TS EN 15898

TS EN 15898 is a terminology standard that brings together the main general terms and definitions used in the conservation of cultural heritage. It is centred on concepts that matter in museums, archives, collection care, restoration and conservation practice, helping to establish a common language across disciplines that often work with the same objects from different perspectives.

How the terminology is organised

The key value of this standard is that it defines terms with wide use or particular significance in conservation work. In general technical context, conservation of cultural heritage brings together material science, deterioration mechanisms, environmental influences, intervention ethics and documentation. Clear and consistent terminology therefore supports communication among specialists and improves the readability of reports, records and technical documentation.

Why this scope matters in practice

• It gives special attention to terms in wide or significant use.
• It covers the main general terms used in the field of conservation of cultural heritage.
• It supports consistency in restoration, conservation and documentation workflows through shared definitions.
• It provides a common reference language for collections, artefacts and related technical communication.

This publication is better understood as a reference vocabulary for the field rather than as an application standard setting out conservation methods by itself. As such, it is useful in cultural heritage training, project preparation and expert-to-expert communication where precise terminology matters.