An AQL sample size is a source-dependent plan record, not a generic percentage of an order. A named sampling-plan source can link a stated lot scope and inspection level to a code letter, then link the code letter plus a stated AQL/defect field to a sample-size field and acceptance/rejection field. The standard/table/calculator source and version, plan fields, report scope, and unknowns must remain separate.
The important word is “stated.” An AQL table, calculator output, checklist, or report has a source and a scope. It may identify a sampling-plan path. It does not select the plan for the project, prove that every unit was examined, or turn a sample record into a product-wide quality conclusion.
Key takeaways
- Retain the named standard, table, or calculator source and its stated version before reading a sample-size field.
- Keep lot scope, inspection level, code letter, table/plan row, AQL/defect field, sample-size field, and acceptance/rejection field as separate records.
- Read calculator output and inspection-report outcome as separate source records.
- Do not treat an AQL sample size as a fixed percentage that applies to every product, lot, or standard source.
- Preserve missing source versions, unclear lot scope, and unstated fields as unknowns.
Contents
- What AQL sample size means in a source record
- Start with standard table or calculator source and version
- Keep lot scope inspection level and code letter separate
- Read sample-size and acceptance-rejection fields as stated plan fields
- Use the AQL sample-size record table
- Keep calculator output and report result separate
- What sampling does not prove
- Message template for source clarification
- Practical AQL sample-size checklist
- FAQ
What AQL sample size means in a source record
An AQL sample size is a source-dependent plan record. A cited sampling source may use a stated lot scope and inspection level to identify a code letter, then use that code letter and a stated AQL/defect field to identify a sample-size field and acceptance/rejection field. [1] [2] [3]
The source path matters. A table or calculator can only be read through its named version, input fields, and stated output fields. A sample-size value copied without the related source, lot scope, inspection level, code letter, and AQL/defect field is incomplete as a project record.
An AQL sample size is a source-dependent plan record. It is not a quality guarantee. It does not prove that every product unit was examined, that every unit is free from defects, or that a product, supplier, shipment, or delivery will meet a later expectation.
Start with standard table or calculator source and version
Start with the exact standard, table, or calculator source cited by the project. Identify its title, publisher, link or document reference, version/edition if stated, and the page, table, calculator output, or attachment used. The ISO Online Browsing Platform entry for ISO 2859-1 identifies the standard source. This article does not reproduce an ISO table or make a claim about content that is not stated in the source supplied by the project.
The QIMA AQL guide and the QualityInspection.org inspection-level guide both describe a general two-part relationship. One source field links stated lot scope and inspection level to a code letter. A later source field links code letter and a stated AQL/defect field to sample-size and acceptance/rejection fields. Their numerical examples, source-specific values, recommendations, tests, timing, costs, provider claims, and outcome claims are not used here.
A project can name a source. This article does not select a sampling standard, edition, plan, inspection level, lot basis, sample size, AQL value, defect classification, acceptance number, rejection number, test, equipment, inspector, provider, timing, compliance action, production action, payment action, shipment action, supplier decision, or contract approach.
Keep lot scope inspection level and code letter separate
Lot scope, inspection level, and code letter perform different roles in a sampling-plan record. Preserve the lot scope exactly as the relevant source states it. Preserve the inspection-level field exactly as the source states it. Preserve the code letter and the table/plan row as source fields. Do not infer a code letter from a remembered table, a generic percentage, a different product, or another report.
Standard/table/calculator source and version, lot scope, inspection level, code letter, table/plan row, AQL/defect field, sample-size field, acceptance/rejection field, report scope, and unknowns must remain distinct records. A lot scope is not an inspection level. A code letter is not a sample-size field. An AQL/defect field is not an acceptance/rejection field. A report outcome is not the underlying plan source.
Use the AQL inspection guide to understand terminology when a project source names it. Use the quality inspection checklist guide to preserve requirement source, checklist item, observation, report scope, and unknowns as distinct records. Neither article selects a plan for the reader.
Read sample-size and acceptance-rejection fields as stated plan fields
A stated sample-size field belongs with its table/plan source, version, lot scope, inspection-level field, code letter, and AQL/defect field. A stated acceptance/rejection field belongs with the same source path. If a report includes a sampling result, keep the report source/date, product/order/lot reference, stated scope, and exact wording with that report.
Do not calculate a value from a partial record. Do not replace an unstated field with a default, a remembered rule, a source from a different edition, or an online calculator result that the project did not name. If one input or source record is missing, record the gap as unknown.
A sample-size field is not an outcome field. An acceptance/rejection field is not a report field. A report result is not proof that the plan source was correctly selected, that every product unit was examined, or that later production will match the report.
Use the AQL sample-size record table
This table helps organise an AQL sample-size record by source and stated scope. It does not reproduce a standard table or calculate, choose, or recommend a plan value.
| Source record | Stated field | Source/version or report reference | Unknown or scope limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard, table, or calculator source | Title, publisher, link/document reference, and stated version/edition | Named source used by the project | Whether another edition/source applies |
| Sampling-plan source field | Table, calculator, attachment, or stated plan reference | Source field being read | Whether the source is complete or current |
| Lot scope | Lot/order/product scope wording | Source field that names the lot basis | Whether the lot basis is stated or applies beyond its scope |
| Inspection-level field | Level wording as stated in the source | Table/calculator/checklist/report reference | Whether another source selected the field |
| Code letter | Code letter as stated by the plan source | Table/row or calculator output reference | Whether the source path is fully identified |
| Table or plan row | Row/reference as stated in the source | Standard/table/calculator reference | Whether an unstated table or edition was used |
| AQL or defect field | AQL/defect wording as stated | Table/calculator/checklist/report reference | Whether the field was supplied or is missing |
| Sample-size field | Sample-size wording as stated | Plan source and all stated input fields | Whether it applies outside the named scope |
| Acceptance/rejection field | Acceptance/rejection wording as stated | Plan source and relevant table/row | Whether it is being confused with a report outcome |
| Inspection-report scope | Report source/date, product/order/lot reference, and stated scope | Report record, if one exists | What the report does not state or cover |
| Unknown or missing field | Open question and requested source | Field not supplied or not linked | Which source record is still needed |
Keep calculator output and report result separate
A calculator output is a source record. Preserve the calculator name or link, date/output reference if stated, input fields, output field, and any stated version. An inspection report is another source record. Preserve its source/date, product/order/lot reference, scope, and report wording. One record does not replace the other.
The product inspection report guide explains why source/date, product/order/lot reference, stated scope, requirement source, observed information, report outcome, and unknowns should remain distinct. The failed-inspection record guide keeps a reported outcome separate from a cause, correction, action record, later report, or commercial decision.
What sampling does not prove
An AQL sample-size record does not prove every unit was examined, does not prove every unit is free from defects, and does not establish a product-wide quality, compliance, shipment, or delivery conclusion. It identifies fields in a named sampling-plan source and, if supplied, the stated scope of a report.
An AQL sample size record is not a quality guarantee and does not prove or guarantee product quality, compliance, supplier capability, schedule, shipment, or delivery. It is not a substitute for the underlying product requirement sources, the approved sample reference if any, the checklist record, or a report’s stated scope.
The supplier quality control plan guide can help organise these plan sources without converting them into a quality or commercial conclusion.
Message template for source clarification
Use a request that asks for the stated source records and fields.
Hello [supplier contact],
We are organising the AQL sample-size record for [product version and order or lot reference]. Please identify the standard, table, or calculator source and stated version; the lot scope; inspection-level field; code letter; table/plan row; AQL/defect field; sample-size field; acceptance/rejection field; and any related report source and scope.
For each item, please identify the source and date/version. If a field is not stated or cannot be linked to a written source, please say so in writing.
Thank you.
This request asks for documentation. It does not select a sampling standard, edition, plan, inspection level, lot basis, sample size, AQL value, defect classification, acceptance number, rejection number, test, equipment, inspector, provider, timing, compliance action, production action, payment action, shipment action, supplier decision, or contract approach.
Practical AQL sample-size checklist
- Have you retained the named standard/table/calculator source and stated version/edition?
- Does the lot scope, inspection-level field, code letter, table/plan row, AQL/defect field, sample-size field, and acceptance/rejection field each retain its source reference?
- Are calculator output and inspection-report result held as separate source records?
- Have you kept missing or unclear fields as unknowns rather than adding a default or calculating from a partial record?
- Have you kept an AQL sample-size record separate from every-unit, product-wide, compliance, shipment, or delivery conclusions?
- An AQL sample-size record does not prove every unit was examined, does not prove every unit is free from defects, and does not establish a product-wide quality, compliance, shipment, or delivery conclusion.
- This article does not select a sampling standard, edition, plan, inspection level, lot basis, sample size, AQL value, defect classification, acceptance number, rejection number, test, equipment, inspector, provider, timing, compliance action, production action, payment action, shipment action, supplier decision, or contract approach and an AQL sample size record is not a quality guarantee and does not prove or guarantee product quality, compliance, supplier capability, schedule, shipment, or delivery.
FAQ
What determines AQL sample size?
An AQL sample size comes from a named sampling-plan source. A source table or calculator may connect a stated lot scope and inspection level to a code letter, then connect the code letter plus a stated AQL/defect field to sample-size and acceptance/rejection fields. The source/version and each input/output field need to remain attached to the record.
Is AQL sample size a percentage of the order?
No. An AQL sample size is a source-dependent plan record, not a generic percentage of an order. It should be read through the named source/version, stated lot scope, inspection-level field, code letter, table/plan row, AQL/defect field, and sample-size field.
Does an AQL sample result guarantee the quality of every unit?
No. An AQL sample-size record does not prove every unit was examined, does not prove every unit is free from defects, and does not establish a product-wide quality, compliance, shipment, or delivery conclusion. It is not a quality guarantee and does not prove or guarantee product quality, compliance, supplier capability, schedule, shipment, or delivery.
References
- ISO Online Browsing Platform, ISO 2859-1 entry
- QIMA, “Acceptable Quality Limit, AQL”
- QualityInspection.org, “How The AQL Inspection Levels In ISO 2859-1 Affect Sample Size”
Next step
If you need help organising an AQL sample-size source record, share the named standard/table/calculator source, version/edition if stated, product/order/lot reference, plan fields, checklist source, and inspection report source if any with Yes Supplier. The review can help structure clarification questions. It is not a quality guarantee and does not prove or guarantee product quality, compliance, supplier capability, schedule, shipment, or delivery.