TRACE — material selection when part of the evidence comes from a model
TRACE is an open framework for material selection that grades every property value by how far it can be defended: E5 specified, E4 measured, E3 sourced, E2 computed, E1 predicted, E0 asserted. It adds one step to Ashby's method — Assess — and produces a Material Decision Record a third party can audit. Maintained by Materiascope, CC BY 4.0.
What is in this cluster
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Audit any tool that gives you a material property
Nineteen checks across three levels, no vendor cooperation required. Works on a selection platform, a property database, a search engine or a language model.
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Build a record that survives the question
Build a record in the browser. The evidence rules are enforced, not suggested — an asserted number cannot satisfy a constraint, and an unsigned record fails.
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Six evidence levels for material property data
E5 specified, E4 measured, E3 sourced, E2 computed, E1 predicted, E0 asserted. What each level requires in the record, and the four rules that govern them.
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We do not pass our own framework yet
We maintain TRACE, so we publish our own score first. Currently: does not conform at Level 1. Every failure listed, with what it blocks and what would fix it.
What this page does not cover
- The specification itself. The canonical text of TRACE v0.1 is not yet published on this domain. Until it is, the definitions that carry weight are the ones on the E-ladder page.
- Conformance of any tool other than ours. The audit checklist is the instrument; running it is your work, and the result is yours, not a certificate from us.
- Whether we conform. We do not, at Level 1. That is written up in full on the self-assessment, with the specific failures named.