Calibration / verification records (IATF only)
Plain-language summary
Calibration records must tell the full story: traceable standards, as-found/as-left readings, and — critically — documented assessment of product risk whenever an instrument is found out of specification.
What the clause is really asking
IATF specifies the record content: revisions following engineering changes, out-of-spec readings as received, assessment of risk to shipped product when out-of-spec is found, customer notification if suspect product was shipped, and records covering internal, customer-owned and supplier-owned equipment alike.
What auditors look for
Auditors pull certificates and look for as-found data (a cert showing only 'passed' hides the story), then chase the out-of-tolerance trail: instrument found out of cal -> which products were measured with it -> risk assessment -> customer notified if needed. Gauges owned by customers or embedded in supplier tooling must be in the system too.
Typical evidence
Calibration certificates with as-found/as-left; OOT investigation records; customer notification evidence; register covering customer- and supplier-owned gauges.
How to comply — recommendations
Demand as-found/as-left data from your calibration lab in the purchase order. Keep a one-page OOT reaction form: instrument, period at risk, products affected, decision, customer informed Y/N. File it with the certificate.
Common nonconformities
Certificates without as-found readings; OOT findings with no product risk assessment; customer-owned gauges absent from the register; no notification when suspect product shipped.
Related clauses
Builds on ISO 9001 7.1.5 (see Example row)
In the book
Chapter 7 — Support — People, Kit and the Truth About Documents treats this clause family in full: what it is really asking, what auditors look for, the evidence that satisfies, how to make it work on a real floor, and where companies stumble. This IATF requirement is covered in the Automotive Edition, in the same six blocks as the ISO clause around it.
Resources for this clause
- ArticleMSA and Gage R&R explained: type 1 studies, ANOVA vs average and range, %GRR vs %tolerance, ndc and attribute agreement
- Free downloadMSA / Gage R&R Study TemplateProve the gauge before you trust the number — a crossed Gage R&R worked by ANOVA and by average and range side by side, plus a type 1 gauge study, all as live formulas.
- Free downloadControl Plan TemplateThe production rulebook as a working file — a blank control plan, a filled worked example, and a 12-point health check for the plans you already have.
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