Ask ten people in the aftermarket what ACES and PIES are and you will get ten variations of “the data standards.” That answer is true — and useless. If you sell, distribute or manufacture auto parts, these two standards decide whether your products show up correctly on Amazon, at your distributors and in every catalog that carries your brand. Here is what they actually are, how they differ, and what changed with the 2026 releases.
ACES and PIES in one sentence each
- ACES (Aftermarket Catalog Exchange Standard) answers: “Which vehicles does this part fit?” — it is the aftermarket standard for product fitment (application) data.
- PIES (Product Information Exchange Standard) answers: “What is this part, exactly?” — it is the standard for product information: descriptions, attributes, pricing, packaging, digital assets and more.
Same family, different jobs. ACES gets the right part in front of the right vehicle; PIES gives the buyer everything they need to say yes. Together they are how the North American aftermarket moves product data between manufacturers, distributors, retailers and marketplaces — in machine-readable XML.
What is inside ACES: fitment data
An ACES file is a structured list linking your parts to vehicles. Conceptually it is simple: part number X fits 2016-2021 Ford F-150, all cab styles, except diesel. In practice it is precise, because it is built on codified reference data (more on those below) rather than free text.
Why that precision matters: marketplaces do not search ACES files the way a human reads a catalog. Amazon’s Part Finder and “Confirmed Fit” badge, distributor e-cats and dealer locators all rely on structured application data. Free-text compatibility (“fits most trucks”) cannot power those tools — it gets you returns instead of orders.
For the full picture — what a fitment record contains, which databases power it and how sellers keep it accurate — see our Vehicle Fitment Data 101 guide.
Key facts about ACES:
- Governed by the Auto Care Association — it is an industry standard, not a vendor product.
- Delivered as XML, keyed to a 4-character brand code from the industry Brand Table.
- Covers light duty, medium/heavy duty, powersports, off-highway and equipment — vehicle model years from 1896 to present.
- Covers “position” and qualifiers too — front vs. rear axle, with or without air conditioning, cab style — the details that make fitment right the first time.
What is inside PIES: product information
PIES is everything a listing needs besides fitment:
- Descriptions and market copy — short and long product descriptions, bullet content.
- Attributes — dimensions, materials, weights, quantities, warranty terms — codified through PAdb.
- Pricing — price sheets with effective dates.
- Packaging — pack structures, box dimensions, kit contents.
- Digital assets — images, diagrams, labels, documents — PIES defines 50+ digital asset types with their own metadata.
- Hazmat and compliance data where applicable.
If ACES is the “fitment file,” PIES is the product page. Thin PIES data is why listings end up with generic descriptions, missing specs and weak images — content that neither converts shoppers nor ranks anywhere.
The databases behind both standards
Neither standard works from free text. Both are built on shared, codified reference databases maintained by the Auto Care Association:
| Database | What it holds | Used by |
|---|---|---|
| VCdb | Vehicle Configuration — year, make, model, submodel, engine, drivetrain | ACES |
| Qdb | Qualifiers — positions, conditions, dimensions that narrow fitment | ACES |
| PCdb | Product Classification — what kind of part it is | ACES + PIES |
| PAdb | Product Attribute — the attribute vocabulary (materials, sizes, etc.) | PIES |
| Brand Table | 14,000+ brands with 4-character codes | ACES + PIES |
To create or receive ACES files you need a VCdb subscription; for PIES you need PAdb. The subscriptions are what keep everyone speaking the same language — you cannot safely hand-build standard-compliant files without them.
What changed in 2026: ACES 5.0 and PIES 8.0
In April 2026 the Auto Care Association released ACES 5.0 and PIES 8.0 — the first major updates after a year-long industry review — along with updated schemas (VCdb 2.0, Qdb 2.0, PCdb 2.0, PAdb 5.0, Brand Table 2.0). The highlights:
- ACES 5.0: vehicle- and part-specific non-diagram digital assets attached directly in the application segment, multiple descriptions per asset, and expanded multilingual support for manufacturer labels.
- PIES 8.0: Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) packaging data for regulatory compliance, multiple package configurations at a single pack level, and digital asset file hashing/record sequencing for better validation.
Practical takeaway: richer content can travel with each application record, packaging compliance data now has a standard home, and data files are easier to validate. If your data provider or internal tools have not confirmed ACES 5.0 / PIES 8.0 support, ask — the free Catalog Assessment Reporting Tool (AutoCareVIP.com) now checks files against the new versions.
How the data actually flows (and where Brand ID comes in)
For most brands the pipeline looks like this:
- Register your brand with the Auto Care Association → you receive a 4-character brand code (and a Brand ID for downstream systems).
- Build or clean your catalog — part numbers, ACES applications, PIES attributes, images.
- Validate against current reference data — the databases update monthly; validation catches applications broken by vehicle data changes.
- Syndicate — the same standards-based files go to Amazon (fitment ingestion), Walmart, eBay, distributors, your own site — one source, many destinations.
This is exactly why marketplaces accept ACES-format fitment: Amazon ties fitment data to ASINs through matching brand and manufacturer part numbers, which is why brand registration comes before fitment submission. We covered the Amazon side in detail in our guide to selling auto parts on Amazon.
5 mistakes that kill standards-based catalogs
- Treating fitment as a one-time project. Monthly reference data updates mean validation is a recurring task — stale ACES data silently loses accuracy.
- Free-text product data. Descriptions and attributes typed outside PAdb vocabulary never map cleanly to retailer systems.
- Skipping qualifiers. Missing position/condition qualifiers (“rear”, “without towing package”) is how the wrong part ships.
- No digital asset strategy. PIES supports 50+ asset types — most catalogs use three and wonder why content looks thin everywhere.
- Manual re-keying per channel. Copy-pasting listings into each marketplace multiplies errors — standardize once, syndicate everywhere.
How YTechGuru helps
We work with ACES and PIES data every day for auto parts sellers, brands and manufacturers: catalog builds and cleanup, fitment validation, attribute enrichment, image/digital asset management and syndication to Amazon, eBay Motors, Walmart, Shopify and distributor feeds. See our catalog data services and vehicle fitment services for the full scope.
Not sure how healthy your current data is? Request a free sample catalog audit — we will review a slice of your ACES/PIES data and listings and show you exactly what to fix first.
FAQ: ACES and PIES
What is the difference between ACES and PIES?
ACES carries fitment data (which vehicles a part fits); PIES carries product information (descriptions, attributes, pricing, packaging, images). Most trading partners require both.
Do I need a subscription to use them?
Yes — creating or receiving ACES/PIES files requires a subscription to the Auto Care Association reference databases (VCdb for ACES, PAdb for PIES).
How often does the data change?
The reference databases are updated monthly. Best practice: validate and resubmit on that cadence so applications do not drift out of accuracy.
Does Amazon require ACES?
Fitment on Amazon runs on ACES-based application data tied to ASINs — without it your parts will not appear in Part Finder or Confirmed Fit, which is how most shoppers search.
What is new in ACES 5.0 and PIES 8.0?
Released April 2026: richer digital asset support in ACES, EPR packaging compliance data and improved file validation in PIES, plus updated underlying database schemas.