20/05/2024, 23:51 Acceptance Sampling: Meaning, Types, and FAQ

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BUSINESS

Acceptance Sampling: Meaning, Types,

and FAQ
By ADAM HAYES Updated April 30, 2023
Reviewed by KHADIJA KHARTIT

Fact checked by YARILET PEREZ

What Is Acceptance Sampling? | Understanding Acceptance Sampling | A History of

Acceptance Sampling | Special Considerations | Acceptance Sampling FAQs

What Is Acceptance Sampling?

Acceptance sampling is a statistical measure used in quality control. It allows a
company to determine the quality of a batch of products by selecting a
specified number for testing. The quality of this designated sample will be
viewed as the quality level for the entire group of products.

A company cannot test every one of its products at all times. There may be too
many to inspect at a reasonable cost or within a reasonable timeframe. Also,
comprehensive testing might damage the product or make it unfit for sale in
some way. Testing a small sample would be indicative without ruining the bulk
of the product run.

KEY TAKEAWAYS
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Acceptance sampling is a quality-control measure that lets a company
determine the quality of an entire
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product lot by testing randomly
selected samples and using statistical analysis.
When done correctly, acceptance sampling is effective for quality
control.
While it was developed during World War II as a quick fix for
manufacturing, acceptance sampling shouldn't permanently replace
more systemic acceptance quality control methods. [1]

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20/05/2024, 23:51 Acceptance Sampling: Meaning, Types, and FAQ

Understanding Acceptance Sampling

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Acceptance sampling tests a representative sample of the product for defects.
The process involves first, determining the size of a product lot to be tested,
then the number of products to be sampled, and finally the number of defects
acceptable within the sample batch.

Products are chosen at random for sampling. The procedure usually occurs at
the manufacturing site, just before the products are to be shipped. The goal is
to measure the quality of a batch with a specified degree of statistical certainty
without having to test every single unit. Based on the results—how many of the
predetermined number of samples pass or fail the testing—the company
decides whether to accept or reject the lot.

The statistical reliability of a sample is generally measured by a t-statistic, an

inferential statistic used to determine if there is a significant difference between
two groups that share common features.

A History of Acceptance Sampling

Acceptance sampling in its modern industrial form dates from the early 1940s. It
was originally applied by the U.S. military to the testing of bullets during World
War II. [1] The concept and methodology were developed by Harold Dodge, a
veteran of the Bell Laboratories quality assurance department, who was acting
as a consultant to the Secretary of War. [2]

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While the bullets had to be tested, the need for speed was crucial, and Dodge
reasoned that decisions about entire lots could be made by samples picked at
random. Along with Harry Romig and other Bell colleagues, he came up with a

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20/05/2024, 23:51 Acceptance Sampling: Meaning, Types, and FAQ

precise sampling plan to be used as a standard, setting the sample size, the
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number of acceptable defects, and other criteria. [1]

Acceptance sampling procedures became common throughout World War II

and afterward. However, as Dodge himself noted in 1969, acceptance sampling
is not the same as acceptable quality level control. [1] Dependent on specific
sampling plans, it applies to specific lots and is an immediate, short-term test—
a spot check, so to speak. In contrast, the acceptable quality level (AQL) applies
in a broader, more long-term sense for the entire product line; it functions as an
integral part of a well-designed manufacturing process and system.

Special Considerations
When done correctly, acceptance sampling can be effective for quality control.
Probability is a key factor in acceptance sampling, but it is not the only factor. If
a company makes a million products and tests just 10 units with one default, an
assumption would be made on the probability that 100,000 of the 1,000,000 are
defective. However, this may be grossly inaccurate.

More reliable conclusions can be made by increasing the batch (lot) size to
greater than 10 and increasing the sample size by doing more than just one test
and averaging the results.

Why Is It Called Acceptance Sampling?

As a measure of quality control, acceptance sampling inspects a small number
of available products in order to infer the quality of all other units produced.
This is the sampling part, where a small number of units are randomly selected
from the population of available units. If the sampled units are acceptable, then
the whole batch is accepted.
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How Does Acceptance Sampling Work?
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Several methods are utilized. The simplest involves testing a single unit at
random, per x units produced (sometimes called an (n, c) plan). The acceptance
is evaluated based on the number of defective units (c) found in the sample size
(n). Other methods involve multiple sampling, which relies on several such (n,
c) evaluations. While using multiple samples is more costly, it may be more
accurate.

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20/05/2024, 23:51 Acceptance Sampling: Meaning, Types, and FAQ

When Should Acceptance Sampling Be Used? LIVE

Because it relies on statistical inference made from a small sample, it's not as
accurate as more comprehensive measures of quality control. Therefore, it
should only be used in cases where so many products are made that is
impractical or unfeasible to test a large percentage of units; or when inspection
of a unit would result in its destruction or render it unusable again (e.g., testing
a fire extinguisher).
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Related Terms
Acceptable Quality Level (AQL): Definition and How It Works
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20/05/2024, 23:51 Acceptance Sampling: Meaning, Types, and FAQ

An acceptable quality level (AQL) is a statistical measurement of the maximum acceptable

number of defective goods in a particular sample size. more LIVE

What Is a Quality Control Chart and Why Does It Matter?

A quality control chart is a graphic that depicts whether sampled products or processes
are meeting their intended specifications. more

Quality Control: What It Is, How It Works, and QC Careers

Quality control is a process by which a business ensures that product quality is
maintained or improved. Learn whether quality control is a career option for you. more

Statistics: Definition, Types, and Importance

Statistics is the collection, description, analysis, and inference of conclusions from
quantitative data. People who do statistics are referred to as statisticians. more

Goodness-of-Fit
A goodness-of-fit test helps you see if your sample data is accurate or somehow skewed.
Discover how the popular chi-square goodness-of-fit test works. more

Chi-Square (χ2) Statistic: What It Is, Examples, How and

When to Use the Test
A chi-square (χ2) statistic is a test that is used to measure how expectations compare to
actual observed data or model results. more

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