Standards evolve. AGMA 21801 was reaffirmed in 2020 with minor updates. A free PDF from a file-sharing site may be the 2018 draft or a scanned, illegible version. Using the wrong tolerance table can lead to rejected batches or field failures.
| Class | Description | Typical Application |
|-------|-------------|---------------------|
| A | Highest quality | Precision machine tools, luxury vehicles |
| B | Commercial quality | General industrial gearboxes |
| C | Standard quality | Agricultural machinery |
| D | Lowest quality | Non-critical, low-speed drives | agma 21801 pdf
Each class defined a maximum allowable sound pressure level in dB(A) as a function of center distance and input power. AGMA 218