How do you calculate a supplier risk score?

Combine severity, occurrence, and detection ratings into a weighted priority number. With inputs of 6, 4, and 3, this model returns a supplier risk score of 4.55.

What is a good supplier risk score?

Lower is better. There is no universal threshold, but rank your suppliers by score and prioritize the top of the list for audits and dual sourcing.

Is this the same as an FMEA RPN?

It uses the same severity, occurrence, and detection inputs as an FMEA risk priority number, applied to suppliers rather than process steps.

Why does a high detection score raise risk?

A high detection score means the defect is hard to catch before it reaches your press, so problems slip through. High severity, occurrence, and detection all push risk up.

How often should I re-score suppliers?

At minimum annually, and immediately after any quality escape, a change of the supplier's heat or coil source, or a new part launch with that supplier.

Severity vs occurrence, which matters more?

Both feed the score, but a high-severity, low-occurrence risk (a rare but run-scrapping defect) still deserves attention. Use the combined score rather than any single axis.

Precision Springs, Stampings & Micro-Formed Components calculator

Supplier Risk Calculator

Supplier risk scoring applies FMEA-style thinking to your strip, wire, and micro-component supply base. Buyers and quality engineers at precision stamping shops rate each supplier on how bad a defect would be, how often it happens, and how likely you are to catch it before it hits the press. The resulting score ranks suppliers so audit and dual-sourcing effort goes where it matters. In a business where an off-spec heat of spring wire can scrap an entire run of formed contacts, this triage is essential.

What this calculator does

Estimate supplier risk for precision springs, stampings and micro-formed components using production-ready inputs so teams can rank risks and decide which issue needs containment, controls, or escalation first.
Use it when supplier risk in precision springs, stampings and micro-formed components needs a defensible ranking against other precision springs, stampings and micro-formed components risks for the next review.
It combines severity, occurrence, and detection scores into a single weighted supplier risk priority number for ranking suppliers.

Formula used

Supplier risk score = supplier risk severity score × supplier risk occurrence score × supplier risk detection score
Use the same scoring scale across comparable supplier risk risks.

Inputs explained

Defect impact severity (1-10):
Likelihood of occurrence (1-10):
Detectability difficulty (1-10):

How to use the result

Use it during supplier qualification, annual reviews, or when a quality escape prompts a re-score of the source.
Scores are subjective and only comparable when every supplier is rated on the same scale by the same rubric; the number ranks risk, it does not predict a specific failure.

Current U.S. benchmarks

The producer price index for steel mill products stands at 348.53 (BLS, May 2026), up 6.7% from a year earlier. Quotes priced off last quarter's material cost miss this move.
The U.S. has 53,790 fabricated metal products establishments employing about 1,441,471 workers (Census County Business Patterns, 2023).

Common questions

How do you calculate a supplier risk score? Combine severity, occurrence, and detection ratings into a weighted priority number. With inputs of 6, 4, and 3, this model returns a supplier risk score of 4.55.
What is a good supplier risk score? Lower is better. There is no universal threshold, but rank your suppliers by score and prioritize the top of the list for audits and dual sourcing.
Is this the same as an FMEA RPN? It uses the same severity, occurrence, and detection inputs as an FMEA risk priority number, applied to suppliers rather than process steps.
Why does a high detection score raise risk? A high detection score means the defect is hard to catch before it reaches your press, so problems slip through. High severity, occurrence, and detection all push risk up.
How often should I re-score suppliers? At minimum annually, and immediately after any quality escape, a change of the supplier's heat or coil source, or a new part launch with that supplier.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.