First Pass Yield (FPY): Definition, Formula, and Industry Benchmarks
The percentage of units that complete a production process correctly the first time, without requiring rework, repair, or rejection. FPY is the inverse complement of defect rate — it measures quality …
For a multi-step process with 10 steps each at 98% FPY, the rolled throughput yield is 0.98^10 = 81.7% — meaning 18.3% of units require rework or are scrapped somewhere in the flow. World-class FPY is 99%+ per step; below 90% per step signals a serious stability problem.
How to Calculate First Pass Yield (FPY)
Formula
FPY (%) = (Units Passing First Inspection / Total Units Started) × 100
Step-by-Step Example
If 1,000 units are started and 42 are scrapped plus 35 are reworked: FPY = ((1,000 − 42 − 35) / 1,000) × 100 = 92.3%
First Pass Yield (FPY) Benchmarks by Industry
99%
World class
97%
Good
95%
Acceptable
Needs work
Below 95%
| Industry | Typical First Pass Yield (FPY) |
|---|---|
| Automotive (Tier 2/3) | 96% |
| Electronics Assembly | 95% |
| Metal Fabrication | 94% |
| Plastics & Rubber | 95.5% |
| Food & Beverage | 93% |
| General Discrete Manufacturing | 94% |
Source: Pareto Base data compilation from industry benchmarking reports, 2026.
What First Pass Yield (FPY) Means for Your Team
For Quality Managers
FPY is the go-to metric for quality boards and corrective action reviews. Pareto Base tracks it by product SKU and reason code so you can identify which part numbers consistently underperform and why.
For CI & Lean Teams
Rolling throughput yield — the product of FPY across multiple steps — shows the cumulative quality hit across your value stream. Pareto Base' trend data helps you quantify the improvement each campaign delivers.
For Plant Managers
FPY below 90% at any step signals a process stability issue that will show up as missed delivery targets. Pareto Base makes it visible before it becomes a customer problem.
For Production Teams
Every unit that needs rework or gets scrapped is a unit you already spent time on. Logging the reason in Pareto Base gives your team a shot at preventing the next one.
The spreadsheet problem with First Pass Yield (FPY)
FPY in spreadsheets requires manual production count data from a separate system to calculate, making it a weekly or monthly exercise rather than a real-time signal.
How to Track First Pass Yield (FPY) with Pareto Base
When operators log scrap and rework against a product in Pareto Base, the system calculates FPY automatically and surfaces it in reports alongside Pareto breakdowns of which defect types are driving quality loss.
Pareto Base features used:
- ✓Reports & Trends
- ✓Pareto Analysis (Basic+)
- ✓Campaign Management
- ✓Real-Time Dashboard
Free plan available. Basic plan from $18/month.