NIST has secured a limited number of copies of Parts 3, 4, and 5 of the recently published ISO 21043 forensic science standards. This series of international standards provides guidance and requirements for the entire forensic process - from the scene to the courtroom. To promote awareness, these copies are available for free download to eligible state and local forensic providers. Visit the OSAC website to learn more about the ISO 21043 standards and how your organization can request access. 

April 2026

The Organization of Scientific Area Committees (OSAC) for Forensic Science's Standards Bulletin provides a monthly update on forensic science standards moving through the OSAC Registry approval process and the development process at standards developing organizations (SDOs). 

OSAC Registry Updates

There are no updates to the OSAC Registry this month. Visit the OSAC Registry to view the 245 forensic science standards currently available. 

Standards Open for Comment

Open for Comment at OSAC 

There are no standards currently open for comment at OSAC. 

Open for Comment at SDOs

The following SDOs and other standards setting organizations are accepting public comments on documents:

• Academy Standards Board (ASB) has five documents open for public comment in the areas of footwear and tire (comment deadline April 9, 2026), biology/DNA (comment deadline May 11, 2026), and forensic anthropology (comment deadline May 18, 2026).
• ASTM has six documents open for comment in the areas of terminology (comment deadline April 20, 2026), facial identification (comment deadlines April 20 and May 18, 2026), video and image analysis and photography (comment deadline May 18, 2026), and interdisciplinary standards on ACE-V and testimony (comment deadline May 18, 2026). 
• Technical Working Group for 3D Toolmark Technologies (TWG3D2T) has two documents open for public comment (comment deadline April 30, 2026).
• Scientific Working Group on Digital Evidence (SWGDE) is accepting public comments until May 2, 2026 on seven documents, including a quality management system standard specific for digital and multimedia organizations.
• Facial Identification Scientific Working Group (FISWG) is accepting public comments until May 8, 2026 on 10 documents.

Visit OSAC's Standards Open for Comment webpage to access these documents, as well as the instructions and deadlines for comment submissions. 

SDO Updates

New Published Standards 

ASB:

• ASB Technical Report 097, Terminology Used for Forensic Footwear and Tire Evidence, Second Edition, 2026.
• ANSI/ASB Standard 196, Standard for the Documentation and Processing of Shooting Scenes, First Edition, 2026.
• ASB Technical Report 214, Forensic Anthropology: Terms and Definitions, First Edition, 2026.
• ANSI/ASB Best Practice Recommendation 232, Best Practice Recommendation for the Development of Criteria for Acceptance of a Request for Friction Ridge Examinations, First Edition, 2026.

SWGDE:

• 2026-03-19 Guidelines for Low Light Crime Scene Photography (21-P-001-1.1)
• 2026-03-19 Guideline for the Use of Infrared Radiation (IR) in Forensic Science (19-P-002-1.1)
• 2026-03-19 Guidelines for the Use of Reflected Ultraviolet Radiation in Forensic Photography (19-P-001-1.1).

Work Proposals for New or Revised Standards

A Project Initiation Notification (PINS) was published in the March 6, 2026 ANSI Standards Action. This will begin work on the following ASTM standard. 

• ASTM WK98097 Reinstatement of E2327-15e1 Standard Practice for Quality Assurance Laboratories Performing Seized Drug Analysis. This withdrawn standard will be reinstated with revisions into a discipline-specific supporting standard to the interdisciplinary standard E3255-21 Standard Practice for Quality Assurance of Forensic Science Service Providers Performing Chemical Analysis.

Other Forensic Science Standards-Related News & Events

OSAC Holds First 2026 In-Person Meeting at NIST Standards in action! From March 17-19, members of OSAC's Pattern/Impression Scientific Area Committee (SAC) and its four subcommittees gathered at NIST to continue their work drafting and reviewing standards. These experts are helping to push the needle forward on critical standards for footwear and tires, friction ridge, firearms and toolmarks, and forensic document examination.

NIST Helps Fingerprint Examiners With New Data and Software Release Learn how NIST researchers are helping fingerprint examiners, thanks to the release of new data and open-source software.

How a Forensic Anthropologist Thinks About Human Remains Research - and What it Means for Our Humanity Hear from our NIST colleague and OSAC’s Forensic Anthropology Subcommittee member, Kelly Sauerwein, about her work to help document best practices for the respectful treatment of human remains.

RaDAR Program NIST’s Rapid Drug Analysis and Research (RaDAR) lab provides near real-time insight into the nation’s illicit drug landscape. By analyzing drug samples sent from local, state, and federal partners, the lab identifies new compounds appearing in the illegal drug supply that may pose a health and safety threat to users, public health workers and law enforcement. Check out the February 2026 RaDAR Newsletter to see the recent findings.

Upcoming Standards-Related Events 

• A2LA Annual Conference, April 12-15, 2026, Nashville, TN. OSAC will be sharing an update at A2LA’s Forensic Examination Advisory Committee (FEAC) Meeting held in conjunction with the conference.
• OSAC Digital/Multimedia Scientific Area Committee (SAC) and Subcommittee Meetings, April 21-23, 2026, Gaithersburg, MD.
• OSAC Medicine SAC and Subcommittee Meetings, May 5-7, 2026, Gaithersburg, MD. 
• SWGDE Meeting, May 11-14, 2026, Richmond, VA. 
• ASCLD Symposium, May 17-21, 2026, Grand Rapids, MI. Stop by booth #409 to learn more about NIST’s Forensic Science Program, including our foundational studies, research, and standards efforts. 

Missed any of our previous issues? Check them out here:

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