Tanzania Bureau of Standards (TBS)

What Tanzania Bureau of Standards (TBS) does

Shirika la Viwango Tanzania (TBS), operating as Tanzania Bureau of Standards, is a government-owned national standards body under Tanzania’s Ministry of Industry and Trade. It develops and maintains Tanzania Standards and provides product and management-system certification, testing, calibration, metrology, inspection and enforcement, training, fuel marking, exporter assistance, and an e-Services portal. Its principal users are manufacturers and producers, exporters, government agencies, traders, and distributors, with TBS reporting service coverage across all regions of Tanzania. Source:

TBS’s operating model combines a catalogue of thousands of sector-spanning standards, technical committees, metrology and testing laboratories, and regional service delivery. It charges for standards publications, product certification, testing and calibration, and training; standards documents are sold individually at prices that vary by complexity and page count, although broader fee schedules and transaction volumes are not disclosed. Customers can access services directly through headquarters and regional offices or through the e-Services portal, supplemented by exhibitions and training programs.

Name

Tanzania Bureau of Standards (TBS)

Legal name

Shirika la Viwango Tanzania (TBS)

Website

https://tbs.go.tz

Company type

Private

Founded year

1975

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Tanzania Bureau of Standards is Tanzania’s national standards body, serving manufacturers, exporters, government agencies and traders through standards development, product and management-system certification, testing, calibration, inspection, enforcement, training and digital services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Standards and Certification Services

NAICS

Testing Laboratories and Services (54138)

SIC

Services-Testing Laboratories (8734)

akta.pro primary industry

Conformity Assessment, Testing, Inspection & Certification Cooperation (BPADANAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

International Standards Development & Standardization Bodies (BPADANAA), Quality Assurance/Quality Control & Accreditation (QA plans, proficiency testing, ISO/IEC 17025) (EUANAJAK), Certification Program Administration & Scheme Management (Standard Owners) (AFALACAC)

Keywords

• National standards body
• Product certification services
• Metrology calibration
• Quality assurance testing
• Standards development

Headquarters

HQ city

Dar es Salaam, Ubungo

HQ country

Tanzania

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Standards Publications Sales: Sale of Tanzania Standards (TZS) documents to businesses, manufacturers, and individuals. Prices range from TZS 15,000 to TZS 415,000 per standard depending on complexity and page count.
2. Product Certification Fees: Fees charged for product certification, quality verification, and licensing of companies and products.
3. Testing and Calibration Services: Laboratory testing and metrology calibration services for businesses and organizations.
4. Training Services: Educational and training programs on standards compliance and quality management.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Tanzania Bureau of Standards (TBS) is the national standards body responsible for formulating Tanzania Standards (TZS), certifying products and management systems, providing metrology and laboratory testing/calibration services, and enforcing standards compliance. It sells published standards documents, issues product and quality certifications, operates accredited testing laboratories, and conducts inspections to ensure product quality, safety, and regulatory compliance across industries.

Product overview

Tanzania Bureau of Standards (TBS) operates as a national standards development and quality assurance organization offering a portfolio of services centered on standards formulation, product certification, metrology, and testing. The core offerings include the Standards Catalogue (providing access to thousands of TZS standards), Standards Formulation Services through technical committees, Product Certification for quality verification, Management System Certification, and Metrology Services with laboratory testing capabilities. Supporting services include inspection and enforcement, training programs, fuel marking, and technical assistance to exporters. The organization also provides an e-Services portal for digital access to its services. TBS functions as a regulatory and standards body rather than a commercial product company.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Standards Catalogue (Tanzania Standards / TZS)

Quantifiable outcome

• Standards ensure product quality and safety for consumers
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Ministry of Industry and TradecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParent ministry overseeing TBS operations. Collaborates on National Quality Awards and policy development for standards and industrial quality.
• Zanzibar Bureau of Standards (ZBS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSister standards body in Zanzibar. Collaborates on National Quality Awards and harmonization of standards across Tanzania.
• Private SectormajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on National Quality Awards. Private sector participation in standards development through technical committees.
• East African Community (EAC)coreTechnology or IntegrationHarmonization of Tanzania Standards (TZS) with East African Standards (EAS) to facilitate regional trade and economic integration.
• ISO/IECcoreTechnology or IntegrationInternational standards organizations whose standards are adopted and harmonized as Tanzania Standards (TZS).

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• AFNOR (Association Française de Normalisation): France's national standards body operating standards development, certification, testing, and training services. Operates the same statutory-plus-commercial model as TBS, with the addition of a substantial international certification business competing for African and emerging-market accreditation contracts.
• DIN (German Institute for Standardization): Germany's national standards body developing DIN standards and representing Germany in ISO and IEC. Comparable to TBS in core standards-development mandate, with a much broader industrial base and significant international standards export.
• British Standards Institution (BSI): UK-based national standards body and one of the world's largest commercial certification and testing providers. Operates the same standards-and-certification model as TBS, but at global commercial scale with private-sector revenue discipline and international training and assurance services.
• Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS): India's national standards body performing standards development, product certification (including mandatory ISI marks), testing, and metrology services. Operates the same statutory model as TBS, but in a far larger developing-market economy with much broader compulsory product certification requirements.
• American National Standards Institute (ANSI): US national standards body coordinating the U.S. standards and conformity assessment system. Comparable to TBS in role (national coordination, standards harmonization, accreditation oversight) but operates in a much larger, federated regulatory environment.

Direct peers

• Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS): Kenya's national standards body operating under similar statutory authority — develops Kenyan Standards, performs product certification, testing and metrology, and harmonizes with EAC and ISO/IEC. It is the closest comparable national standards body in scope and operating model to TBS, just in a larger East African economy.
• South African Bureau of Standards (SABS): Africa's most established national standards body, providing standards development, product certification, management system certification, testing, and metrology services. Operates the same business model as TBS in a larger, more industrialized economy, and is often cited as a regional benchmark.
• Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS): Uganda's national standards body with the same mandate as TBS — standards development, product certification, testing, and metrology services — operating under a sister EAC framework and harmonizing directly with the same EAS standards catalogue.
• Zanzibar Bureau of Standards (ZBS): TBS's explicit sister organization in Zanzibar, jointly administering the National Quality Awards and harmonizing standards across the Tanzania mainland and Zanzibar. Operates an identical model at smaller scale, often as a co-governance peer.

Others

• African Organization for Standardization (ARSO): Continental standards body for Africa coordinating harmonization across African national bureaus including TBS. Not a direct operational competitor, but a coordinating umbrella whose ARS standards shape TBS's harmonization roadmap and trade policy.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tanzania-bureau-of-standards-tbs

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Tanzania Bureau of Standards (TBS)