As the international competitiveness of China’s manufacturing industry continues to improve, the manufacturing industry of China is developing toward a high-quality pattern that pursues quality and efficiency. Hence, constructing a standards system for the manufacturing industry becomes critical for upgrading and internationalizing China’s manufacturing industry as well as commercializing scientific research achievements of the industry. In this article, we summarize the development trends of the standards system for manufacturing, and study the construction of standards systems by focusing on four key areas: equipment manufacturing, new materials, new-generation information technology, and consumer goods; the frameworks, ideas, and key tasks of the standards systems for these areas are clarified. Furthermore, to promote the quality of China’s manufacturing industry, future focus should be laid on standards system research, standards application, standards management mechanism, and international standardization.