DPMO Calculator
Calculate Defects Per Million Opportunities for Six Sigma quality management
Calculate DPMO
Total count of defects identified in your sample
Total number of products, services, or items examined
Number of ways each unit can be defective (e.g., features, steps, characteristics)
Quality Metrics Results
DPU
Yield
PPM
Quality Assessment
Calculation
Example: Jeans Manufacturing
Quality Control Data
Sample size: 10,000 pairs of jeans
Defects found: 11 defects total
Defect opportunities per unit: 5
- • Missing button
- • Dingy material
- • Faulty seams
- • Inaccurate size
- • Broken zip
Calculation Results
DPMO: (11 ÷ (10,000 × 5)) × 1,000,000 = 220
Sigma Level: ~5.0σ
Quality Assessment: Very Good
Yield: 99.978%
Six Sigma Levels
Six Sigma Goal: Achieve ≤ 3.4 DPMO for world-class quality
Quality Insights
DPMO measures process quality and consistency
Lower DPMO indicates better quality control
Track DPMO over time to monitor improvements
Compare different processes using DPMO
Six Sigma aims for 3.4 DPMO or less
Understanding DPMO and Six Sigma
What is DPMO?
DPMO (Defects Per Million Opportunities) is a key metric in Six Sigma methodology that measures process quality by calculating how many defects would occur if there were one million opportunities for defects.
DPMO vs PPM vs DPU
- •DPMO: Considers multiple defect opportunities per unit
- •PPM: Measures defective units per million units
- •DPU: Average number of defects per unit
DPMO Formula
DPMO = (Defects ÷ (Units × Opportunities)) × 1,000,000
- Defects: Total number of defects found
- Units: Total number of units inspected
- Opportunities: Number of ways each unit can be defective
- 1,000,000: Scaling factor for "per million"
Example: A process with 11 defects in 10,000 units, each having 5 defect opportunities, yields DPMO = (11 ÷ (10,000 × 5)) × 1,000,000 = 220
Six Sigma Quality Levels
| Sigma Level | DPMO | Yield % | Quality Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1σ | 6,91,462 | 30.85% | Poor quality |
| 2σ | 3,08,538 | 69.146% | Below average |
| 3σ | 66,807 | 93.319% | Average quality |
| 4σ | 6,210 | 99.38% | Good quality |
| 5σ | 233 | 99.977% | Excellent quality |
| 6σ | 3.4 | 99.99966% | World-class quality |
Six Sigma Standard: The methodology includes a 1.5σ shift to account for process variation over time. This results in the widely known target of 3.4 DPMO for Six Sigma quality.