FMEA RPN Calculator

FMEA = Failure Mode and Effects Analysis. RPN = Risk Priority Number. Calculates RPN (Severity × Occurrence × Detection) for each failure mode, ranks them by priority, and flags any failure mode with high severity regardless of its overall RPN score.

High-Priority RPN Threshold Organization-specific — there is no universal standard cutoff. 100–125 is a commonly used starting point.

Failure Modes

Highest RPN

Failure Modes Above Threshold

Formula Reference

RPN = Severity (S) × Occurrence (O) × Detection (D), each rated 1–10. Maximum possible RPN = 1000.

Generic Rating Anchors (1–10 scale)

Severity	1 = no effect → 10 = hazardous, without warning
Occurrence	1 = failure unlikely → 10 = failure almost inevitable
Detection	1 = almost certain to detect → 10 = no known way to detect

Why RPN Alone Isn't Enough

A failure mode with Severity 9–10 (safety or regulatory hazard) can still produce a modest RPN if Occurrence and Detection happen to be low — but most FMEA methodologies (including AIAG-VDA's newer Action Priority approach) treat high severity as requiring action regardless of the overall RPN score. This calculator flags any Severity ≥ 9 failure mode separately from the RPN ranking for this reason.

RPN thresholds are organization-specific by design — there is no single universal cutoff value in the FMEA methodology itself. Many organizations (and the AIAG-VDA FMEA Handbook's newer Action Priority tables) now recommend evaluating Severity, Occurrence, and Detection individually rather than relying on a single multiplied RPN number, since the same RPN value can represent very different real-world risk profiles depending on which factor drives it. For customized calculators tailored to your organization, please contact Impact Tech Solutions.