An American National Standard providing rules and guidelines for in-service inspection, repair, and alteration of pressure-retaining items, the NBIC is a required code in many U.S. and Canadian jurisdictions.

Celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2005, the new NBIC edition will be substantially different than its earlier counterparts, according to National Board Executive Director Donald Tanner. "Users will quickly note that numerical references are now metricized. In addition to the standard revisions, they will also discover a generous inclusion of new technical data, sections, and appendices."