Cobot Safety Standards: ISO 10218 Buyer Guide

Cobot safety standards do not make an arm safe in every application. Buyers should treat ISO 10218-1:2025 as the robot standard and ISO 10218-2:2025 as the application and cell standard. ISO/TS 15066:2016 remains published. It complements the system review and does not replace it.[1][2][3]

A claim that a cobot "meets ISO 10218" is incomplete. Ask which part and edition it meets, what equipment the claim covers, and who assessed the finished application.

What belongs inside a cobot safety assessment?

Start by drawing the system boundary around the robot, end effector, workpiece, fixtures, controls, workspace and intended users. ISO 10218-1:2025 addresses the industrial robot as partly completed machinery. ISO 10218-2:2025 addresses the finished industrial robot application and cell, where choices about integrated equipment create hazards the arm's records cannot settle.[1][2]

ISO makes the division explicit. Part 1 deals with the robot before it becomes part of a larger system. Part 2 deals with machines and components brought together for a specific industrial application.[1][2]

For a buyer, this changes the first question. Do not ask only whether the arm complies with a named standard. Ask what the supplier claims to cover. It might be the robot, the completed cell or a narrower set of records. The answer should also identify the edition.

This distinction applies beyond cobots. Our guide to humanoid robots in warehouses shows why buyers should assess the machine, task and site together instead of treating a robot model as the whole application.

Which ISO 10218 document and edition should buyers record?

Record the exact document, part, edition and claimed scope for every bid. The current ISO robot safety standards are ISO 10218-1:2025 for the robot and ISO 10218-2:2025 for the application and cell. ISO/TS 15066:2016 is still listed as current, although ISO has started work on a document that will replace it.[1][2][3]

ISO published both 2025 parts in February 2025. Part 1 is edition 3 and Part 2 is edition 2.[1][2]

The exclusions also matter. The catalogue pages exclude uses such as medical care, public access service robots, consumer products and carrying people. Part 2 also excludes multipurpose lifting devices or machinery. The lists are not identical, so check the relevant part against the intended use.[1][2]

Is ISO/TS 15066 still current?

ISO/TS 15066:2016 adds requirements for collaborative industrial robot systems and work environments to ISO 10218. ISO still lists the document as current, but its catalogue also says ISO/AWI 15066-1 will replace it. Buyers should record which document and edition an assessor used instead of accepting the shorthand "cobot compliant".[3]

Its status needs precise wording. ISO lists the 2016 document as published and current. The same catalogue page places it at lifecycle stage 90.92 and says ISO/AWI 15066-1 will replace it.[3]

This does not mean ISO/TS 15066:2016 has been withdrawn. It also does not prove that the 2025 parts of ISO 10218 absorbed all of its content. ISO's public catalogue supports neither claim. Part 2 says it complements documents such as ISO/TS 15066.[2][3]

What should a cobot buyer ask in a tender?

Put six written questions in the tender. Ask which standards and editions apply, where the supplier draws the system boundary, and which tooling and workpieces the assessor will consider. Name who will assess the cell and maintain its technical records. Record the intended use, foreseeable misuse and laws that apply at the site. These answers make bids comparable.

They do not replace a system risk review.

1. Which standards, parts and editions does the claim cite? 2. Does it apply to the robot, the application, the cell or all three? 3. What tooling, workpieces, controls and protective equipment were within scope? 4. What intended use and foreseeable misuse did the assessor consider? 5. Who will assess the completed cell and compile its technical file? 6. Which national laws or regulations apply where the cell will operate?

A buying team can use those answers to compare bids. The same evidence discipline matters when examining a live system, such as CJ Logistics' warehouse humanoid trial, where the disclosed task is much narrower than the company's future plans.

Cobot safety standards: common questions

What are the main cobot safety standards?

ISO 10218-1:2025 covers industrial robots as partly completed machinery, while ISO 10218-2:2025 covers industrial robot applications and cells. ISO/TS 15066:2016 addresses collaborative industrial robot systems and work environments.[1][2][3]

Does an ISO 10218 claim make a cobot cell safe?

No catalogue claim about the arm can establish that a finished cell is safe. Buyers must define the application boundary, including tooling, workpieces, controls, layout and users. Qualified parties must then assess the system under the standards and laws that apply.[1][2]

Is ISO/TS 15066:2016 still current?

ISO lists ISO/TS 15066:2016 as published and current. Its catalogue also places it at lifecycle stage 90.92 and says ISO/AWI 15066-1 will replace it. Buying records should therefore identify the exact edition used.[3]

What should buyers request from a cobot supplier?

Request the cited standards and editions, the claimed system boundary, and a list of equipment the assessor considered. Record the intended use and foreseeable misuse. Name the party that will assess the completed cell, then identify the laws that apply where the team will deploy it.

Primary sources

[1] ISO, "ISO 10218-1:2025, Robotics: Safety requirements: Part 1: Industrial robots." Catalogue record, edition 3, published 2025-02. https://www.iso.org/standard/73933.html

[2] ISO, "ISO 10218-2:2025, Robotics: Safety requirements: Part 2: Industrial robot applications and robot cells." Catalogue record, edition 2, published 2025-02. https://www.iso.org/standard/73934.html

[3] ISO, "ISO/TS 15066:2016, Robots and robotic devices: Collaborative robots." Catalogue record, edition 1, published 2016-02, confirmed in 2022 and currently at lifecycle stage 90.92. https://www.iso.org/standard/62996.html