First Article Inspection (FAI): What OEMs Require and How to Get It Right

What Is a First Article Inspection?

A First Article Inspection (FAI) is a formal qualification process that OEMs use to approve a new supplier — or a new part number from an existing supplier — before releasing production orders. The FAI proves that your manufacturing process can produce a conforming part, and that you can document it.

The FAI is not a dimensional report. It is a complete documentation package that ties together material origin, mechanical properties, dimensional compliance, manufacturing controls, and traceability. Every element has to close cleanly against a specific customer drawing and revision.

If any element is missing or incomplete, the FAI is rejected. There is no partial credit.

Why OEMs Require FAI

OEMs that supply regulated industries — oil and gas, power generation, process control — face downstream liability if a component fails in service. FAI shifts some of that liability upstream by proving that the supplier understood the requirements, had the right material, and inspected what they were supposed to inspect.

From a procurement standpoint, FAI also creates a documented baseline. If you change your process, material, or supplier in the future, a new FAI is typically required. This is by design — it keeps the supply chain traceable.

What a Typical FAI Package Contains

Requirements vary by OEM and industry, but most FAI specifications share the same core elements:

1. Production Drawing (Numbered and Revised) The FAI must reference a specific drawing number and revision. Any ambiguity in the drawing — missing tolerances, undefined surface finish callouts, conflicting dimensions — must be resolved before the FAI is submitted, not after.

2. Material Test Report (EN 10204 3.1) The MTR must be a Type 3.1 certificate per EN 10204: issued by the material manufacturer and certified by an independent inspection representative. A 2.2 (manufacturer's test report without independent certification) is often not accepted by tier-1 OEMs.

The MTR must trace directly to the heat and lot used to produce the first article parts. Heat number on the MTR and heat number on the parts must match.

3. Mechanical Test Certification A QC certificate reporting hardness, tensile strength, yield strength, and elongation — tested on material from the same heat. Some OEMs require the mechanical testing to be performed by a certified third-party lab rather than the manufacturer.

4. Sample Inspection Report (n=3) Dimensional inspection of three separate first article parts. Every dimension on the drawing must appear on the report. Results must be within tolerance. Datums, GD&T callouts, and thread specifications are all fair game — if it's on the drawing, it goes in the report.

5. Manufacturing Flow Chart A documented map of every operation in the manufacturing sequence — material receipt, saw cutting, heat treatment, turning, milling, finishing, inspection, packaging — with process controls identified at each step.

6. Control Plan A more detailed document that captures what is inspected, how it is inspected, and how frequently. Typically organized by operation, with characteristics, measurement methods, and sample sizes defined.

7. Traceability Marking and Photograph A photo showing the first article parts with their identification markings visible. Part number, heat number, and revision must be legible. Red tag or first article labeling is usually required on the physical parts.

What Commonly Goes Wrong

MTR doesn't match the heat used. The most common rejection. If you used material from a different stock lot than the MTR you submitted, the FAI fails regardless of dimensional compliance.

Drawing interpretation errors. If the drawing has an ambiguous callout and you interpreted it one way while the OEM expected another, your inspection report will show a characteristic that doesn't match what was measured. Resolve drawing questions before you start, not after.

Incomplete dimensional report. Missing characteristics — usually GD&T callouts, thread classes, or surface finish specs — are the second most common reason for rejection. Build your inspection template directly from the drawing, balloon by balloon.

Third-party lab not accepted. Some OEMs maintain an approved lab list. If your mechanical testing was performed by a lab not on their approved list, the certification may be rejected. Confirm lab acceptance before testing.

Control plan doesn't match flow chart. The two documents have to be consistent with each other. If the flow chart shows five machining operations and the control plan only references three, that's a gap.

Our Experience

We have completed FAI submissions against demanding OEM standards for valve actuator components going into heavy-duty butterfly valve assemblies for a Fortune 500 process management OEM. The documentation package for each part number included all seven elements above, with EN 10204 3.1 MTRs tracing to CUSMA-certified Canadian steel and mechanical testing by a certified third-party lab.

Getting FAI right the first time is not complicated — but it requires discipline. Every element of the package needs to be built in parallel with the first article parts, not assembled after the fact. The MTR needs to be matched to the heat before the material is cut. The inspection template needs to be built from the drawing before the parts are machined.

If you are preparing for a first article submission and want to understand what a compliant package looks like, contact us — we are happy to share what we have learned.