DPMO Calculator
Calculate defects per million opportunities for Six Sigma quality analysis
Frequently Asked Questions
DPMO = (Number of Defects ÷ (Number of Units × Opportunities per Unit)) × 1,000,000. It standardizes defect rates so processes with different complexity (different numbers of defect opportunities per unit) can be compared on the same scale.
Each distinct way a unit could fail — for example, a circuit board with 50 solder joints has 50 opportunities per unit for a solder-related defect, even if only one physical board is being inspected.
Six Sigma quality corresponds to about 3.4 DPMO — an extremely low defect rate. Lower sigma levels have progressively higher DPMO: roughly 66,807 DPMO at 3 sigma, 6,210 at 4 sigma, and 233 at 5 sigma.
Yield (%) = 100 − (DPMO ÷ 10,000), a simple approximation of the percentage of units produced without a defect — useful as a complementary, easier-to-communicate metric alongside DPMO.