This standard is part of the IPC-2510 series of standards. These standards are used to specify a data file format used to describe printed board and printed board assembly products with details sufficient for tooling, manufacturing, assembly, inspection and testing requirements. These formats may be used for transmitting information between a printed board designer and a manufacturing or assembly facility. The files are also useful when the manufacturing cycle includes computer-aided processes and numerical control machines.

The GenCAM format requirements are provided in a series of standards focused on printed board manufacturing, assembly, inspection, and testing. This standard series consists of a generic standard (IPC-2511) which contains all the general requirements. There are seven sectionals that are focused on the details necessary to accumulate information in the single GenCAM file, that addresses the needs of the manufacturing disciplines producing a particular product. The sectional standards (IPC-2512 through 2518) paraphrase the important detailed requirements and provide suggested usage and examples for the topic covered by the sectional standard.

The information can be used for both manual and for digital interpretations. The data is defined in either English or International System of Units (SI)1 units.