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IMDS
Build your capability in using the mandatory database driving environmental compliance, sustainability, data security, and cost-savings across our industry.
Key Resources
Essential Details
The International Material Data System (IMDS) is an online database used by the automotive industry to manage information on materials and substances used in vehicles. Developed in 2000 to comply with environmental regulations such as the European Union’s (EU) End-of-Life Vehicles Directive, IMDS has grown to include at least 62 global automotive OEMs.
To comply with these and other regulations, automakers need detailed information about the composition of materials used in their products. In the recent past, this information was not always readily available — and the data that did exist was often incomplete or inconsistent — which made it difficult for automakers to determine if their products were compliant with regulations.
Why take IMDS training?
The IMDS system is free to use for companies reporting to participating OEMs, but it’s a complex and comprehensive database. AIAG IMDS training gives you more than instruction on running the IMDS interface and entering data — it includes the skills and processes needed to obtain and submit accurate, high-quality data.
What’s in IMDS and why do I have to use it?
It is mandatory for automotive suppliers who want to sell their products to automotive OEMs to submit data on the materials used in those products. The IMDS database includes information on the composition of materials used in all automotive parts, including details about the chemicals and substances used to produce them. This information is used by automakers and their suppliers to verify that they comply with legal requirements and environmental regulations, ensure product safety, improve the sustainability of their products, and promote transparency and traceability within the supply chain.
Why is IMDS in PPAP?
IMDS helps OEMs and large-tier suppliers verify the contents of their purchased parts before and during the Production Part Approval Process (PPAP). The PPAP requires IMDS submission for each part number before PPAP approval can be granted to the supplier. If you don’t have the IMDS information, you can’t supply the part.
What’s reported in IMDS?
IMDS reports contain detailed information on the composition of materials used in automotive products. Specifically, IMDS reports contain:
- Material composition describing the basic composition of a material, including the types and quantities of chemicals and substances used to produce it
- Regulatory information characterizing the status of the material, including its compliance with various environmental regulations and its classification as prohibited or declarable
- End-of-life information about the amount of recycled content used in a material
- Additional fields, including Chemistry Manager for materials with the Regulation on the registration, evaluation, authorization and restriction of chemicals (REACH) substances, substances of very high concern (SVHCs), biocides, and more
What are the benefits of using IMDS?
The benefits of using IMDS in the automotive industry include:
Environmental compliance — The automotive supply chain has many regulations, some of which include the EU’s REACH and the Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) Directive. These regulations are geared toward prohibiting the use of certain substances in products. IMDS helps automotive companies comply with these various regulations by detailing the materials that go into making their products. If there are hazardous substances within their products, IMDS helps automotive companies find them and determine alternatives that are safer and better for the environment.
Data security — IMDS does not divulge lower-tier supplier names, and it allows for non-GADSL substances to be represented as confidential or with a wildcard/joker.
Cost savings — When communication between automakers and suppliers is minimal, supply chain risks and regulation compliance issues increase, which leads to increased, unnecessary costs. IMDS helps combat costs by ensuring data longevity with regulatory changes and supplier engagement, and also by identifying more regulation-compliant alternative production materials.
Improved sustainability — Safer, more environmentally friendly material options help to increase sustainability in the automotive industry overall. Committing to improving environmental health also elevates the reputation of automakers and suppliers, sales numbers, and customer loyalty.
What other industries use IMDS?
While IMDS was originally developed for the automotive industry, other industries have also recognized its value and adopted its use.
On-road vehicles such as commercial vehicles are permitted to use IMDS. Note that heavy equipment manufacturers who work in automotive are permitted to use IMDS only for the automotive portion of their business.
The electronics industry has also adapted to content material reporting with critical standards, including the International Electrotechnical Commission’s IEC 62474 — outlining requirements for managing material data in the electrotechnical industry — and the IPC 1752B standard, which is widely used for business to business and system to system data exchange. The IPC and IMDS have also discussed potential data exchange between IMDS and the IPC 1752B.
What should I know about Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) and IMDS?
Regulations worldwide require declarations on PCFs in the near future, either for specific components, like in the EU Battery Regulation (a requirement in 2025), or as part of corporate reporting requirements and company pledges on carbon neutrality.
As the automotive industry needs real PCF data across the full supply chain, including Scope 1-3, the LCA Enhancement R246 was created to introduce PCF into IMDS — fulfilling a top priority for OEMs and supplier associations.
PCF value will not be mandatory for each material/component and every actor in IMDS. Instead, it depends on direct legal requirements on your company and your business-to-business contracts, i.e., if your customer faces legal requirements or PCF is part of their company policies.
PCF will not be a rejection reason for IMDS data sheets. Instead, PCF reporting will follow the new enhanced reporting path, which is decoupled from the acceptance/rejection scheme of the normal, standard IMDS process. To make sure it cannot be misused, the PCF will not be visible before accepting the IMDS data sheet.
The proper calculation of a PCF does require expert knowledge or even an expert tool to do so. A simple summarization in IMDS is not possible because PCF is a lot more complex. PCF requires additional inputs besides the received PCFs from the sub-suppliers, such as internal processing or process waste.
The standard for reporting calculated PCFs in IMDS follows a bottom-up approach, meaning it’s not just about raw data. PCF calculation is defined in the Catena-X Rulebook (V3), which was proposed by the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association’s working group on Life Cycle Assessment. As detailed PCF calculation happens outside of IMDS, single PCF values cannot stand on their own — additional values and information are needed.
It’s important to keep updated on the latest developments with PCF and IMDS. Join AIAG’s annual IMDS Conference for updates on this topic and more.