Guide · FAI pricing · Contract CMM

How much does a first article inspection cost?

There is no honest flat price for a first article inspection, because the part sets the price, not the lab. What you are really paying for is time at the bench: building the program, holding the part so the datums can be reached, measuring every characteristic in scope, and writing it up in the format your customer wants. This guide covers what moves those hours and how to get an FAI quoted as a clear, one-time line item.

Want a number for your part? Call or text 508-343-1219, or send the print through the quote form. Scope and an estimated turnaround come back before anything is measured.

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What drives the price

Six things that decide the hours

  1. Characteristic count. A full FAI covers every dimension, tolerance and note on the drawing, not just the ones that look important. A print with a few dozen characteristics and one with several hundred are different jobs, even if the parts are the same size.
  2. Datums and fixturing. If the part sits on a plate and every feature can be reached in one setup, it goes fast. If it needs a custom hold, several setups, or re-establishing datums after every flip, the hours climb. Thin walls and parts that move under probe force add time too.
  3. GD&T callouts. Diameters and lengths are quick. Profile of a surface, true position on a big hole pattern, and composite tolerances take more programming, more points, and more care in how results are reported.
  4. Features the CMM is the wrong tool for. Small edge breaks, fine radii and tiny features often go to an optical check like a toolmaker’s microscope, and threads go to thread gages. Each extra method is extra handling.
  5. Report format. A results table against the print is one thing. A ballooned drawing with every characteristic numbered, plus results on your customer’s forms (AS9102-style or their own layout), is more work, and should be priced as such.
  6. Sample size. One piece, or the first three off each cavity, fixture or spindle? Programming happens once; measuring and reporting repeat per piece.

Material condition matters too. If the part is measured before and after plating, anodize or heat treat, that is two inspections, not one.

Quote it right

Price it as a one-time line item

Most of the cost of a first article is front-loaded: ballooning the drawing, building the program and working out the hold. That work is done once per part number and revision. So the cleanest way to handle it, for a job shop and its customer, is a separate FAI line on the quote instead of spreading it across the piece price.

  • It survives a quantity change. If the order goes from 50 to 500, the FAI line doesn’t need to be re-argued.
  • It makes re-inspection a clear decision. A new revision, material, process, tooling change or move to a new machine or supplier usually calls for a new full or partial FAI, depending on what your customer requires. When FAI is its own line, everyone can see what that change costs.
  • It keeps quotes comparable. When you compare two inspection quotes, check that they cover the same characteristics, the same number of pieces and the same report format. Most of the gap between quotes is scope, not rate.

Running the parts yourself and need the machining quoted too? See prototype CNC parts in New England.

Spend less

How to keep an FAI from costing more than it should

  1. Send the current revision. A wrong-rev print means measuring twice. Include the STEP model if you have it.
  2. Mark the critical callouts. Even on a full FAI, knowing what your customer watches tells the inspector where the care goes.
  3. Agree on the report format up front. Customer forms, ballooned drawing, or a plain results table. Switching after the fact is rework.
  4. Tell us how you hold it. If you already have a fixture or a known setup, say so. Proving out a new fixture is its own job; see what fixture prove-out proves.
  5. Pick the sample on purpose. One piece when one proves it; one per cavity, fixture or spindle when that’s where the variation lives.
  6. Ship clean, protected parts. Burrs, chips and coolant residue all get in the way of good numbers.

How we handle it

FAI at AI Inspection Tools

We do first-article work on a Starrett CMM, with a Mitutoyo toolmaker’s microscope for fine features and thread/plug gages for go/no-go checks, out of Taunton, MA. Every job is scoped before a part is touched: which characteristics, how many pieces, what report format, and an estimated turnaround. Many first-article jobs land in about 3–7 business days after parts and a clear print are in hand; final timing is confirmed at quote.

You get back a PDF with measured results mapped to the callouts on your print and pass/fail or out-of-tolerance flags, formatted to what was agreed at quote. Local shops can drop off; see CMM inspection in Massachusetts for drop-off and shipping.

Honest limits: we inspect to the drawing. We don’t claim ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation, AS9100 certification or ITAR registration, and this isn’t a gage calibration lab.

FAQ

First article inspection cost: straight answers

How much does a first article inspection cost?

It depends on the part, not a menu. The biggest drivers are how many characteristics on the print have to be measured, how the part has to be held to reach its datums, how many profile and true-position callouts there are, and what report format your customer requires. Send the print and we quote it per part number as a one-time line item before any part is measured.

Why do two FAI quotes for the same part look so different?

Usually because they are not quoting the same scope. One may cover every dimension and note on the drawing while another covers only the critical callouts, or one includes customer report forms and a ballooned drawing while the other is a plain results table. Ask each supplier exactly which characteristics, how many pieces and which report format the price covers.

Is a first article inspection a one-time cost?

For a given part number and revision, usually yes: the program, fixturing and ballooned drawing are built once. A new full or partial FAI is normally needed when the drawing revision, material, process, tooling, location or supplier changes, or after a long production gap, depending on what your customer requires.

Do you provide AS9102 forms?

If your customer wants their results on AS9102-style forms or a specific packet layout, tell us at quote and we will scope it. We inspect to the drawing; we do not claim ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation or AS9100 certification, so if your customer requires an accredited lab report, confirm that before you send parts anywhere.

How can I lower the cost of a first article inspection?

Send a clean, current-revision print with a STEP model, mark which callouts are critical, agree on the report format up front, and tell us how the part is normally fixtured. Clear scope cuts programming and back-and-forth, which is where a lot of the hours go.

More questions on the FAQ page →

Free FAI packet kit

Doing the paperwork in-house? Grab our free AS9102-style Forms 1 to 3, ballooning checklist and Gage R&R worksheet. Don't want to fill this out yourself? We'll prepare the FAI packet for you, quoted per part number.

Get the free FAI kit Get an FAI packet quote

Next step

Send the print for a scoped FAI quote

Print and revision, quantity, how many pieces to measure, report format and deadline. We reply with scope and an estimated turnaround.

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