01
Manual process
- Test planning and documentation
- Result consolidation and reporting
- Repeated data entry across system
Powered by VDA 231-301 & VDA 231-300
Explore the open digital material thread
An open, machine‑readable foundation for interoperable material information: requirements, test results, certificates, and compliance evidence across industrial supply chains.
Format
JSON Schema
Schemas
8
License
MIT
Today's reality
Material data exchange across the value chain remains manual, fragmented and error‑prone.
02
High coordination effort
- Manufacturers
- Suppliers
- Laboratories
03
Quality and Compliance risks
- Ambiguous interpretations
- Transcription and formatting errors
- Costly corrections and rework
The result: fragmented data, limited comparability and increasing regulatory and compliance risk.
The standardized answer
VDA 231-300 and VDA 231-301 - A standardized, machine‑readable foundation for interoperable material data.
01
Consistent material definition
Standardized material and surface semantics (VDA 231-300) · Clear reference to 3D product data - JT / ISO 14306 · Unambiguous basis for downstream test and compliance data
02
Interoperable test & measurement data
Machine-readable test and measurement results (VDA 231-301) · Standardized structure with formal validation rules · Direct system-to-system exchange without re-typing
03
Shared semantic understanding
Common interpretation of material and test data · Reduced coordination effort across companies · Reliable data exchange
VDA 231‑300 Defines what is tested and how materials are described. VDA 231‑301 Defines how results are structured and exchanged – enabling seamless data flow without re-typing or interpretation gaps.
Modular by design
What is VDA 231-301?
VDA 231‑301 enables interoperable, machine‑readable exchange of material and test data across systems, companies and digital ecosystems.
01
Open by default
JSON Schema, no license fees, no proprietary formats — built for any ecosystem.
02
Composable
Combine the generic core with domain-specific subschemas to match your exact use case.
03
Validation built in
Every payload can be checked against the schema in-browser or in your pipeline.
Who benefits
A standard that pays back at every node of the value chain.
Manufacturer
Manufacturer
Define what material data you need — once, in a form every supplier can deliver.
Reduced coordination overhead
Comparable, auditable data
Faster compliance sign-off
Supplier
Supplier
Submit material and test data once and reuse it across all customers.
One format, many customers
Less manual re-entry
Machine-validated results
Test Laboratory
Test Laboratory
Deliver structured, validated test results that integrate directly into customer systems.
Structured report output
Direct system integration
Zero transcription errors
Compliance & Quality
Compliance & Quality
Rely on consistent, formally validated data for audits and sustainability reporting.
Traceable data provenance
Audit-ready records
Regulatory confidence
Get started
Apply the standard. Connect your systems.
Three pragmatic steps from recommendation to live, validated data exchange.
1
Explore the schemas
Browse all subschema repositories and pick the ones relevant to your domain.
Schema overview →2
Validate your data
Use the built-in validator to check your JSON payloads against the schemas.
Open validator →3
Connect your systems
Integrate the open semantic data model into your platforms and toolchains.
Documentation →Latest
News & releases
Workshop on material data exchange based on VDA 231-301
Matplus invites to a workshop on seamless material data exchange across value chains based on VDA 231-301
Read more →New VDA 231-301 Website
New designed and translated website VDA 231-301 for better understandig
Read more →VDA 231-301 within BMW GS 93016 supported by Brain of Materials
Brain of Materials recently announced support for BMW GS 93016 approval processes, explicitly leveraging the VDA 231-301 framework
Read more →