Incoming Fastener Inspection Checklist
Fasteners are cheap, so incoming inspection is often skipped, and then a bad lot ends up in a hundred assemblies. This checklist gives receiving inspectors a repeatable 30-point routine covering documents, markings, gauging, hardness, coating and storage.
0 of 30 items complete
14 critical items still open - these are the highest-risk gaps.
Documents and certificates
Identification and markings
Dimensional and thread checks
Mechanical and material tests
Coating, storage and release
Each item is a pass or fail check. Any unchecked critical item means the lot should be held until resolved. Adapt the sampling plan, hardness ranges and tests to your customer drawings and governing specifications.
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How to use it
Work through the groups in order. Documents come first because a lot with no heat and lot identity cannot be traced, whatever the parts look like. Then check markings, which are quick and catch the commonest problem, wrong or mixed grades. Take your sample, gauge the threads, measure hardness and perform any tests the PO calls for. Finish with coating condition, recording in the ERP and storage. Mark critical items first and hold the lot if any is open. Export the finished list and attach it to the lot record.
- Pull the sample before opening more than one container.
- Record gauge ID and hardness tester ID for calibration traceability.
- Never commingle accepted and unaccepted parts.
What the checks catch
Paperwork checks catch lots that cannot be traced or that carry the wrong grade on paper. Marking checks catch mixed grades, relabelled stock and suspect product. Thread gauging catches worn tooling and plating build-up that blocks assembly. Hardness is the quickest proxy for strength: a Grade 8 screw reading well below the range is either mislabelled or improperly heat treated. Coating checks catch rust and, for high-strength plated parts, a missing bake that risks hydrogen embrittlement and delayed fracture.
Sampling and records
Use a defined sampling plan, such as ANSI/ASQ Z1.4 for attributes, and record the sample size, results and disposition. Keep the certificate, test readings and the completed checklist together under the lot number. For customers with flow-downs such as AS9100 counterfeit-parts prevention, DFARS specialty metals or automotive PPAP, add the extra tests and record them. A repeatable record is also your evidence when a customer or auditor asks how a particular lot was accepted.
Common mistakes
Inspection of fasteners fails in predictable ways, mostly because it is rushed.
- Accepting the distributor certificate with no link to the original manufacturer.
- Gauging one bolt and calling the lot good.
- Checking hardness on a threaded section, which gives unreliable readings.
- Putting new stock on top of old stock and losing lot identity.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many fasteners should I sample from a lot?
Follow your contract or quality plan. Many shops use ANSI/ASQ Z1.4 single sampling at a chosen inspection level and AQL, and critical aerospace lots may need larger or full sampling for specific features. Record the plan and the sample size on the checklist.
What hardness range should I expect?
SAE J429 gives about Rockwell C 25 to 34 for Grade 5 and 33 to 39 for Grade 8 fasteners. Metric classes have their own ranges in ISO 898-1. Always use the range stated on the drawing or specification governing your parts.
Why check hydrogen embrittlement relief?
Electroplated high-strength steel can absorb hydrogen, which causes brittle fracture hours or days after load is applied. A bake after plating, within a specified time, drives it out. Missing bake records on high-strength parts are a major reason to hold the lot.
What if the certificate is correct but the parts look wrong?
Trust the parts. Hold the lot, record what you saw and test the sample. Certificates can be wrong, copied or attached to the wrong lot. Quarantine and notify the supplier through your nonconformance process, and do not release until resolved.
If receiving inspection results and lot data live on paper or in separate spreadsheets, we can help connect them to your ERP so lots, certificates and quality holds stay together.
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