The 18 elements of PPAP are the documents and physical evidence a supplier compiles to prove it can consistently produce parts that meet the customer’s engineering and design requirements. They are defined by the AIAG Production Part Approval Process manual, currently in its 4th edition, and they function as the final validation step in the broader Advanced Product Quality Planning cycle.1Automotive Industry Action Group. Production Part Approval Process Not every element applies to every part. The customer decides which elements must be physically submitted and which only need to exist on file at the supplier.
Elements 1–3: Design Records and Engineering Changes
Element 1: Design Records
A complete set of engineering drawings and specifications for every component being approved, including proprietary drawings for any parts sourced from third-party vendors. Most customers also require a ballooned version of the drawing, where each dimension is numbered so it lines up with the dimensional results in Element 9.
Element 2: Engineering Change Documents
Formal change notices or technical bulletins that authorize any deviation from the original design after the drawings were released. These capture updates not yet folded into the primary drawings. Without them, an approved revision can look like a defect.
Element 3: Customer Engineering Approval
Where the customer’s own engineering team must sign off on the design before production tooling, evidence of that approval (a signed form or documented communication) goes into the package. This confirms the supplier’s technical approach works within the customer’s larger assembly.
Elements 4–6: Failure Mode Analysis and Process Flow
Element 4: Design FMEA
Required when the supplier holds design responsibility.2IATF Global Oversight. Ford Motor Company Customer-Specific Requirements For Use With AIAG PPAP A Design Failure Mode and Effects Analysis walks through every way the part could fail in service. Each potential failure is scored on severity, likelihood of occurrence, and likelihood of detection; those scores multiply into a Risk Priority Number. High-RPN items get addressed with design changes or added controls before production begins.
Element 5: Process Flow Diagram
A visual map of every manufacturing step from receiving raw material through packaging and shipping. It shows where inspections happen, where material is transformed, and where rework loops exist. Reviewers use it to confirm no critical steps are missing.
Element 6: Process FMEA
The manufacturing counterpart to the Design FMEA. It scores what could go wrong during production: a machine running at the wrong temperature, a skipped torque check, a fixture that clamps inconsistently.2IATF Global Oversight. Ford Motor Company Customer-Specific Requirements For Use With AIAG PPAP High-risk steps get corrective actions written into the control plan. Maintaining a current Process FMEA is also a core requirement for IATF 16949 certification, which most automotive OEMs mandate by contract.3IATF Global Oversight. General Motors IATF 16949 Customer Specific Requirements
Elements 7–8: Control Plan and Measurement System Analysis
Element 7: Control Plan
The operational backbone of quality assurance. It lists every characteristic being monitored at each production step, the measurement method, the sample size and frequency, and the reaction plan when something drifts out of tolerance. Control plans typically cover three phases: prototype, pre-launch, and full production.
Element 8: Measurement System Analysis
Before any quality data can be trusted, an MSA evaluates whether variation in readings comes from the parts or from the gauges and operators. The most common study is a Gage R&R (repeatability and reproducibility), which quantifies how much measurement error exists in the system.2IATF Global Oversight. Ford Motor Company Customer-Specific Requirements For Use With AIAG PPAP If the gauge accounts for too large a share of total variation, the entire submission can be rejected on that basis alone.
Elements 9, 10, and 12: Inspection, Test, and Lab Records
Element 9: Dimensional Results
Every dimension on the ballooned drawing is measured on actual production samples, and results are recorded in a table comparing nominal values against actuals. Dimensional results are typically compiled from a minimum of 300 consecutive parts taken from a significant production run of one to eight hours, unless the customer agrees to a different quantity.
Element 10: Material and Performance Test Results
Verification that materials meet the chemical composition, hardness, tensile strength, heat resistance, or other performance criteria in the engineering specifications. Reports reference the specific material standard (an ASTM or SAE specification, for example) and show actual test values alongside required ranges.
Element 12: Qualified Laboratory Documentation
All testing under Elements 9 and 10 must be performed by a qualified laboratory. External labs need accreditation to a recognized standard such as ISO/IEC 17025, which sets requirements for competence, impartiality, and consistent operation of testing and calibration facilities.4International Organization for Standardization. ISO/IEC 17025:2017 – General Requirements for the Competence of Testing and Calibration Laboratories Internal labs must demonstrate an equivalent scope of capability. An unaccredited lab can void the test results.
Element 11: Initial Process Studies
Statistical evidence that the manufacturing process is stable and capable. Two indices carry the analysis: Ppk (process performance) for initial short-term data, and Cpk (process capability) once the process is established. The AIAG PPAP manual’s default criteria treat a Ppk or Cpk of 1.67 or higher as acceptable, a result between 1.33 and 1.66 as potentially acceptable depending on the customer, and anything below 1.33 as not meeting acceptance criteria.2IATF Global Oversight. Ford Motor Company Customer-Specific Requirements For Use With AIAG PPAP Many customers set 1.33 as the minimum and 1.67 as the target. A Cpk of 1.33 means the process spread uses about 75% of the allowable tolerance, leaving margin for drift.
Elements 13–16: Appearance, Samples, and Checking Aids
Element 13: Appearance Approval Report
For parts with cosmetic requirements, an AAR documents that color, texture, grain, and gloss meet the customer’s visual standards under controlled lighting.2IATF Global Oversight. Ford Motor Company Customer-Specific Requirements For Use With AIAG PPAP It applies only when the design record calls out appearance requirements. Purely functional internal parts don’t need one.
Element 14: Sample Production Parts
Actual parts pulled from the first significant production run. Not prototypes and not hand-built samples: they come off the line using the same tooling, operators, and cycle times that will be used in mass production. The customer retains them.
Element 15: Master Sample
A production part approved by the customer and kept by the supplier as a physical benchmark. When later questions arise about quality, finish, or dimensional accuracy, both parties refer back to it. It’s retained for the life of the part, or longer if the customer requires.
Element 16: Checking Aids
Any custom fixtures, gauges, templates, or go/no-go tools used to verify parts during production. The documentation shows they’re calibrated, that they match the design specifications, and that they produce repeatable results over time.
Elements 17–18: Customer-Specific Requirements and the Warrant
Element 17: Customer-Specific Requirements
Requirements unique to a given customer that sit outside the standard framework: specialized labeling rules, additional material traceability, restricted-substance reporting, supplemental testing beyond what appears on the drawing. Missing one of these is a common reason for PPAP rejection, because they often live in a separate customer quality manual rather than on the print itself.
Element 18: Part Submission Warrant
The cover sheet for the entire package. The PSW is the supplier’s formal declaration that the parts represented meet all PPAP requirements and were made from the production process. The standard AIAG form includes part name, part number, engineering change level, part weight, submission level, reason for submission, and certification of the production rate at which samples were made. The customer signs to record the disposition: approved, interim (limited production while specific issues are corrected), or rejected.
Which Elements Get Physically Submitted
Having 18 elements doesn’t mean sending 18 folders to the customer. The AIAG manual defines five submission levels that control what actually leaves the supplier’s site:
- Level 1: Only the Part Submission Warrant is sent. Everything else stays on file at the supplier.
- Level 2: PSW plus product samples and limited supporting data.
- Level 3: PSW plus product samples and the complete supporting data package. The default for most initial submissions.
- Level 4: PSW plus whatever additional requirements the customer defines.
- Level 5: PSW plus product samples and complete supporting data, reviewed on-site at the supplier’s manufacturing location rather than sent in.
The customer specifies which level applies, usually during quoting. Level 3 is the common starting point. Level 5 shows up when the customer wants eyes on the production environment alongside the paperwork.
When a New PPAP Is Required
An approved PPAP is tied to the process that produced the approved parts. The AIAG manual identifies specific triggers for a fresh submission:
- Engineering or design changes: any revision to the drawing or specifications.
- Material or supplier changes: switching raw material or a sub-tier supplier.
- Process changes: modifications to method, equipment, or tooling.
- Tooling changes: replacement, refurbishment, or transfer of production tooling.
- Production gaps: tooling inactive for 12 months or more.
The AIAG manual and IATF 16949 do not require an annual resubmission. When a supplier sees that demand, it’s coming from a specific customer’s quality manual, not the standard. Annual layout inspections and internal product audits are separate activities and don’t require a new package to the customer. Contract language controls, so read it before assuming the default applies.