EEE Parts Grades: From Commercial to Space Level

Updated October 12, 2026

The grade ladder in one table

Pick the grade from the mission risk, then buy the part class that delivers it. NASA-STD-8739.10, the NASA EEE parts assurance standard dated June 13, 2017, sorts parts into four grades and lists the military part classes that typically meet each one. It also says the words grade, level and part class are used interchangeably, so a Grade 1 part is consistent with reliability Level 1.

The same standard describes the trade: Grade 1 parts carry the highest in-process control, screening and cost per part and the lowest potential upscreen cost, while Grade 4 parts have the lowest price and the highest cost if you later need to prove them out. It also notes that some military specifications cover only one grade, for example MIL-PRF-123, which applies only to space grade ceramic capacitors.

Commercial and automotive grades: AEC-Q100, Q101 and Q200

Automotive qualified parts are commercial parts that passed a published stress test qualification, not parts that were screened lot by lot. The Automotive Electronics Council publishes AEC-Q100 for integrated circuits, AEC-Q101 for discrete semiconductors and AEC-Q200 for passive components. Each is titled as a failure mechanism based, or stress test, qualification, and the council states that components meeting them suit the automotive environment without additional component level qualification testing.

AEC-Q100 Rev J1, dated March 24, 2026, assigns an operating temperature grade to each qualified IC:

For space and defense work, treat AEC-Q as a better starting point than a plain commercial part, nothing more. NASA-STD-8739.10 places screened automotive parts at Grade 3. NASA's NEPP presentation on the draft NASA-STD-8739.11 shows AEC-Q100 parts as an option for plastic microcircuits at assurance Levels 2 through 4, with screening, lot acceptance testing or destructive physical analysis (DPA) added depending on level. AEC-Q documents also do not address space radiation.

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Microcircuits: MIL-PRF-38535 QML Class Q, V and Y

MIL-PRF-38535 certifies the manufacturing line, and the device class letter tells you which flow the part went through. Class Q is the military class and Class V is the space class. Texas Instruments, a QML-listed manufacturer, summarizes the classes this way in its 2025 application brief:

• Class Q: passed all applicable MIL-PRF-38535 requirements including qualification, screening and technology and quality conformance inspection (TCI/QCI).
• Class V: everything Class Q requires plus the additional space level requirements. NASA's EEE-INST-002 lists Class V (or the older Class S) first for Level 1 and accepts Class Q with added testing at Level 1 only when Class V is not available.
• Class Y: a microcircuit in a non hermetic package that meets the qualification, screening and TCI/QCI requirements of the specification. NASA-STD-8739.10 lists Class Y alongside Class V as Grade 1.
• Class P and Class N: plastic encapsulated classes, which the draft NASA-STD-8739.11 tables list for plastic microcircuits.
• Class T: a manufacturer defined flow approved through its own technology review board. Both EEE-INST-002 and the MIL-PRF-38535 scope state it needs written permission from the NASA project office before use on NASA programs.

The flows differ in ways a buyer can see on a data package. TI's published QML flow, for example, shows 100 percent particle impact noise detection (PIND) on wire bonded Class V parts and none on Class Q, internal visual to MIL-STD-883 Method 2010 Condition A for Class V against Condition B for Class Q, and serialization on Class V. Parts marked /883 or bought to an SMD at quality level M are a separate, lower designation: EEE-INST-002 accepts them at Level 2 only when a Class Q part is not available.

Hybrids: MIL-PRF-38534 Class H and Class K

MIL-PRF-38534 covers hybrid microcircuits and multichip modules, and Class K is its space level. Revision L (December 2019) defines seven quality levels:

Class E is the one to read closely: the exceptions live in the device specification, and the specification tells users to review them before relying on the part. DC-DC converters are a common hybrid buy, and EEE-INST-002 notes that NASA may add testing for them based on vendor history.

Discretes: MIL-PRF-19500 JAN, JANTX, JANTXV and JANS

MIL-PRF-19500 provides four quality levels for packaged devices, marked by the prefix: JAN, JANTX, JANTXV and JANS, with JANS the space level. It provides eight radiation hardness assurance levels for JANTXV and JANS (M, D, P, L, R, F, G and H, placed after the quality prefix) and two levels for unpackaged die, JANHC and JANKC.

NASA's mapping is direct. NASA-STD-8739.10 places JANS at Grade 1, JANTXV at Grade 2 and JANTX at Grade 3. EEE-INST-002 accepts JANTXV and JANTX at Level 1 only when JANS is not available, and when a JANTX part stands in for JANTXV it requires a five piece DPA in lieu of the internal visual inspection, or thermal impedance testing of the whole lot. That tells you the practical difference between the two: the V level carries the internal visual inspection that the plain TX level lacks.

NASA parts levels: EEE-INST-002 and NASA-STD-8739.10

Most NASA and NASA-funded contracts invoke either the Goddard instruction EEE-INST-002 (May 2003) or NASA-STD-8739.10 and a center parts plan. EEE-INST-002 defines three levels by mission risk:

• Level 1: highest reliability and lowest risk, typical mission duration 5 years or more.
• Level 2: low to moderate risk balanced against cost, typical mission duration 1 to 5 years.
• Level 3: inherently high or unknown risk, typical mission duration under 1 year to 2 years.

At every level, EEE-INST-002 requires active parts to be reviewed or evaluated for radiation hardness, with testing when data is not available. NASA's NEPP program has presented NASA-STD-8739.11 as the intended replacement for EEE-INST-002, with four assurance levels: Level 1 typically favors the highest MIL classes and uses screening, lot acceptance testing, DPA and source control drawings; Level 4 uses commercial parts with no added screening. Check which document and revision your contract actually invokes before you write a parts list.

Radiation hardness assurance basics: TID, SEE and the RHA letter

Radiation is a separate axis from quality grade, and a Class V or JANS mark does not by itself make a part radiation hard. NASA-STD-8739.10 defines the effects a program must address:

• Total ionizing dose (TID): cumulative energy deposited in the material, measured in rad(Si).
• Enhanced low dose rate sensitivity (ELDRS): a larger total dose response at dose rates below 50 rad(Si)/s.
• Single event effects (SEE): anomalies caused by a single ionizing particle, split into non destructive effects such as upsets and transients and destructive effects such as latchup, burnout and gate rupture.
• Displacement damage dose (DDD): cumulative damage from atoms displaced from their lattice positions.

RHA parts carry a letter that states the guaranteed total dose. NASA's parts selection list gives M as 3 krad(Si), D as 10 krad(Si), L as 50 krad(Si), R as 100 krad(Si), F as 300 krad(Si), G as 600 krad(Si) and H as 1 Mrad(Si). In the SMD for TI's TPS50601-SP converter, the R level parts are guaranteed to 100 krad(Si) per MIL-STD-883 Method 1019, and the drawing records that device type 02 showed no ELDRS at that dose. NASA-STD-8739.10 warns that the RHA designator may not cover SEE or ELDRS, so read the radiation paragraph of the drawing, not just the letter.

Upscreening: what added testing can and cannot do

Upscreening a lower grade part can catch defects, but it cannot add the process control the higher grade was built with. NASA's NEPP presentation on parts assurance puts it plainly: testing does not raise the quality or grade of a part, although it may improve confidence. The risks to plan for:

• No lot homogeneity. NASA-STD-8739.10 says homogeneity cannot be assumed for commercial parts across facility, lot or die origin, and that the manufacturer can change most aspects without notice, which can void earlier qualification.
• Vendor hi-rel labels vary. The same standard notes that some manufacturer "high reliability" flows follow military testing and others add very little to the commercial flow. Ask for the test procedure and data.
• Plastic parts need per lot evaluation. For plastic encapsulated microcircuits, NASA-STD-8739.10 requires a separate evaluation of each procurement, including radiation, because of lot to lot variability.
• Cost often erases the savings. NASA-STD-8739.10 observes that predicted savings from lower grade parts usually shrink once testing, analysis and redesign are counted, and recommends tests such as PIND and X-ray when lower grade parts are bought in place of higher grades.

What to put on the PO

• The full part or identifying number, including class letter and RHA designator, and the specification or drawing with its revision.
• The source of the qualification: QML-38535, QML-38534 or the MIL-PRF-19500 qualified products listing, or the AEC-Q document and revision the manufacturer claims.
• Manufacturer name and CAGE code, and whether parts must come from the manufacturer or its franchised distributor.
• Lot date code limits and whether a single lot is required.
• Manufacturer certificate of conformance, plus screening, QCI and radiation lot data when your parts plan calls for them.
• ESD and moisture protective packaging, and storage history for parts older than your program allows.

Our certificate of conformance page explains what a manufacturer cert should state.

Counterfeit and receiving risks by grade

High grade parts are counterfeiting targets because the price gap between a commercial die and a JANS or Class V part is large. Common problems are commercial parts remarked with a military class or RHA letter, and genuine parts whose lot paperwork belongs to a different lot. NASA-STD-8739.10 requires buying from the original manufacturer or authorized distributors unless parts are unavailable, recommends AS6081 compliant independent distributors when they are not, and requires receiving inspection by people trained in counterfeit detection. It also asks for a review before using parts stored about five years from manufacture. Our counterfeit parts avoidance guide covers the DFARS clauses, and the receiving inspection page covers the dock checks.

How we source graded parts

We do not stock parts or publish prices. We source each part with traceability through authorized and franchised distributors or the manufacturer, flow your grade, lot and data requirements down, and check the paperwork against the PO before anything ships. Parts can ride on the same order as your wire harnesses or boards, or be kitted for your assembler. When a part is out of production, the search runs under the controls on our obsolete parts page. For how grades apply to specific part families, see integrated circuits and discretes, passive components and printed circuit boards, or browse all electronic components.

Send us your parts list

Send the bill of materials with the grade or NASA level each line needs, and say which lines have no acceptable source. A person replies within 1 business day, and every order ships with a certificate of conformance. For radiation or controlled program parts, read controlled programs first. Request a quote for EEE parts.

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Part, quantity and date are enough to start. Drawings and the mutual NDA follow by reply, and controlled programs never send technical data through this site.

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Questions

Related

• Integrated Circuits and Discretes: How to Buy Them Right
• Established Reliability Resistors and Capacitors
• Printed Circuit Boards for Aerospace and Space Programs

Sources

• NASA-STD-8739.10, EEE Parts Assurance Standard (June 13, 2017), grade tables and definitions
• NASA/TP-2003-212242, EEE-INST-002 Instructions for EEE Parts Selection, Screening, Qualification, and Derating
• NASA NEPP Electronics Technology Workshop 2022, NASA-STD-8739.11 assurance levels
• MIL-PRF-38534L hybrid microcircuits, class definitions (EverySpec listing)
• MIL-PRF-19500P semiconductor devices, quality and RHA levels (EverySpec listing)
• MIL-PRF-38535K integrated circuits manufacturing, scope and Class T note (EverySpec listing)
• Texas Instruments, DLA Approved Optimizations for QML Products (SLVAFT4C, June 2025)
• Texas Instruments, QML flow, its importance, and obtaining lot information (SBOA143)
• DLA Land and Maritime, SMD 5962-10221 revision F (TPS50601-SP)
• NASA Parts Selection List, MIL-PRF-19500 part number and RHA designator explanation
• Automotive Electronics Council, AEC documents (Q100, Q101, Q200)
• AEC-Q100 Rev J1 (March 24, 2026), temperature grades