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Worst-Case Tolerance

A worst-case tolerance specifies a minimum and maximum value for a unit of product.  Use of worst-case tolerances is safe.  However, because they guard against a worst-case scenario that is unlikely if not impossible, worst-case tolerancing results in the setting of tolerances tighter than necessary.  As a result worst-case tolerancing unnecessarily drives up costs.
A worst-case tolerance is a special case of a process tolerance with zero standard deviations allowing all units to be at either extreme of the operating window.