Stamping Specifications: What the Buyer Writes at Each Stage
A stamped part is bought twice: once as a die and once as parts. Each has its own documents. This page lists them by stage, says what each one fixes and links the detail pages.
Specifications by stage
Typical documents in a stamping program, in the order they appear. Small programs merge some of them; automotive programs use all of them.
| Stage | What the buyer writes or asks for | What it fixes | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| RFQ | Print with material, thickness, general tolerance note, annual volume, finish | What every shop prices, so the quotes compare | General tolerance standard named on the print (for steel stampings, often DIN 6930-2 class m or f) |
| Quote | Tooling quote with die type, station count, die steel, tool life and ownership | Which die you are paying for and who owns it | Die specification, tooling ownership clause |
| Die design | Strip layout or process plan, die design review, list of sensors and spares | Material use, pitch, stations, what protects the die | Die specification (strip layout approval) |
| Tryout and buyoff | Tryout report, dimensional layout, capability study, run at rate | Whether the die makes good parts at the quoted rate | Die buyoff sheet, PPAP or first article plan |
| Approval | First article inspection or PPAP submission at the agreed level | The approved part and process that production must match | PPAP manual of the customer, ISO or ASME drawing standard |
| Production | Control plan, inspection frequency, packaging and labeling spec | What is checked on every lot and how it ships | Control plan, packaging instruction |
| End of life | Die book, maintenance records, transfer checklist | Whether the die can move or be rebuilt | Die specification (die book), die transfer checklist |
Part specifications and die specifications
Two families of documents sit side by side. Part specifications describe the stamping: the drawing standard, the general tolerance class, flatness, burr and finish. Die specifications describe the tool: die steel, die set, sensors, spares, strip layout approval and the die book.
The part specification is what the shop quotes against and what inspection checks. The die specification decides how long the part stays at that quality and whether the die can move to another press or another shop. A buyer who pays for tooling and writes only a part specification has paid for a die it cannot describe.
Approval documents connect the two. A tryout report and buyoff prove the die makes the part; a first article or PPAP submission records the approved part and process. After that, any change to the die, the material or the process goes back through approval.
Which standard family a print usually names
The drawing standard follows the customer, not the shop. Name it on the print so every shop reads the tolerances the same way.
- ASME Y14.5Dimensioning and tolerancing on most North American prints. General tolerances come from a title block note.
- ISO GPS and ISO 2768Common on European and international prints. ISO 2768-1 covers machined and sheet metal parts by nominal size only, with no allowance for thickness.
- DIN 6930-2General tolerances written for steel stampings, in four classes. Often named on German and European prints for flat and formed steel parts.
- Customer standardsLarge buyers often add their own tolerance, surface and packaging standards. Send them with the RFQ, not after the order.
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