canbusctl
Monitor, record, convert and replay CAN, CAN FD and CAN XL traffic, decode and encode with DBC, KCD or ARXML, run ISO-TP, simulate a database and test under faults. Passive by default; transmitting on a real bus needs --yes.
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CAN in AutomationCiA
CAN in Automation was founded in March 1992 as a nonprofit association of users and manufacturers, with its office in Nuremberg, Germany, and lists 749 members. Its members develop and publish CiA specifications: CAN FD and CAN XL specifications and recommendations, CAN FD Light, CANopen and CANopen FD, and device and application profiles. CAN itself is standardized by ISO in the ISO 11898 series, where CiA representatives support the work. CiA tests CANopen devices for conformance, also for non-members, and holds plugfests for CAN XL, CAN FD and CANopen devices for its members.
- Cheapest way in
- From €655 (School or university)
- Verified
- 29 Oct 2026
OT Fabric is not affiliated with CAN in Automation. This profile is independent and based on the organization's own published pages, linked next to each fact. CiA is the authority on its terms and fees.
What CiA does
- PublishesCAN FD and CAN XL specifications and recommendations (CiA 6xx), CAN FD LightClassical CAN, CAN FD and CAN XL data link layers are standardized by ISO in ISO 11898-1.
- MaintainsCANopen (CiA 3xx) and CANopen FD (CiA 13xx), with device and application profiles (CiA 4xx)
- CertifiesCANopen CC and CANopen FD device conformance testing
- TestsCAN XL, CAN FD and CANopen plugfests
Taking part
Each question is separate, because "open" and "free" mean different things here. A yes always means open or free to someone who is not a member.
- Can anyone read the specifications for free?
- PartlyDocuments with the status Public Available Specification are free to the public. Draft Specifications are for members or by yearly subscription, such as EUR 1,024 for the CAN FD and CAN XL series (CiA 6xx); work drafts are for members only. can-cia.org, checked 29 Oct 2026
- Can anyone take part in the community?
- PartlyCompany- and product-neutral CAN information is offered publicly, while partnerships, workshops and specification work are listed as member benefits. can-cia.org, checked 29 Oct 2026
- Can an individual take part for free?
- NoThe 2026 fee scale lists companies by size and nonprofit schools and universities; there is no individual or free tier. can-cia.org, checked 29 Oct 2026
- Can an organization join for free?
- NoCompany membership costs EUR 833 a year for 1 to 9 employees, up to EUR 11,781 above 100,000, including German VAT; half the fee when joining after 1 July. can-cia.org, checked 29 Oct 2026
- Are technical working groups open to non-members?
- NoMembership gives access to all development stages, meeting minutes and the working groups; initiating and influencing CiA specifications is listed as a member benefit. can-cia.org, checked 29 Oct 2026
- Can non-members take part in interoperability testing?
- NoCiA plugfests for CAN XL, CAN FD and CANopen devices are free of charge for members and not open to non-members. can-cia.org, checked 29 Oct 2026
- Can a non-member certify a product?
- YesCANopen CC conformance testing is open to anyone: EUR 1,000 per device session for non-members, EUR 750 for members, certificate included. It covers CANopen, not CAN itself. can-cia.org, checked 29 Oct 2026
- Does it maintain or host open-source implementations?
- UnknownWe found no open-source code published by CiA. The CANopen CC conformance test tool is free for members.
Membership tiers and published fees
Published examples as listed on the organization's pages on 29 Oct 2026. Where a page does not say whether a fee recurs, we do not guess.
| Tier | Published fee | Who can join | Votes | Working groups | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Company member | €833 to €11,781 per calendar year | Companies, priced by number of employees from 1 to 9 up to more than 100,000.Fees include 19 % German VAT. Specifications in every status, plugfests, working groups, free CANopen vendor IDs and the CANopen CC conformance test tool. | Unknown | Unknown | can-cia.org |
| School or university | €655 per calendar year | Nonprofit schools and universities. | Unknown | Unknown | can-cia.org |
Certification and interoperability
- Conformance testing · open to non-membersCANopen CC device conformance testingThe CiA test center checks a device's electronic data sheet, SDO and PDO handling, object dictionary, SYNC, emergency and error control and the NMT state machine, and issues a certificate: EUR 1,000 per session for non-members, EUR 750 for members. can-cia.org
- Plugfest · members onlyCiA plugfestsPlugfests on request for CAN XL protocol controllers and transceivers (CiA 610-1, 610-3), CAN FD controllers and transceivers, and CANopen devices and profiles. Free for members. can-cia.org
What stands out
The CAN data link itself belongs to ISO 11898, which is sold by ISO; CiA's own work sits around it, with CAN FD and CAN XL recommendations and the CANopen family. An implementer of CAN frames can work from Bosch's public CAN 2.0 and CAN FD documents and the Linux SocketCAN documentation, as go-canbus does.
CAN XL is where CiA is most active now: its plugfests test the first CAN XL controllers and transceivers. Open stacks are thin, with Linux since 6.2, can-utils, SocketCANSharp and go-canbus among the few that handle CAN XL frames.
OT Fabric is not a CiA member, implements no CiA specification yet and makes no conformance claim. CANopen is on the go-canbus roadmap, and CiA's conformance test is open to non-members.
Related OT Fabric projects
Independent open-source work on the same protocols. Listing them here does not mean they are certified by or associated with CiA.
go-canbus
The CAN transport for Go: classical CAN, CAN FD and CAN XL frames on Linux SocketCAN, serial-line (slcan) adapters on every OS and a virtual bus, with ISO-TP, capture and replay in seven trace formats, and DBC, KCD and ARXML databases with a signal codec and a Go code generator. go-canopen runs on it. No cgo.
go get github.com/otfabric/go-canbuscanbus-interop
Seven independent CAN references in containers behind one contract: can-utils with the kernel's ISO-TP, python-can, socketcan-rs, Scapy, python-can-isotp, cantools and canmatrix, on Linux virtual CAN.
Sources
- Who we are can-cia.org
- Member benefits can-cia.org
- Membership application 2026 can-cia.org
- CiA specification sale can-cia.org
- CiA plugfests can-cia.org
- CANopen CC device conformance assessment can-cia.org
- Specification sale and subscriptions governance document
- Member benefits governance document
Verified on 29 Oct 2026; due for a re-check by 27 Apr 2027 (180 days). Found something out of date? Report a correction or edit the data on GitHub.