# Fastener Quality Act: Lot Traceability Requirements for Manufacturers > Source: https://netray.co/resources/fastener-quality-act-lot-traceability-requirements > Publisher: Netray (netray.co), AI and integration engineering for ERP and manufacturing systems. > Section: Knowledge Base ## Short answer What the Fastener Quality Act means in practice for US fastener makers: lot identification, insignia, certs, record retention and how your ERP supports it. ## Category erp-general ## Content **Intro:** The Fastener Quality Act (FQA), enacted in 1990 and amended in 1999, was passed to curb counterfeit and substandard fasteners by requiring that covered fasteners be traceable to a manufacturing lot and conform to the standard they are sold under. For a manufacturer, the practical obligations center on lot identification, registered manufacturer marking on headmarked fasteners, and keeping records that show chemistry, mechanical test results and conformance by lot. This guide explains how those expectations show up on the shop floor and in your ERP. It is not legal advice, so confirm scope and wording with counsel and your customers' quality requirements. **Sections:** #### What the Act Is Trying to Prevent **Body:** The Act responded to cases where mismarked or undertested fasteners, such as bolts marked as a higher grade than their steel and heat treat supported, reached critical applications. Its core idea is that a fastener sold as conforming to a standard should be identifiable to the manufacturer and lot, with test records to back the claim. The 1999 amendments narrowed the original regime, and the specifics of which fasteners are covered depend on definitions in the statute and related guidance, so check scope against the exact products you make rather than assuming everything is in or out. #### Lot Identification and Manufacturer Insignia **Body:** Two ideas matter on the floor. First, every production lot needs a unique identity that follows it through heading, rolling, heat treat, plating and packing, tied back to the heat of raw material. Second, fasteners carrying a grade or property class marking typically also carry a manufacturer identification mark, registered with the US Patent and Trademark Office as the Act contemplates. In the shop that means head stamping tooling is controlled by part number, and the marking on the tool matches the grade of the lot being made. A mix-up at a header changeover is a classic failure that the lot records should help catch. **Bullets:** - Unique lot number carried across every operation - Heat number from mill cert linked to the lot - Insignia and grade marking verified at setup #### Test Records and Certificates **Body:** For each lot, you should be able to show what was tested, by what method, against what requirement, and with what result. Mechanical properties for threaded fasteners are commonly tested per ASTM F606, with hardness, tensile or proof load, and for some products wedge tensile, plus chemistry from the mill cert. Where the Act or a customer contract requires it, tests may need to come from an accredited laboratory, and a certificate of conformance should reference the lot, the standard and the test report. The point for ERP is that these records are stored per lot and retrievable, not rebuilt from paper when someone asks. #### Records Retention and Recall Readiness **Body:** The test of a traceability system is a recall drill: given a heat number, list every lot made from it and every customer shipment containing those lots, within hours. Given a customer complaint on a lot, list the heat, the heat treat load, the plating batch and the inspection results. Retention periods are set by the statute, customer contract and your quality system, so the right period is whichever is longest for the product. Plan for years, not months, and make sure archived records are searchable rather than boxed paper. #### Where AI Fits, and What Stays Manual **Body:** A private AI assistant can answer the recall-drill question in plain English over your ERP and quality records, find missing certs, and flag lots with incomplete test data before they ship. It cannot make the underlying records exist, so if lot identity is lost at heat treat, AI will not fix that. It also does not replace judgment on regulatory scope: the question of whether a product is covered is for you, your counsel and your customers. Start by fixing the data capture, then use AI to query and audit it. **Cta:** Netray can add a private question layer over your ERP and quality records so a lot or heat trace takes minutes, with every answer showing the records it came from. **Faq:** #### What is the Fastener Quality Act? **Answer:** A US law first enacted in 1990 and amended in 1999 that seeks to ensure fasteners sold as conforming to a standard are traceable to a manufacturer and lot and supported by test records. Scope is defined in the statute, so check which of your products it covers. #### Do I need to register my fastener headmark? **Answer:** Manufacturer identification marks on fasteners that the Act covers are recorded with the US Patent and Trademark Office. Confirm with counsel which of your products require it. #### How long should I keep fastener lot records? **Answer:** Keep them for the longest period required by statute, customer contract or your quality system. For many aerospace and automotive customers that means many years, so store records in a searchable system. ## Related Slugs - erp-for-fastener-manufacturers-cold-heading-and-thread-rolling - forging-heat-number-traceability-and-mill-certs - dfars-specialty-metals-traceability-in-erp - aerospace-certificate-of-conformance-material-traceability ## Search terms Fastener Quality Act, Fastener Quality Act lot traceability, FQA fastener requirements, fastener manufacturer insignia USPTO, fastener lot traceability requirements, fastener cert of conformance requirements --- Talk to an engineer: https://netray.co/contact?intent=erp_ai | Machine catalog: https://netray.co/agent/catalog.json