PPAP: 18 elements, submission levels and checklist

Know which PPAP level to ask for, what the 18 elements are and which supplier changes reopen approval, plus how AS9145 PPAP works in aerospace.

Published September 26, 20269 min read

A supplier's PPAP proves its production process can make your part to drawing, at rate, before the first production shipment reaches your line. When you know which level to ask for and which supplier changes reopen approval, your team catches process changes before they reach the build.

What is PPAP?

The Production Part Approval Process (PPAP) is a standard method for a supplier to prove, with parts from a real production run, that its process meets every engineering and customer requirement. The supplier compiles up to 18 elements of evidence, signs a summary declaration called the Part Submission Warrant, and ships production parts only after the customer approves.

The Automotive Industry Action Group (AIAG) publishes the method in its PPAP manual, still in the 4th edition from 2006. Automotive customers invoke it through IATF 16949 and their own requirements. The evidence must come from a significant production run of 1 to 8 hours and at least 300 consecutive parts, unless specified otherwise, made with production tooling, gauges, materials and operators. AIAG PPAP, 4th ed., Section 2.1.

What are the 18 PPAP elements?

The 18 PPAP elements are the records a supplier completes to show that design, process and product meet requirements. They run from design records and risk analyses through measurement studies, test results and samples to the warrant. The supplier completes every applicable element at every level, and the level only decides which elements go to the customer.

Design records, including the part's material composition report (IMDS in automotive)
Authorized engineering change documents
Customer engineering approval, where required
Design FMEA, from design-responsible suppliers
Process flow diagram
Process FMEA
Control plan
Measurement system analysis studies
Dimensional results
Material and performance test results
Initial process studies
Qualified laboratory documentation
Appearance approval report, where applicable
Sample production parts
Master sample
Checking aids
Records of compliance with customer-specific requirements
Part Submission Warrant (PSW)

Suppliers of bulk materials such as adhesives, coatings or lubricants complete a Bulk Material Requirements Checklist. AIAG PPAP, 4th ed., Section 2.2 and Appendix F.

What are the PPAP submission levels?

PPAP has five submission levels that set how much evidence goes to the customer. Level 1 is the warrant, Level 2 adds samples and limited data, and Level 3 adds complete data. Level 4 is the warrant plus customer-defined items, and at Level 5 the customer reviews complete data at the supplier's plant.

Level 3 is the default unless the customer specifies another level. AIAG PPAP, 4th ed., Section 4.1. Customers can set lower levels for low-risk parts and proven suppliers. Astemo, for example, weighs the supplier's quality system, submission history and the part's criticality. Astemo Americas Supplier Manual, Section 02, Issue 27, p. 7.

PPAP elements by submission level

Download image

A matrix of the 18 PPAP elements plus the bulk material checklist against submission Levels 1 to 5. Each cell shows S (submit to the customer and keep a copy), R (retain and make available on request) or * (retain and submit on request). Level 3 submits almost everything except the master sample, checking aids and proprietary design records. Level 1 submits only the warrant and the appearance report (and, for bulk materials, the checklist). Level 4 marks everything customer-defined except the warrant (and, for bulk materials, the checklist). Level 5 marks everything retained for review at the supplier's site.

#	Element	Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4	Level 5
1	Design records: proprietary components or details	R	R	R	*	R
1	Design records: all other components or details	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 (AAR), if applicable	S	S	S	*	R
14	Sample production parts	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
—	Bulk material requirements checklist (bulk materials only)	S	S	S	S	R

The level changes what the supplier sends to the customer, and every element stays in the supplier's file at every level.

Level 1 also includes the appearance approval report for appearance items. An R doesn't make an element optional: Level 1 suppliers keep a complete file and produce any element on request.

The Part Submission Warrant goes to the customer at Levels 1 through 4. It names the part number and drawing revision, gives the reason for submission, states the level, and carries the supplier's signed declaration that the parts meet requirements. Suppliers complete a separate warrant for each customer part number unless agreed otherwise. AIAG PPAP, 4th ed., Section 2.2.18.

When is a PPAP submission required?

A supplier submits PPAP before a new part's first production shipment, after correcting a discrepancy in an earlier submission, and after an engineering change to design, specifications or materials. AIAG PPAP, 4th ed., Section 3.2. It must notify the customer before changes to design, process or site, which need a new submission unless the customer waives it. AIAG PPAP, 4th ed., Section 3.1.

The notification list in the AIAG manual covers these changes. AIAG PPAP, 4th ed., Section 3.1.

Construction or material different from the approved part
New, additional, replacement or modified tools, dies, molds or patterns, except perishable tools
Upgrade or rearrangement of existing tooling or equipment
Production moved to a different plant or an additional site
A change of supplier for parts, non-equivalent materials or services such as heat treating or plating
Production after the tooling has been inactive for volume production for 12 months or more
Product or process changes on components made in-house or by sub-suppliers
A new test or inspection method
For bulk materials, a new raw material source or a change in appearance

Sub-supplier changes are easy to miss, a tier or more from your order. A supplier change notification clause on the order makes the supplier tell you before the change ships. When a customer waives a submission, some manuals, like Astemo's, still require a written waiver and an updated PPAP file. Astemo Americas Supplier Manual, Section 02, pp. 6–7.

Selling into the EU?

German OEMs and their suppliers use VDA Volume 2, Production Process and Product Approval (PPF), instead of or alongside PPAP. The current 6th edition dates from April 2020. Customer and supplier agree for each project which data, documents and sample parts are submitted, when and in what form, and the supplier documents the result in a PPF report with a self-assessment. VDA QMC, Volume 2, 6th ed. The 2020 edition dropped submission levels and conditional approval. VDA 2, 7th ed. draft, Foreword. A 7th edition draft (Gelbband), published for comment in January 2026, sets the PPF scope by the risk of the product or change and maps the PPF report with self-assessment to the PSW. VDA QMC, Gelbbände. VDA 2, 7th ed. draft, Foreword and Annex 2. Check which edition your customer's contract invokes.

How do customer-specific requirements change PPAP?

Customer-specific requirements are each customer's additions to the PPAP manual, and they take precedence over its defaults. They can change the level, the sample size, the forms, the submission portal and the approval statuses. Element 17 exists so the supplier records how it met them, and a package that ignores them is incomplete.

Automotive OEMs publish their requirements on the IATF site, and Ford's PPAP requirements for programs using its SCCAF process took effect on June 15, 2026. IATF, OEM customer-specific requirements. Ford, Specifics for PPAP, June 2026 SCCAF. Enerpac accepts 125 consecutive parts instead of 300. Enerpac Supplier PPAP Manual, Section 9. Prestolite grants no interim approval. Prestolite Supplier PPAP Handbook, p. 10.

What happens after a PPAP is submitted?

The customer returns one of three statuses. Full approval lets the supplier ship production quantities against releases. Interim approval permits shipments for a limited time or quantity while the supplier closes defined gaps under an agreed action plan. Rejection means the submission and its production lot don't meet requirements, and production parts can't ship. AIAG PPAP, 4th ed., Section 5.2.

Astemo, for example, grants interim approval only when the supplier has found the root cause of the gap and agreed an action plan. Material that fails the agreed action plan by the expiration date or authorized quantity is rejected, and the supplier ships no further parts without an extension. Astemo Americas Supplier Manual, Section 02, p. 8.

Customer manuals list grounds for rejection, including a submission to the wrong part number or drawing revision, a warrant with blank fields and an incomplete package. Prestolite Supplier PPAP Handbook, p. 10. TI Fluid Systems, CW-8-ALL-500, Section 6.18. JELD-WEN SQM03, Section 12.0.

How does PPAP relate to APQP?

APQP (Advanced Product Quality Planning) is the planning process that runs from concept through launch, and PPAP is its validation output. The FMEAs, process flow and control plan take shape in APQP's design and process phases, and PPAP confirms them with production-run parts. A supplier can't assemble a credible PPAP at the end if those phases were skipped.

Boeing's clause Q017 calls PPAP the output of APQP and assigns the elements it requires to APQP phases. Boeing Clause Q017.

How does AS9145 PPAP work in aerospace?

AS9145, the 2016 aerospace standard for APQP and PPAP, applies when an aviation, space or defense customer invokes it on the order. Its PPAP has 11 elements, and the first article inspection report under AS9102 is only element 9. A first article inspection alone doesn't satisfy an AS9145 PPAP, because the process evidence must be there too.

The 11 elements are design records, design risk analysis, process flow diagram, process FMEA, control plan, measurement system analysis, initial process capability studies, packaging, preservation and labelling approvals, the first article inspection report, customer PPAP requirements and the PPAP approval form. Boeing Clause Q017, Tables 1–2. RTX ASQR-09.2, Rev. 03, Sections 4.1.3 and 5.1–5.11. SAE AS9145.

Aerospace primes add their own rules. Pratt & Whitney's ASQR-09.2 (RTX) sets Level 3 as the default and allows interim approval for gaps in the risk analyses, measurement studies, capability studies, first article report and production run. It also requires resubmission after a two-year production lapse. RTX ASQR-09.2, Rev. 03, Sections 4.2.1, 4.2.2 and 4.2.4.

How do buyers track open PPAPs with suppliers?

Track each PPAP by supplier and part number. Each open record needs the reason for submission, the required level, the due date and the current status, and interim approvals also need their expiry date or quantity limit. Check the list before releasing production orders, so no part ships against a pending resubmission or an expired interim approval.

Turn the matrix into a per-part checklist:

Element	Required at your level?	Received	Reviewed
18. Part Submission Warrant	Yes	Yes, 2026-08-14	Yes

Add a row for every S element at your level.

Link each supplier change notice to the PPAP it reopens, and ask for the status of sub-supplier approvals when a heat treater or plater changes. Your team can open each request as a task and hand it to Scout Agent, who emails and calls the supplier for the missing element or resubmission date, within the permissions your team sets.

Questions teams ask

Can a supplier ship before PPAP approval?

A supplier can't ship production parts without the customer's authorization. Interim approval is one route, and RTX also allows a deferral in limited circumstances. RTX ASQR-09.2, Section 4.2.2.4.

How long must PPAP records be kept?

The AIAG manual requires records for as long as the part is active plus one calendar year. AIAG PPAP, 4th ed., Section 6. Customer requirements can extend that period.

Do standard catalog parts need a PPAP?

Standard catalog parts usually don't need a PPAP. RTX, for example, doesn't generally require PPAP for industry standard or commercial off-the-shelf parts. RTX ASQR-09.2, Section 1.1.

Who decides the submission level?

The customer decides and can assign different levels to the same supplier for different parts. When the customer names no level, the supplier submits at Level 3.

If open PPAPs and change-driven resubmissions are slowing your launches, talk to our team about keeping that follow-up moving.

This article is general information, not legal or tax advice. Check how the rules apply to your business with your legal or tax advisor.

Sources (16)