Quality System Vocabulary for Manufacturing Workers

The further you go into a plant's quality system, the more specific the vocabulary gets — not just "there's a defect," but what kind of defect, and how serious. This vocabulary covers the defect classification system and technical terms used across departments.

Defect Severity Levels

• critical defect — a defect that could be a safety risk or cause total product failure.
• major defect — a serious defect that affects function, but isn't a safety risk.
• minor defect — a small, usually cosmetic, defect.
• defect code — a standard code used to record a specific type of defect.

First-Time Quality

• first-time quality (FTQ) — a measure of how many products pass without needing any rework at all.

Example: "Our first-time quality this week was 96%."

Handling Defective Products

• rework — fixing a defective product so it meets the standard.
• scrap — a part too badly defective to fix, so it has to be thrown out.

Cross-Department Technical Terms

• panel gap — the space between two body panels on a vehicle.
• flush — two surfaces sitting level with each other, with no part sticking out.
• burr — a sharp leftover edge of material on a metal part.
• torque mark — a mark showing a bolt has been tightened and checked.

Try the Quiz

This quality system vocabulary is used across departments, not just on the assembly line. Try the short quiz below to check what stuck.