IPC-A-610 certification appears on almost every electronics manufacturer's website today, but on its own it tells you surprisingly little. See what quality classes mean in practice, and which five questions actually separate one electronics supplier from another before you place an order.
IPC-A-610 is an international standard defining acceptability criteria for electronic assemblies, in place since 1983 and regularly updated — the latest revision, IPC-A-610J, was published in March 2024. A certificate confirming compliance with this standard is held by nearly every electronics manufacturer today, so the certificate alone tells a buyer surprisingly little. The real differences between suppliers only surface once you ask about something beyond the document itself — the assembly class, lot traceability, how quality is actually verified, and how long documentation stays available after production ends.
What IPC-A-610 covers and which quality classes it defines
IPC-A-610 sets out visual acceptability criteria for electronic assembly — covering component placement, solder joint quality, acceptable case damage, and board cleanliness after soldering. In practice, the standard defines three quality classes that production can be run to. Class 1 covers products with a short lifespan, such as electronic toys or promotional gadgets, and allows the widest assembly tolerances. Class 2, the most commonly used in industrial and consumer electronics, requires long-term reliability without the device's operation being considered mission-critical. Class 3, reserved for medical equipment, aerospace systems, or safety-critical automotive electronics, sets the highest requirements and leaves almost no room for deviation.
This distinction has a direct bearing on contract electronics manufacturing — overspecifying the class raises production cost without benefiting a product that doesn't need it, while underspecifying it risks insufficient quality where reliability actually matters.
Why the certificate alone isn't enough
IPC-A-610 certification has become an industry baseline, not a differentiator — which is why "do you hold IPC-A-610 certification" barely separates one supplier from another anymore. Certification applies to the company as an organization, but it's the team on the shop floor that applies the standard day to day — and the standard itself changes every few years. Between the 2020 revision and the current 2024 version, criteria were updated for component miniaturization and new solder materials. A supplier running production to IPC-A-610 with a team trained on the current revision is one thing; a supplier who earned the certificate once and keeps citing it without refreshing the team's knowledge is a very different situation — though the two look identical on a website.
That's why it's worth shifting the conversation from "do you have the certificate" to practical questions — five of them below, which genuinely separate electronics suppliers.
Five questions worth asking the EMS supplier — beyond the certificate itself
Which IPC class is production actually run to?
The certificate alone doesn't say whether a supplier assembles to Class 2 or Class 3 — fundamentally different quality requirements and cost. Ask directly which class applies to your specific order, rather than settling for a general "we work to IPC".
Does lot traceability work in practice, not just on paper?
Traceability — the ability to unambiguously link a given board to a component batch and production date — is widely claimed but rarely checked in practice. Ask how it actually works: does every unit carry an assigned number, and how quickly can the supplier reconstruct the production history of a specific unit if a complaint arises.
Is quality verified beyond visual inspection?
Visual inspection to IPC-A-610 doesn't catch everything — some defects, particularly under components like BGA, are invisible to the naked eye even with proper lighting and magnification. Ask whether the supplier supplements visual checks with X-ray inspection, which verifies solder joints that can't be seen directly.
Who handles the communication during order fulfilment?
A quality certificate says nothing about what contact looks like during production — whether a status enquiry reaches a specific, known person, or a general inbox with a reply arriving days later. On longer, more complex orders, this question can matter just as much as the purely technical ones.
How long does the supplier retain production documentation?
Documentation — order flow cards, QC results, specifications — matters not just during production but years later too, if a need arises for service, a complaint, or resuming production. Ask how long the supplier actually archives such materials before it's discarded — and for longer-term relationships, it's also worth asking about the partnership and service model available after production itself ends.
How we answer these questions at Siltegro
Production at Siltegro is run to the IPC-A-610 standard — we hold current certification, and our team is trained to the current revision of the standard. We agree the required assembly class with the client individually at the enquiry stage, based on the product's intended application, rather than defaulting to one level for every order.
Every order and every client is assigned its own number, so lot traceability isn't a claim — it's a visible part of the process at every production stage. We retain documentation — including order flow cards and QC results — for up to 10 years, so it stays available long after production ends if a service need or a resumed order comes up. We supplement IPC-A-610 visual inspection with X-ray inspection wherever components such as BGA require it, and every client has one dedicated project contact from first enquiry through delivery — not a shared inbox. After production, we remain available through partnership and service — we don't disappear after the last shipment.
IPC-A-610 and supplier evaluation — frequently asked questions
Does every electronics manufacturer need IPC-A-610 certification?
No, IPC-A-610 certification isn't a legal requirement — it's an industry standard, not a regulation. In practice, though, most serious contract manufacturers hold it, since without a shared reference point it's hard to unambiguously assess assembly quality and align expectations with a client.
What's the practical difference between Class 2 and Class 3?
Class 3 requires more thorough inspection of every assembly element and tighter deviation tolerances, which drives up production cost. The difference mainly applies to applications where failure endangers health or life — in Class 2 consumer electronics, a single minor deviation from perfect execution usually doesn't affect device function; in Class 3 it may be unacceptable.
Is it worth asking about the certificate if almost every supplier has one?
Yes, but the certificate should be the starting point, not the only question. The document itself confirms the company knows the standard and applies it — it says nothing about the specific class, how current the team's knowledge is, or practices like traceability and documentation retention, which are what actually separate suppliers.
Does IPC-A-610 visual inspection catch every assembly defect?
Not always. Visual inspection assesses what's visible under proper lighting and magnification, but it doesn't catch defects hidden under a component body, such as BGA joints. For those cases, manufacturers supplement visual inspection with X-ray inspection.
How do you check whether a supplier's team is trained on the current revision of the standard?
Ask directly for the date of the team's last training and which revision of the standard it covered. Suppliers who apply the standard consistently usually answer this without hesitation — a vague answer is itself a warning sign.
Summary
IPC-A-610 certification is a good starting point for a conversation about assembly quality, but not the end of it. The real difference between electronics suppliers comes down to the specific class production is run to, lot traceability that actually works in practice, quality control that goes beyond visual inspection, a clear communication model during the order, and how long production documentation is retained.
Not sure which IPC-A-610 class your project needs? Talk to us — we settle this together at the enquiry stage, before any commitment is made.
