AS5553 vs AS6081 vs AS6171 vs AS6174: which counterfeit-parts standard governs your buy
The SAE AS-family counterfeit-parts standards matter at one moment: a part is at end of life, authorized stock is gone, and the next order has to go through an independent distributor or broker on the open market, where the risk of a suspect or counterfeit part is highest. Three things then decide your exposure: which standard you name in the PO, what test you demand, and what a certificate actually proves. Four standards are in play, and they do not do the same job. This is a neutral map from public sources: editorially independent, recommending no lab, distributor or certification body, and no vendor pays for a verdict. It answers the buy-side question: which standard do I demand from my supplier, and what does each certify.
Who does what // The four in play
The four standards
Two of these govern a program (AS5553 for the integrator, AS6081 for the open-market distributor), one governs the test (AS6171), and one covers non-electronic materiel (AS6174). Getting the job of each straight is the whole task.
The buy-path // How the standards connect
How the standards connect
Read as a wiring diagram, the four fall into place: your umbrella program flows down to the open-market distributor's program, which defers the actual test to a separate methods standard, and a parallel branch covers anything that is not an electronic part. AS9120 sits to the side as a quality system, not a counterfeit program.
The counterfeit-standards signal chain · buyer → open market → test
Two boxes govern a program (AS5553, AS6081), one governs the test that runs inside it (AS6171), and one covers non-electronic materiel (AS6174). You are rarely naming just one. On an open-market EEE buy you name AS6081 for the program and specify AS6171 for the test.
Head to head // The four questions
The comparisons buyers actually ask
Four pairings come up repeatedly. Read each as a matchup, with the verdict up top. In every case the two standards are complementary or scoped, not alternatives you choose between on preference.
Integrator program vs distributor program. AS5553 belongs to the org that designs, builds or integrates EEE products; the distributor you buy from operates under AS6081. You hold AS5553 and flow AS6081 down when the buy goes open-market.
The program and the test divide. AS6081 governs the distributor's process; the test procedures inside it come from AS6171. Since AS6081A (2023) it defers test methods to AS6171. Name AS6081, specify AS6171 inside it.
Electronic parts, or everything else. AS6174 was built from AS5553; what separates them is coverage. AS5553 is EEE parts; AS6174 takes over for non-electronic materiel. Pick by what the item is, not the process.
Distributor QMS vs counterfeit program. AS9120 is a traceable aerospace quality system with a counterfeit-prevention requirement. But for a dedicated open-market counterfeit-avoidance program, the standard is AS6081. AS9120 alone isn't it.
The one line that resolves the confusion: two of these govern a program, one governs the test that runs inside a program, and one covers materiel that is not electronic. Name the pair that fits your channel and item. You are rarely choosing just one.
By channel // Which standard to name
Which standard to use when you buy
The standard you name depends on the channel and the item, not on preference. Read the condition on the left, name the standard on the right. Use this as your own validation checklist, not a guarantee that a certified supplier removes the risk.
The authorized (franchised) channel
Counterfeit risk is lowest here. AS6081 is aimed at the open market and does not apply to parts from the original manufacturer or its authorized distributor. Your own AS5553 program still governs acceptance.
AS5553 doesn't: govern the distributor channel directly (it flows down to AS6081), and defines no lab test methods.
EEE parts on the open market
This is the AS6081 moment. Demand the independent distributor or broker is running an AS6081 (rev AS6081A) counterfeit-avoidance process on the buy.
AS6081 doesn't: certify the parts, and no longer defines its own test methods. It defers them to AS6171.
A defined authentication test on those parts
Specify the AS6171 test plan, methods and assurance level (Critical → Very Low), since AS6081A leaves the specifics to you. Confirm the lab is accredited by ANAB or A2LA.
AS6171 isn't: a program standard or a certificate of authenticity. A pass reduces risk, it doesn't guarantee a genuine part.
Not an electronic part
For raw materials, mechanical, or other non-EEE materiel, AS6174 is the counterpart standard to name.
AS6174 doesn't: cover EEE parts. That is AS5553 and AS6081.
Checking a distributor's quality system
AS9120 shows a traceable aerospace QMS with a counterfeit-prevention requirement. It is not the dedicated open-market program AS6081 specifies. For an open-market EEE buy, name AS6081.
AS9120 isn't: a dedicated counterfeit-avoidance standard, nor the open-market program AS6081 specifies.
A certificate to any of these standards, and a passed test, reduce the risk that a part is counterfeit. None certify that a given part is genuine, and none remove your own responsibility to validate the part in your system.
FAQ // Frequently asked
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between AS5553 and AS6081?
Complementary standards for different parties. AS5553 is the counterfeit-avoidance program held by the organization that procures and integrates EEE parts (the OEM or integrator). The independent distributor or broker you buy from on the open market works to AS6081 instead. You hold AS5553 as the buyer and flow AS6081 down to that distributor.
What is the difference between AS6081 and AS6171?
AS6081 governs the independent distributor's whole counterfeit-avoidance program; the test methods that program uses come from AS6171. Since AS6081A (2023), AS6081 no longer specifies its own test methods. It requires the distributor to meet the inspection and test requirements of AS6171 to the extent the procuring organization specifies. A buyer typically names both.
AS5553 vs AS6174: which one for non-electronic parts?
AS6174. AS5553 covers EEE parts, and AS6174, which was built from AS5553, takes over for non-electronic materiel such as raw materials and mechanical items. Choose by what the item is.
AS9120 vs AS6081: what is the difference?
AS9120 is a quality-management-system standard for aerospace distributors, covering traceability, handling, storage and supplier control, embedding a counterfeit-prevention requirement. AS6081 is a dedicated counterfeit-avoidance standard for open-market EEE buys. A distributor holding AS9120 runs a traceable quality system, but only AS6081 supplies the full open-market counterfeit-avoidance program.
Which counterfeit standard applies to independent distributors and brokers?
AS6081. It sets requirements for independent distributors, brokers, and any entity performing open-market EEE transactions. It does not apply to authorized distributors supplying parts obtained directly from the original component manufacturer.
Does AS6081 still specify its own test methods?
No. AS6081A (2023) dropped the test methods specific to the prior AS6081 and now requires the distributor to comply with the inspection and test requirements of AS6171, to the extent the procuring organization specifies. The prior AS6081 test methods are superseded.
What does an AS6171 test actually prove, and when do I demand it?
An AS6171 test applies a defined, risk-based set of inspection and test methods to detect a suspect or counterfeit EEE part. A pass reduces the risk that the part is counterfeit. It does not certify the part is genuine, and it does not confirm the part fits and functions in your system. Demand it when you want a repeatable authentication test on an open-market part, and specify the methods and assurance level.
Which standard do I demand from my supplier when I buy from the open market?
For EEE parts, name AS6081 (current revision AS6081A) as the distributor's counterfeit-avoidance program, and specify the AS6171 test plan you want run on the parts. For non-electronic materiel, name AS6174. These reduce risk; you still validate the part in your own system.
Sources // Public, primary
Sources
- SAE AS6081A · Counterfeit EEE Parts, Independent Distribution
- SAE AS6171 · Test Methods Standard, Suspect/Counterfeit EEE Parts
- SAE AS6174B · Counterfeit Materiel
- SAE AS5553E · Counterfeit EEE Parts; Avoidance, Detection, Mitigation
- ANSI/ANAB · What Is AS6081?
- SMT Corp · The difference between AS6171 and AS6081
- Rand Technology · What AS6081 and AS9120 mean for your supply chain
- AERI · Which counterfeit standard is which
- A2LA · AS6171 counterfeit-avoidance accreditation
- ANAB · AS6171 accreditation
Read next // Related
Related reading
Method · Definitions
DMSMS vs obsolescence: the open-market buy is inside DMSMS resolution
Method · Hub
Form, fit, function: when a replacement actually is one
A sibling page on forensic counterfeit detection (what the bench test physically does, the red flags) is planned. This hub decides which standard governs the buy-path and what each certification proves; the detection page will cover the test itself. Obsolescence management (IEC 62402) is a separate topic, not part of this map.
Editorially independent and from public sources only; standard scope, revision and accreditation data is publisher-reported, not independently audited. Definitions follow the SAE standards named. Confirm the current revision and the exact requirements with SAE before citing one in a purchase order.
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