Material Review Board (MRB)
Quick facts
| Category | Cross-functional nonconformance disposition authority |
|---|---|
| Used by | Aerospace, medical devices, automotive, defense and other regulated manufacturing industries |
| Also called | MRB |
| Related standards | AS9100, ISO 13485, ISO 9001 |
| Related processes | Nonconforming product, root cause analysis, CAPA, containment |
| Semantic match | material review board process, MRB disposition, use-as-is rework repair scrap, nonconforming material review |
What is Material Review Board (MRB)?
A Material Review Board is the authorized decision-making body responsible for evaluating nonconforming material and deciding what happens to it. Rather than leaving disposition decisions to a single individual, the MRB brings together the perspectives needed to make a sound decision, commonly including quality, engineering and manufacturing representatives.
When material fails inspection or is otherwise found to deviate from specification, it is documented on a nonconformance report and physically segregated to prevent accidental use, pending the MRB's review. The MRB evaluates the nature and significance of the nonconformity and determines the appropriate disposition.
Common disposition outcomes include use-as-is, when the deviation does not affect fit, form or function; rework, to bring the item into full conformance; repair, to make the item acceptable though not fully conforming to the original specification; return to supplier; or scrap.
Why is Material Review Board (MRB) important?
Without a formal MRB process, disposition decisions can be made informally, such as a supervisor overriding an inspection failure under production pressure, without documentation or appropriate technical review. This creates significant compliance and liability exposure.
A functioning MRB ensures that disposition decisions draw on the right expertise, particularly for use-as-is decisions that require engineering judgment about whether a deviation truly has no impact on form, fit or function.
MRB records also provide the documented evidence that auditors, particularly in AS9100 and ISO 13485 environments, expect to see showing that nonconforming material was evaluated and dispositioned by authorized, qualified personnel rather than informally.
How does Material Review Board (MRB) work?
A typical MRB process includes:
- Detection. An inspector, operator or automated system identifies material that fails specification.
- Documentation. The finding is recorded on a nonconformance report with relevant details.
- Containment. The material is physically segregated or clearly tagged to prevent accidental use.
- MRB review. The cross-functional board evaluates the nonconformity's nature and significance.
- Disposition decision. The MRB decides use-as-is, rework, repair, return to supplier or scrap.
- Implementation. The disposition is carried out and documented.
- Escalation. Significant or recurring nonconformities are routed to a formal corrective action.
Use-As-Is vs. Rework Disposition
| Comparison | Use-As-Is | Rework |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Item is accepted despite the deviation | Item is modified to bring it into full conformance |
| Requires | Engineering justification that the deviation has no meaningful impact | A defined process to correct the nonconformity |
| Typical use | Minor, non-impactful deviations | Deviations that can be corrected without discarding the item |
Real-world examples of Material Review Board (MRB)
An aerospace supplier's incoming inspection flags a batch of fasteners slightly outside a dimensional tolerance. The MRB, including engineering, reviews the deviation and determines the fasteners can be used-as-is because the deviation does not affect fit or function.
A medical device manufacturer discovers a molded component with a minor cosmetic defect. The MRB decides the component should be scrapped rather than used-as-is, given the product's cosmetic and functional requirements.
A defense contractor's MRB reviews a nonconforming weld and, lacking sufficient data to support a use-as-is decision, requires the part to be reworked before it can proceed further in production.
Regulations and standards related to Material Review Board (MRB)
AS9100 places strong emphasis on material review board processes and use-as-is dispositions, given the safety-critical nature of aerospace products, often requiring specific documentation and, in some cases, customer or regulatory notification for certain disposition types.
ISO 13485 similarly expects a formal, documented process for evaluating and dispositioning nonconforming medical device material, with defined authority for who may approve each disposition type. ISO 9001 requires organizations to control nonconforming outputs generally but does not mandate the specific MRB structure by name.
Regulators and auditors commonly examine whether nonconforming material was properly contained before MRB review, whether the board included appropriate technical expertise, and whether use-as-is decisions were supported by adequate engineering justification.
Required by
How QT9 helps with Material Review Board (MRB)
QT9 QMS material review capabilities
- Link material review decisions directly to nonconforming product records.
- Assign cross-functional approvers to review, approve, reject or verify dispositions.
- Maintain a complete, timestamped history of every disposition decision.
- Track use-as-is, rework, repair, return and scrap dispositions by type for trend analysis.
- Connect MRB records to CAPA for recurring or high-risk nonconformities.
- Support electronic signature approvals for full audit traceability.
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Common mistakes with Material Review Board (MRB)
Common mistakes include allowing disposition decisions, particularly use-as-is, to be made by personnel without the appropriate engineering authority or technical justification.
Other problems include failing to physically segregate nonconforming material before MRB review, which risks accidental use, and not escalating recurring nonconformities from the MRB process into a formal corrective action investigation.
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