Attribute Schema Library
Attribute schemaautomotive aftermarket

Brake Pads Attributes

Disc brake pads are a friction consumable sold almost entirely as an axle set: four pads, sometimes with shims, abutment hardware and a wear sensor in the box. Buyers are repair shops, fleet maintenance, jobbers and installers, and a long DIY tail. The purchase is a fitment decision first and a material decision second.

Nothing about a brake pad is identified by one number. North America catalogs on FMSI D-numbers, Europe on WVA, every OE carries its own part number, and each supplier keeps a private interchange on top. Fitment lives in a separate database (ACES) rather than as an attribute. The material spec — manufacturer, formulation, friction coefficient, copper level — is stamped on the edge of the pad and typed into no field anywhere.

Then variant explosion. One D-number becomes a dozen SKUs across friction grades, sensor content, hardware content and plate coating. And the copper phase-down moved formulations under stable part numbers: the same MPN that shipped as a B-level pad can now be N-level, visible only in the edge code stamp.

Core

Every SKU needs these. Without them the record is not a product, it is a row.

Position
enum
Front

First filter on every rail. Front and rear pads for the same vehicle are different parts, and mixed-up axle sets are a top return reason.

FMSI Number
identifier
D1210

The North American interchange key. Ties the SKU to a backing-plate shape and friction footprint so cross-references resolve without guessing.

Manufacturer Part Number
identifier
PGD1210AC

Ordering key and the join to supplier price files, warranty claims and ACES/PIES feeds. Must be the supplier's exact string, not a cleaned one.

Vehicle Application (ACES)
identifier
2015-2020 Ford F-150 (ACES BaseVehicleID)

Fitment is what the buyer actually searches. Without ACES base vehicle IDs the part is invisible to every Part Finder and garage lookup.

Friction Material Composition
enum
Ceramic

Drives the whole purchase: noise, dust, rotor wear, cold bite. Ceramic vs semi-metallic is the most common filter after fitment.

Pad Overall Thickness (Inner / Outer)
number · mm
16.6 mm inner / 16.6 mm outer (0.654 in)

Caliper clearance and pad life. Inner and outer often differ on the same set, so carry both — a single averaged value hides the mismatch.

Pad Height
number · mm
55.2 mm (2.173 in)

Backing-plate geometry check against the caliper bracket. Wrong height means the pad will not seat in the abutment clips.

Pad Width
number · mm
130.0 mm (5.118 in)

Friction footprint against the rotor swept area. Overhang or undersweep shows up as uneven rotor wear and comebacks.

Pieces per Set
number
4 (one axle set)

Decides whether the buyer gets one axle or one pad. Four-piece axle sets and two-piece halves ship under near-identical part numbers.

GTIN / UPC
identifier
00021625345671

Required to list on every marketplace and to scan at the counter. Also the key most retail channels dedupe on.

Differentiating

What buyers actually compare on. This is where catalogs win or lose the filter.

Edge Code
identifier
PG D1210 N19 FF

The stamped truth on the pad: manufacturer ID, formulation, friction code and copper level. Counter staff read it; catalogs rarely carry it.

SAE J866 Friction Code
enum
FF (cold 0.35-0.45, hot 0.35-0.45)

Cold and hot coefficient pair. Fleet and performance specs are written as a minimum code, so it is a hard qualifier on RFQs.

Backing Plate Attachment Method
enum
Mechanical retention (hooked backing plate)

FMSI flags OE applications that specify mechanical attachment. A bonded-only pad on those platforms is a delamination claim waiting to happen.

Wear Sensor Included
enum
Included - 1 sensor per axle set

Decides whether the job finishes today. Sensor included, sensor sold separately and sensor not applicable are three different SKUs.

Shim Type
enum
Bonded multi-layer steel shim

The noise answer. Bonded multi-layer steel, loose shim and bare plate produce very different comeback rates on the same friction material.

Compliance & identifiers

Standards, regulatory data, and the identifiers channels reject you for missing.

Copper Content Level (LeafMark)
enum
N (Cu <= 0.5% by weight)

Determines whether the SKU is legal to sell in California and Washington. A formulation property, so it moves independently of the brand.

ECE R90 Approval Number
identifier
E1 90R-02C0123/1234

Mandatory for replacement linings sold in the EU. A missing number is a listing rejection on European channels and for exporters.

Country of Origin
enum
Mexico

Customs, tariff classification and marketplace compliance. Also asked directly by fleet buyers with sourcing policies.

The fields that aren't in the schema at all

What most brake pads catalogs are missing.

The table above is the schema most catalogs already have. These are the attributes that usually aren't in it — each one surfaced by a signal from the live market rather than by an audit of what's already there. This is what Anglera's Schema Foundry does on a real catalog, in this category.

Supplier signal
+ Backing Plate Attachment Method

FMSI publishes Z-numbers marking the OE applications that specify mechanical attachment of friction to plate. Catalogs list the D-number and carry no field for whether the pad reproduces it.

A bonded-only pad shipped against a mechanical-attachment application delaminates in service. That is a warranty claim and a liability conversation, not a return.

Supplier signal
+ Copper Content Level (LeafMark A/B/N)

The A/B/N level and formulation year are stamped on the pad edge and printed on the box, but the field does not exist in most catalog records. Counter staff open a box to answer the question.

No SKU-level proof of California and Washington saleability. Compliance questions get answered by opening cartons, and non-compliant stock is found after it ships.

Search signal
+ Wear Sensor Included

Buyers search 'brake pads with sensor' and get pads and standalone sensors in one undifferentiated result set, because nothing in the record separates included from sold-separately.

The installer opens the box mid-job, finds no sensor, and the whole axle set comes back. The sale is lost and the vehicle is on the lift.

Competitor signal
+ SAE J866 Friction Code

Performance and racing brands publish the friction code on their own filter rails; the same class of pad listed through general distribution carries no friction code field at all.

Fleet and performance RFQs specify a minimum code. Without the field the SKU cannot be qualified and the quote is never submitted.

Review signal
+ Backing Plate Coating

Reviews and shop forums describe rust jacking and seized abutment clips on corroded plates. Suppliers market galvanized and coated plates; catalog records rarely have a coating field to filter on.

The corrosion story is the reason the premium line costs more, and it is invisible on the product page. The buyer defaults to the cheapest SKU.

How Schema Foundry finds these

Messy in, governed out.

The same value, spelled every way automotive aftermarket suppliers spell it. A filter only works once they agree.

Friction Material Composition
Semi-MetSemi MetallicSEMI-METALLICMetallic (Semi)S/MSemi-Metallic Formula
Semi-Metallic

Without a governed enum, one material class splits across five filter buckets and the ceramic-vs-semi-met comparison stops working.

Position
FrontFRTFFr.Front AxleVorderachse
Front

European suppliers ship German axle labels, and a bare 'F' collides with brand abbreviations elsewhere in the same feed.

Pad Overall Thickness
0.654 IN0.654"16.616,6 mm16.6mm17 mm
16.6 mm

Comma decimals from EU suppliers and unitless numbers collide. A bare '16.6' next to '0.654' silently breaks numeric range filters.

SAE J866 Friction Code
FFF/FffF-FFriction: FFGG hot
FF

The code usually arrives buried in description text or fused to the edge code; the cold/hot pair must be parsed out to be filterable.

What buyers ask

Every one of these should be answerable from the attributes above. If it isn't, that's a gap.

  • Does this fit my 2015 F-150 4x4 with the heavy-duty tow package?
  • Is the wear sensor in the box, or do I order it separately?
  • Does this set include the clips and abutment hardware, or just the pads?
  • Is this pad N-level copper? Can I still sell it into California?
  • What's the friction code? My fleet spec calls for FF minimum.
  • Is this an axle set of four, or a single pad?
  • The OE pad has hooks on the backing plate — does this one?
  • Are these R90 approved? The customer is in Germany.

What channels require

The same SKU, different mandatory fields per destination.

Amazon Automotive (Part Finder)
ACES 3.2 fitment fileGTIN / UPCBrandManufacturer Part NumberPositionCountry of Origin
eBay Motors (My Garage / fitment)
ACES or kType fitmentGTIN / UPCBrandManufacturer Part NumberPosition
ACES / PIES feed to WDs and catalog aggregators
PCdb Part Terminology IDPAdb attributes (material, thickness)FMSI numberGTIN / UPCBrand IDACES base vehicle applications
Distributor's own site filter rail
PositionFriction Material CompositionPad height, width, thicknessWear Sensor IncludedMounting hardware includedVehicle fitment

Brake Pads data, in practice

What is an FMSI D-number, and is it enough to identify a pad?

FMSI assigns a code to the backing-plate shape and friction footprint — the 'D' number for disc pads. It tells you the geometry and what the plate interfaces with, not what the pad is made of. Two SKUs sharing D1210 can be a low-metallic and a ceramic with different friction codes, different shims, and different sensor content. Use FMSI as an interchange and geometry key, and carry Friction Material Composition, Edge Code and Shim Type as separate fields. FMSI also publishes Z-numbers identifying the OE applications specified with mechanical attachment of friction to the steel backing plate.

How do I read a brake pad edge code?

Three parts. The leading letters are the AMECA-registered manufacturer identification. The middle block is the friction formulation / AMECA compliance identifier. The trailing two letters are the SAE J866 friction code: first letter = cold coefficient (roughly 200-400 °F), second = hot (roughly 300-650 °F), on the scale E = 0.25-0.35, F = 0.35-0.45, G = 0.45-0.55, H = 0.55-0.65. If the second letter is lower than the first, the pad fades when hot; if higher, it needs warming up. Pads made after 1 Jan 2014 also carry an A, B or N letter plus a two-digit year — the copper compliance level and formulation year. AMECA maintains the master list (VESC V-3).

What does LeafMark A / B / N mean, and does it belong on the SKU?

LeafMark is the Brake Manufacturers Council marking for the Washington Better Brakes Law and the California DTSC rules. Level A (one leaf) = asbestos, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, lead and mercury limited — the 2015 requirement. Level B (two leaves) = Level A plus copper below 5% by weight, the 2021 requirement. Level N (three leaves) = all requirements met, copper at or below 0.5% by weight; California's deadline was 1 Jan 2025, Washington's is 2032 unless its advisory committee finds alternatives sooner. Content is measured per SAE J2975. It is a property of the friction formulation, so it belongs on the SKU, not the brand.

Do I need ECE R90 data if I only sell in North America?

If everything ships domestically, no. R90 is the EU type approval for replacement linings, mandatory for aftermarket pads since 1999 and extended to replacement discs and drums under R90-02 from November 2016. But the field costs nothing to carry and it decides export orders: the approval number is marked on the pad or backing plate and begins with the E-number of the approving country (E1 = Germany). On a European channel a missing R90 number is a hard rejection, not a soft data-quality flag. European feeds also arrive keyed by WVA number rather than FMSI, so the interchange has to hold both.

More automotive aftermarket schemas

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