About AP 210
ISO 10303-210 (AP 210) is the international standard for representing and exchanging electronic assembly and interconnect design data. It is part of the STEP family of standards (ISO 10303) developed by ISO Technical Committee 184, Subcommittee 4 (TC 184/SC 4).
What AP 210 Covers
AP 210 defines an information model for the domain of electronic assembly, interconnect, and packaging design. It specifies data structures for:
Product structure — how components, assemblies, and interconnect substrates are organized
Physical design — footprint geometry, board outlines, layer stacks, and placement
Connectivity — nets, interconnects, and signal paths between components
Design rules and constraints — manufacturing rules, electrical constraints, and physical requirements
Library definitions — component catalogs, package definitions, and land patterns
Functional requirements — design intent, parameters, and electrical properties
Why It Matters
Electronic design data exchange is critical for the electronics industry. EDA (Electronic Design Automation) tools from different vendors must interoperate throughout the design-to-manufacturing chain. AP 210 provides a vendor-neutral, standards-based format for this exchange.
Key benefits:
Interoperability — exchange design data between different EDA tools without loss
Long-term archival — preserve design data in a standardized, technology-independent format
Supply chain communication — share design intent and manufacturing data across organizations
Regulatory compliance — meet industry requirements for design data documentation
Development History
AP 210 has been developed through four editions, each expanding scope to address evolving industry needs:
Edition 1 (2004) — Initial scope for printed circuit assembly design
Edition 2 (2011) — Advanced packaging and interconnect modeling
Edition 3 (2016) — Design rules, constraints, and layer stack modeling
Edition 4 (2021) — Current edition with comprehensive coverage
See the Standards page for details on each edition.
Research and Implementation
AP 210 has been the subject of significant collaborative research between the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and PDES Inc. This research has produced:
36 validated test cases
Reference implementations in Java (JSDAI)
80+ standardized queries for extracting AP210 data
Visualization tools and conversion utilities