QUALITY & INSPECTION
Material Review Board (MRB): Managing Nonconforming Material
How an MRB disposition process actually works, and why cross-functional review matters more than a single quality sign-off.
A part that fails inspection doesn’t sort itself
into “scrap it” or “use it anyway.” Someone has to make that call,
document why, and make sure the decision doesn’t quietly become the
new normal. That’s the job of a Material Review Board.
What an MRB actually decides
| Disposition | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Use-as-is | The nonconformance doesn’t affect fit, form, or function — ship it |
| Rework | The part can be brought back into full conformance |
| Scrap | The part cannot be economically or safely returned to spec |
A fourth outcome, “repair,” sometimes gets used separately from
rework — it means the part is brought to a usable condition
without fully meeting the original specification, which usually
requires customer sign-off in regulated industries like aerospace
and automotive.
Cross-functional membership prevents a single-person call
An effective MRB isn’t just quality signing off alone. Engineering
needs to weigh in on whether a deviation actually affects
performance, and in regulated industries, the customer or a
government representative may need to be part of the disposition
for certain nonconformances. Quality alone deciding “use-as-is”
without engineering input is a common audit finding.
Recurring use-as-is dispositions are a signal, not a solution
If the same characteristic keeps getting a use-as-is disposition,
that’s usually evidence the specification itself is tighter than the
application actually requires — or that the process
consistently can’t hold the current tolerance. Either way, the fix
is a specification or process change, not repeatedly routing the
same nonconformance through MRB.
Traceability ties the disposition back to the part
Nonconforming material needs to be physically segregated in a
clearly marked hold area until a disposition is made — mixing
it back into good stock before a decision is documented is one of
the fastest ways for an undispositioned defect to ship. The
disposition record then has to travel with the part or lot, not sit
in a separate quality file disconnected from what actually shipped.
Where training fits
MRB and nonconforming material processes fit alongside the
broader quality systems covered in SCMEP’s
Quality and Inspection training
catalog. As a NIST Manufacturing Extension
Partnership affiliate serving South Carolina manufacturers since
1989, our focus is building a disposition process that holds up
under audit, not just a form that gets filled out after the fact.
If your team is formalizing a nonconforming material process or
preparing for an audit, you can
browse the Quality and Inspection
training catalog or email the training team.
An 8D corrective action often starts with a part that already went through Material Review Board disposition. See our guide to 8D problem solving — corrective action.
Frequently asked questions
What are the standard MRB dispositions?
Use-as-is, when the nonconformance doesn’t affect fit, form, or function; rework, when the part can be brought back to full conformance; and scrap, when it cannot be economically or safely returned to spec.
Why does an MRB need cross-functional membership?
Engineering needs to weigh in on whether a deviation actually affects performance. Quality alone making a use-as-is call without engineering input is a common audit finding.
What does it mean if the same part keeps getting use-as-is dispositions?
It usually signals the specification is tighter than the application requires, or the process consistently can’t hold the current tolerance — the fix is a spec or process change, not repeated dispositions.
Why does nonconforming material need physical segregation?
Mixing nonconforming material back into good stock before a disposition is documented is one of the fastest ways for an undispositioned defect to ship. A clearly marked hold area prevents that.
