PPAP, the Production Part Approval Process, is the AIAG procedure in which an automotive supplier proves, before series delivery, that its process makes parts meeting every drawing and order requirement at production rate. It sorts the evidence into 18 elements and five submission levels, and the customer, not the supplier, decides which level applies.
What is PPAP and who asks for it?
AIAG calls PPAP the industry standard for defining the production part approval process. Its purpose is to show that design records and specification requirements are met consistently in an actual production run at production rate. It is a contractual submission, so the obligation exists where a purchase order or supplier manual says so.
AIAG's core tools page lists the PPAP manual as 4th edition, 2nd printing (November 2009), next to APQP 3rd edition (March 2024). Ford's customer-specific requirements, effective 2025-02-06, are written for that 4th edition. Status as of 2026-10-30: AIAG lists no newer PPAP edition. IATF 16949:2016 remains the automotive quality standard; IATF's July 2026 communiqué plans Revision 2 for publication in mid-2027 and names Tier N supply chain management among five priorities. The communiqué does not mention PPAP.
What are the five PPAP submission levels?
A level states how much of the evidence goes to the customer and how much stays at the supplier. The customer assigns it, per part number or per part category.
Table 1. PPAP submission levels (AIAG PPAP, 4th edition)
| Level | What the supplier submits |
|---|---|
| 1 | Part submission warrant (PSW) only; appearance approval report where the part has appearance requirements |
| 2 | PSW, product samples and limited supporting data |
| 3 | PSW, product samples and complete supporting data |
| 4 | PSW and other items as the customer defines |
| 5 | PSW, samples and complete supporting data, available for review at the supplier's manufacturing site |
Source: AIAG PPAP 4th edition, submission levels, as summarised by InspectionXpert and as reproduced in the retention table of Quality-One and Key to Data. The manual itself is sold, not published.
Level 3 is the default when the customer names none. One published supplier manual (Standard Motor Products, 2015) puts it this way: "The default level is always Level 3 unless specified otherwise." Levels can differ by part category, so read the order for each part number.
Which documents go in at each level?
The levels are defined by a grid of the 18 elements. S means submit to the customer and keep a copy. R means retain at the supplier and make available on request. An asterisk means retain and submit on request.
Table 2. PPAP elements by submission level (S submit, R retain, * retain, submit on request)
| Element | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Design records, proprietary components | R | R | R | * | R |
| 1 Design records, all other components | R | S | S | * | R |
| 2 Engineering change documents, if any | R | S | S | * | R |
| 3 Customer engineering approval, if required | R | R | S | * | R |
| 4 Design FMEA | R | R | S | * | R |
| 5 Process flow diagrams | R | R | S | * | R |
| 6 Process FMEA | R | R | S | * | R |
| 7 Control plan | R | R | S | * | R |
| 8 Measurement system analysis studies | R | R | S | * | R |
| 9 Dimensional results | R | S | S | * | R |
| 10 Material and performance test results | R | S | S | * | R |
| 11 Initial process studies | R | R | S | * | R |
| 12 Qualified laboratory documentation | R | S | S | * | R |
| 13 Appearance approval report, if applicable | S | S | S | * | R |
| 14 Sample product | R | S | S | * | R |
| 15 Master sample | R | R | R | * | R |
| 16 Checking aids | R | R | R | * | R |
| 17 Records of compliance with customer-specific requirements | R | R | S | * | R |
| 18 Part submission warrant (PSW) | S | S | S | S | R |
Source: AIAG PPAP, 4th edition, retention and submission requirements, as reproduced by Quality-One (2016) and Key to Data (2020); the two copies agree row by row. Ford's PPAP requirements follow the same element numbering.
Three points follow from the grid. The PSW goes to the customer at Levels 1 to 4. The step from Level 2 to Level 3 moves eight elements from retained to submitted: customer engineering approval, design FMEA, process flow diagram, process FMEA, control plan, measurement system analysis, initial process studies and the compliance records. Level 4 has no fixed list, so the purchase order has to carry it.
A build-to-print supplier has no design FMEA to give. Ford's text, which follows the AIAG numbering, lists element 4 only "if the organization is product design-responsible".
When must a Tier 2 supplier submit PPAP?
When its customer requires it. PPAP is written between a supplier and its direct customer, and OEMs address their requirements to Tier 1. Ford's customer-specific requirements say so: the "organization" is the Tier 1 site, and "Tier 1 Suppliers to Ford must use a production part approval process for their sub-tier suppliers." The Tier 1 must include the approved sub-tier submissions with each phase of its PSW, and Ford may review the detailed sub-tier data. Where critical characteristic controls sit at the sub-tier, the package must show they prevent shipment of nonconforming product.
For a Tier 2 machining shop this means a PPAP request from the Tier 1, at a level the Tier 1 chooses, with the Tier 2's PSW forming part of the Tier 1's own package. The reach goes further than a single hop: Ford's text on special characteristics applies "regardless of the tier" from Tier 1 through Tier N, and Ford's PSW exceptions list names "Directed Tier 2" submissions. Other OEMs publish their own customer-specific requirements; check each one.
The same logic continues one step down when a Tier 2 supplier adds outside capacity. The Standard Motor Products manual makes suppliers who outsource processes responsible for maintaining all quality standards and meeting all specification requirements.
When is a new PPAP submission due?
Ford lists the triggers under "PPAP Submission is required for, but not limited to": all new tooled parts, a design change to an existing part, any change in supplier operating pattern, any change in the manufacturing process after PPAP approval, any additional or modified production tooling or equipment, and revised Ford-required capacity exceeding the verified supplier capacity. The Standard Motor Products manual adds a change in manufacturing material, a sub-supplier or material source change, a change of manufacturing location and a change in name or ownership of the supplier facility.
Moving a part number from one machining shop to another is therefore a resubmission case, and with Ford it is also a change the customer must approve first: Ford requires its approval through the SREA process before any organization-initiated or sub-tier-initiated change is implemented. Tell the Tier 1 before the move, not after the first delivery.
What do the evidence elements ask of a machined part?
The numbers below are Ford's, as an example of how an OEM fills in the AIAG elements; other customers differ.
- Dimensional results (9): at least 5 parts measured, every Ford-specified dimension recorded, and for multi-cavity or multi-tool streams parts from every cavity or tool.
- Material and performance test results (10): for a turned or milled part this is the material certificate, usually an EN 10204 3.1 certificate, plus any hardness or functional test the drawing calls for.
- Qualified laboratory (12): a laboratory that complies with the latest ISO/IEC 17025 or a national equivalent; accreditation is not required.
- Measurement system analysis (8): completed for all gauges before the capability study starts.
- Initial process studies (11): Ppk of at least 1.67, from a statistically stable data set of at least 25 subgroups of at least 5 parts, 125 measurements, drawn from consecutive parts across a minimum of 300. Exceptions to the minimum part count are agreed with the customer's site engineer and the reasoning is documented in the package. Where the study cannot be completed, 100% inspection or mistake-proofing integrated into the process applies until capability is shown.
A first article report is a different document; the FAI guide compares them.
How does PPAP relate to VDA 2?
German OEMs often work to VDA Volume 2, Production Process and Product Approval (PPF). Its 7th edition appeared in January 2026. The foreword says the volume follows a risk-based approach: instead of fixed evidence catalogues, the scope of the PPF procedure is set by the risk level of the product being released. The 6th edition (2020) already dropped submission levels and conditional release. The foreword also records that harmonisation with AIAG PPAP was discussed, with the German industry open to convergence in the long term, and VDA labels the volume a non-binding recommendation.
A Tier 2 supplier should not assume Level 3 here. Ask whether the customer works to PPAP or to VDA 2, and which edition. The quality documents guide places both next to the material certificate, the CoC and the measurement report.
What should the purchase order say about PPAP?
Name five things:
- the procedure and edition, for example "AIAG PPAP, 4th edition" or "VDA 2, 7th edition";
- the submission level for each part number;
- the customer-specific requirements that apply, by OEM and issue date;
- the date by which the approved package is due, relative to first delivery;
- the changes that trigger a resubmission, such as a new site, tooling or material source.
State the requirement in the request for quotation, because PPAP is work that has to be priced. The Standard Motor Products manual says it outright: suppliers must factor PPAP costs into the part price or overhead. For parts in automotive and commercial vehicles, a quotation without a named level leaves the scope of the package undefined until after the order.
Frequently asked questions
- How many PPAP submission levels are there?
- Five. Level 1 is the part submission warrant alone, Level 2 adds samples and limited data, Level 3 adds complete supporting data, Level 4 follows a list the customer defines, and Level 5 keeps everything at the supplier's site for review there.
- What is the default PPAP level?
- Level 3: warrant, product samples and complete supporting data. Customers name the level, and one published supplier manual states it plainly: the default level is always Level 3 unless specified otherwise.
- How many elements does PPAP have?
- Eighteen, from design records (element 1) to the part submission warrant (element 18). Which of them are sent, and which stay on file at the supplier, depends on the submission level.
- Does a Tier 2 supplier have to submit PPAP?
- Whenever its customer's purchase order or supplier manual requires it. Ford, for example, obliges Tier 1 suppliers to run a production part approval process for their sub-tier suppliers and to include the approved sub-tier submissions in the PSW package.
- What process capability does PPAP require?
- The customer sets the figure. Ford requires Ppk of at least 1.67, calculated from at least 25 subgroups of at least 5 parts each. If that data set cannot be collected, 100% inspection or mistake-proofing applies until capability is shown.
Sources
- AIAG Quality Core Tools: PPAP 4th edition, 2nd printing (Nov 2009), APQP 3rd edition (Mar 2024) (AIAG)
- AIAG PPAP manual, product page PPAP-4 (AIAG)
- Ford Customer-Specific Requirements for use with AIAG PPAP Fourth Edition, effective 2025-02-06 (IATF Global Oversight)
- Ford CSR update for IATF 16949 and PPAP, announcement of 2025-02-12 (IATF Global Oversight)
- PPAP Submission Requirements per Level, retention and submission table (Quality-One)
- PPAP-Vorlagestufen, Retention/Submission Requirements, German and English (Key to Data)
- What are the PPAP submission levels? Level definitions (InspectionXpert)
- Standard Motor Products Supplier Manual 400471 Rev. C, sections 3.2 to 3.4, 2015-07-23 (SMP)
- VDA 2, Production Process and Product Approval (PPF), 7th edition, January 2026, foreword (VDA QMC)
- IATF Stakeholder Communiqué 005, IATF 16949 2nd edition update information, July 2026 (IATF Global Oversight)
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