ODB++

Overview

ODB++ (Open Database) is a data exchange format that packages a printed circuit board design, including its layers, drilling, components and connectivity, into one structured, intelligent data set for fabrication, assembly and test. It was introduced by Valor in 1995 and is now owned and developed by Siemens, which offers the specification and a viewer free of charge to registered users. It is one of the main alternatives to sending a collection of separate Gerber, drill and drawing files.

How it works

Instead of one image file per layer, an ODB++ data set is a single structured product model. Alongside the copper, solder mask, legend and drill layers it carries information that image-based files leave to drawings and notes, such as the layer stack-up, the netlist of connections, and the components with their placement, so that a fabricator's CAM system or an assembly line can read what each feature is without interpretation. Design tools from many vendors export it through a partnering programme, and Siemens publishes the format specification; version 8.1 is the current major release.

Since 2020 Siemens has presented ODB++ as a family. ODB++Design is the original design-to-manufacturing format. ODB++Process, previously called OPM, carries process engineering data prepared for programming individual production machines, and ODB++Manufacturing, previously OML, carries shop-floor events between machines and factory software. Together they are meant to support a digital thread from design through production.

ODB++ describes itself as a de facto standard rather than a formal one: it is defined and maintained by one company rather than a standards body. That is the main point of comparison with IPC-2581, an open standard developed through IPC, and with Gerber X2 and X3, which have added attributes and component data to the long-established layer files. Many fabricators accept more than one of these, and the choice usually depends on the design tool and the manufacturer's preferences.

Examples

• A board designer exporting an ODB++ data set from a PCB design tool and sending it to a fabricator for DFM review.
• A fabricator listing ODB++ among its accepted input formats because it contains everything needed to produce and assemble the board.
• An assembly engineer opening a design in the free ODB++ Viewer to check component placement before programming the line.
• ODB++Process data used to prepare programs for different makes of placement and inspection machines on one SMT line.

Why it matters

Hand-off errors between board design and manufacturing cause delays, job holds and scrap. Formats that carry stack-up, netlist and component data in one package reduce interpretation and let manufacturers run design-for-manufacturing checks earlier, so PCB layout engineers, CAM and DFM engineers at fabricators, and assembly and NPI engineers at electronics manufacturers all work with it.

In the chip lifecycle, ODB++ appears wherever boards are built around chips: evaluation and reference boards, ATE load boards and probe interface boards, and customer application boards that move from design into fabrication and assembly.

It matters most to: DFM Engineer, Electronics Assembly, Hardware Design Engineer (Board Level), NPI Engineer, Electronics Manufacturing, PCB Layout Engineer, SMT Process Engineer

Common confusions

Not the same as IPC-2581

IPC-2581 is an open standard developed through the IPC standards body for the same purpose. ODB++ is a company-owned format, freely available but controlled by Siemens.

Not the same as the Gerber format

Gerber sends the board as a set of layer image files, with newer versions adding attributes. ODB++ sends one structured model of the whole design.

Sources

1. ODB++ design (opens in a new tab), Siemens, 2026-10-22
2. Siemens expands ODB data exchange format; adds electronics manufacturing information flow to comprehensive digital twin (press release, 19 May 2020) (opens in a new tab), Siemens, 2026-10-22
3. Why ODB++Design (opens in a new tab), ODB++ (Siemens), 2026-10-22
4. Input Data Formats (opens in a new tab), Eurocircuits, 2026-10-22

Related terms

• IPC-2581
• Gerber format
• PCB

Where it appears on the Hub

Used on 4 pages of the Hub. In each group, the pages that mention it most come first.