Guide
What should a first article inspection report include when you move a part to an overseas supplier?
First article inspection is a complete, documented check of one of the first parts made by a new production process against every requirement on the drawing and purchase order. Its job is to prove that the supplier’s process, not just one lucky part, can make the design as released. When the supplier is a new plant on the other side of the world, the report is also the only evidence you hold before committing to a production order.
By Saola Manufacturing engineering team · Published · Updated
Most published material on this topic is written for aerospace, where SAE AS9102 sets the format. This guide is for engineers and buyers of industrial machined, cast and stamped parts who want a report that is just as complete without importing the whole aerospace system. It borrows the structure of AS9102, points to the standards behind each record, and closes with the situation many buyers face today: re-qualifying a part that used to come from China and is now being made in Vietnam.
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How is first article inspection different from incoming inspection?
First article inspection verifies the process once, against every characteristic, before production is released; incoming inspection samples each later lot against a short list of key characteristics. One qualifies the way parts are made, the other watches that nothing drifts.
That difference changes what the report must cover. An incoming plan may check five or six critical dimensions per lot and accept the rest on trust. A first article cannot skip anything, because every dimension, note, material call-out and finish requirement that goes unmeasured on the first article is a requirement nobody has ever proven the supplier can meet. Title-block tolerances, general notes such as “break all sharp edges” and flag notes buried in the margin all count.
The US government uses the same logic in its own buying. Under FAR Subpart 9.3, first article testing is appropriate when a contractor has not supplied the item before, and the matching clause at FAR 52.209-3 leaves any material bought or production run before approval at the contractor’s own risk. A commercial buyer can write the same rule into a purchase order: no production shipment until the first article report is accepted in writing.
What records belong in a complete first article report?
A complete report has three layers: identification of the part and its revision, evidence for materials and special processes, and a measured result for every numbered characteristic on the drawing. SAE AS9102C (2023) organizes these as Forms 1, 2 and 3, and the same split works for non-aerospace parts.
You do not need to demand the AS9102 forms themselves unless your customer requires them. What matters is that each layer exists and that each record can be traced back to the same part number, drawing revision and serialized sample. The table maps each record to the reference that governs it.
As a quick checklist, a first article inspection report you can sign off against should contain:
- a ballooned drawing with every characteristic numbered, including notes and title-block requirements;
- a measured value recorded against each balloon, not just a pass or fail mark;
- the material certificate with the lot or heat chemistry for the material actually used;
- finish evidence, such as coating thickness readings or the finisher’s certificate;
- the measuring instrument used for each characteristic;
- a dated sign-off by the inspector who performed the measurements.
| Record | What it proves | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Part identification (part number, drawing revision, sample serial, supplier and plant address) | The report describes the exact revision and site you are approving | AS9102C Form 1, Part Number Accountability |
| Material and special-process evidence (heat or lot numbers, mill certificates, coating and heat-treat certificates) | Inputs the dimensional check cannot see are traceable to named sources | AS9102C Form 2, Product Accountability |
| Characteristic results (one line per balloon: requirement, measured value, gauge, pass or fail) | Every requirement on the drawing was measured on the sample | AS9102C Form 3, Characteristic Accountability |
| Ballooned drawing | Each characteristic has a unique number that links the drawing to the result line | Drawing interpreted per ASME Y14.5-2018 (or ISO GPS if the drawing says so) |
| Material inspection certificate | Chemistry and mechanical results for the actual heat or lot, not a catalog sheet | EN 10204:2004 type 3.1 (or the mill test report form the material spec names) |
| Coating thickness readings | Plating or anodize thickness at stated locations on the sample | ASTM B568-98(2021) X-ray method for metallic coatings; ASTM B244-09(2021) eddy current for anodize |
| Process routing and nonconformance log | The sequence and sites used, and any deviation raised on the first run | Supplier record; freeze it as the approved baseline |
How should the drawing be ballooned for the report?
Give every requirement on the drawing its own balloon number, including notes, title-block defaults and each control in a feature control frame, then report one result per balloon. A report that skips the balloon step almost always misses the general notes.
Agree the numbering before the supplier measures anything. The simplest method is for the buyer to send a ballooned PDF with the purchase order, so the numbering is fixed and two suppliers quoting the same part produce comparable reports. If the supplier balloons, ask for the ballooned drawing back with the report and check that nothing on the sheet is left without a number.
Decide in advance how default tolerances are handled. A drawing that invokes ISO 2768 or a title-block tolerance has hundreds of implied requirements; list the dimensions they cover as separate balloons rather than one line that says “general tolerances: pass”. Where the drawing uses geometric tolerances, the result line should state the measured value and the datum setup, because a position or profile result means little if the datums were simulated differently from the way ASME Y14.5 defines them on the drawing. Also ask for the gauge or machine used on each line, so an out-of-tolerance reading can later be traced to the method as well as the part.
Which material and finish records should come with the first article?
Ask for a material certificate tied to the heat or lot actually used, and for measured coating thickness on the finished sample rather than a finisher’s statement of the target. These are the two areas where a dimensionally perfect part can still be wrong.
For wrought bar, plate and sheet, the EN 10204 document types are the usual reference outside the US: a type 3.1 certificate carries specific test results for the delivered product and is validated by an inspection representative independent of the production department. A type 2.2 report, by contrast, gives results that are not from the delivered lot. For die castings and other cast parts, ask for the chemistry of the ingot or melt lot and check it against the alloy standard named on the drawing; the ADC12 vs A380 guide shows why an alloy name alone is not enough.
For finishes, the report should give thickness readings, the method and where on the part they were taken. ASTM B568 covers X-ray measurement of metallic coatings such as zinc and nickel, and ASTM B244 covers eddy-current measurement of anodic coatings on aluminum. If the drawing calls for salt-spray results or adhesion tests, say whether they belong in the first article or in a separate qualification, because they add time the dimensional report does not need. Our surface finishing page lists the finishes that the report would cover for parts made with us.
What changes should trigger a new first article inspection?
Any change that could affect form, fit or function should trigger a new full or partial first article, including a new manufacturing source, a new plant location, new tooling, a new material source or a design revision. AS9102 also treats a long lapse in production as a trigger, and FAR 9.303 lists changed processes and extended production stops for the same reason.
A partial first article is acceptable when the change is narrow. If only a drilled hole moves on a revision, re-measuring the affected balloons and anything that depends on them is enough. If the part moves to a new plant, a new die or a new CNC program for the whole part, treat it as a new process and repeat the full report.
Put the triggers in writing. A short clause in the supply agreement that lists which changes require notice, and which require a new first article before shipment, prevents the most common failure: a supplier quietly moving an operation to a subcontractor or a sister plant because the first one was full.
Why does moving a part from China to Vietnam need its own first article?
Because the drawing stays the same but the plant, machines, tooling, material mills and finishing lines all change, and every one of those is a first article trigger in its own right. A report from the old supplier proves nothing about the new one.
Three points deserve extra attention on a relocation. First, drawings that have been in production for years often carry informal agreements, such as a deviation that became permanent or a dimension the old supplier held tighter than drawn; capture these before the transfer or the first article will pass a part that no longer fits the assembly. Second, if the old die-casting die or fixture is being shipped rather than rebuilt, measure it before it leaves and again on arrival, because the first article then qualifies a worn tool in a new press. Third, ask the new supplier to name every site that touches the part, including outside finishing, so the routing you approve is the routing you get.
The first article does not settle country of origin. Origin marking for US imports follows 19 CFR Part 134 and turns on where the part is substantially transformed, which is decided case by case on the facts of the routing. Keep the approved routing with the first article report so the same record supports both questions; our tariffs and origin page explains what documents we provide for that review.
What should happen when a first article characteristic fails?
Record the failure in the report, decide whether the process or the drawing is wrong, and re-inspect only the affected characteristics after the fix. Do not accept a report that has been edited so every line passes.
Most failures fall into one of three groups. A process failure, such as a bore out of size, needs a corrected program or setup and a new sample. A measurement disagreement needs a check of datums and gauges on both sides before anyone cuts metal again. A drawing problem, such as a tolerance that the old supplier never really held, needs an engineering decision: a drawing change, a formal deviation with a limited quantity, or a redesign. In every case the closed report should show the original failure, the action and the re-measured result, so the history is not lost the next time the part is re-qualified.
If you are preparing the package for a new supplier, the machining RFQ guide covers what to send up front so first article requirements are priced in rather than argued about later. For turned parts made with us, see CNC turning and CNC milling for what each process covers, and our quality page for how the first article step fits our inspection flow.
Frequently asked
Do I need AS9102 forms if my part is not for aerospace?
No. AS9102 is written for the aerospace supply chain, but its three-part structure is a useful template. Ask for the same content in the supplier’s own format, as long as every balloon has a result and every material and finish record is traceable to the sample.
How many parts should be measured for a first article?
A first article is normally one representative part from the production process, fully measured. For multi-cavity dies or multi-fixture setups, ask for one part from each cavity or fixture, because each is effectively its own process.
Is a first article the same as a PPAP?
No. The automotive Production Part Approval Process includes a full dimensional layout, which is close to a first article, but adds process flow, failure-mode analysis, control plans and capability studies. A first article is one element of that larger package.
Should the first article come from prototype tooling?
Only if prototype tooling is what production will use. A first article from soft tooling or a different machine qualifies that process, not the production one, so the report would need to be repeated once production tooling is ready.
Can I witness the first article remotely?
Yes. A common approach is a live video session during measurement of the critical balloons, followed by shipment of the measured sample so your own lab can re-check a few characteristics and confirm the two sets of results agree.
Sources
- SAE AS9102C, Aerospace Series – First Article Inspection Requirements, SAE International, 28 June 2023 (standard description, forms and revision history)
- Federal Acquisition Regulation Subpart 9.3, First Article Testing and Approval, US General Services Administration, accessed September 2026 (sections 9.303, 9.304 and 9.306)
- FAR 52.209-3, First Article Approval – Contractor Testing, clause dated September 1989, accessed September 2026
- ASME Y14.5-2018, Dimensioning and Tolerancing, American Society of Mechanical Engineers, 2018 (reaffirmed 2024)
- EN 10204:2004, Metallic products – Types of inspection documents (DIN edition released January 2005)
- ASTM B568-98(2021), Measurement of Coating Thickness by X-Ray Spectrometry, ASTM International, reapproved 2021
- ASTM B244-09(2021), Measurement of Thickness of Anodic Coatings on Aluminum with Eddy-Current Instruments, ASTM International, reapproved 2021
- 19 CFR Part 134, Country of Origin Marking, Electronic Code of Federal Regulations, accessed September 2026