History of TSE, the Turkish Standards Institution

A short history of TSE, the Turkish Standards Institution

The TSE certificate confirms that products manufactured in Turkey meet the national criteria and conformity standards set for their category. You can obtain the TSE certificate through Sistem Patent Kalite. TSE reviews the product and assesses conformity against the applicable standard. When a product carries a TS number (for example, TS 1523), it signals that the item is produced under the relevant standard and conditions. When a product carries the TSE quality-control mark together with a certificate number, the producer has met all the standard's requirements and has earned the TSE certificate. TSE certification brings efficiency, order, and standardisation from the producer through to the consumer and across the wider economy, and in turn supports national development. The Regulation on the Implementation of Turkish Standards, signed on 7 November 1959, clarified how standards would be put into use.

The history also records when the first TSE standards were prepared and when the first certificates were issued. A Turkish Standard is defined by the responsibilities accepted for its preparation and for the review of standards prepared here or abroad, together with the announcement of adopted standards. TSE separated from the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB) on 18 November 1960 under establishing Law No. 132. The organisation was restructured on 16 May 1985 under Law No. 3205.

Turks were among the first to formalise the idea of quality and trade standards, and the Ottoman state ran what is recognised as one of the earliest documented standardisation efforts. The standardisation activity begun under Sultan Bayezid II in 1502 became a reference for later regulatory work in Europe. The standard edict known as the Kanunname-i Ihtisab-i Bursa set quality and price standards for a range of agricultural products. The edict covered items as varied as salt, eggs, meat, sugar, cheese, jewellery, pastries, and leather, each with its own defined requirements.

A related certificate known as TSEK also exists. TSEK is issued when a domestic or foreign firm's product is reviewed by TSE against defined quality characteristics and is found compliant. The TSEK certificate is accepted on the same footing as the TSE certificate and carries the same TSE guarantee.