Standards and Conformity of Goods in Sales Law

This article examines whether standards, public or private, concerning conformity of goods should influence the interpretation of sales contracts and of the terms implied in sales law. It organises the thus far disparate discussions about standards within one framework and develops criteria and factors for understanding and analysing the complex interaction between sales law and standards. The examination is carried out in the context of several common law systems and the UN Sales Convention. The article also argues that the experience of sales law in respect of standards and the discourse of standards outside it would benefit from engaging with each other.