under a royal charter and that is formally designated as the national standards body (NSB) for the UK. The BSI Group produces British Standards under the authority of the charter, with one of their objectives being to:

Set up standards of quality for goods and services, and prepare and promote the general adoption of British Standards and schedules in connection therewith and from time to time to revise, alter and amend such standards and schedules as experience and circumstances require.

— BSI Royal Charter, Faller and Graham

Formally, as stated in a 2002 memorandum of understanding between the BSI and the United Kingdom Government, British Standards are defined as:

"British Standards" means formal consensus standards as set out in BS 0-1 paragraph 3.2 and based upon the principles of standardisation recognised inter alia in European standardisation policy.

— Memorandum of Understanding Between the United Kingdom Government and the British Standards Institution in Respect of its Activities as the United Kingdom's National Standards Body, United Kingdom Department for Business, Innovation, and Skills

Products and services which BSI certifies as having met the requirements of specific standards within designated schemes are awarded the Kitemark.

Sir John Wolfe Barry, the leader of the Institution of Civil Engineers in 1896, helped to develop standards for iron and steel production, the forerunner of the BSI.