What every inspection of metal parts covers
Metal parts are bought on a drawing, a material grade and a certificate. Most problems an importer finds after delivery trace back to one of those three: a dimension outside tolerance, a grade that is not what was ordered, or a certificate that does not describe the parts in the crate. Every inspection in this industry therefore runs the same core steps before the product-specific checks:
- Drawing and revision. The inspector confirms the factory is working to the drawing revision on your purchase order, and that the general tolerance callout (for example ISO 2768-mK, or ISO 8062-3 for castings) is understood the same way on both sides.
- Quantity and lots. Parts counted by part number and heat or lot, with crates or boxes opened at random.
- Dimensions. Sampled parts measured against the drawing with calibrated instruments, critical dimensions first. The factory's gauges and their calibration certificates are checked as well.
- Visual and surface. Cracks, porosity, laps, burrs, machining marks, coating and rust, in good light, on every face that matters.
- Marking. Part number, grade, heat number, property class, pressure class or maker's mark, as your specification and the product standard require.
- Records. EN 10204 certificates, heat-treatment charts, NDT reports and test results, checked against the order and traced to the parts.
- Witnessed tests. Hardness, proof load, pressure or NDT run by the factory on parts the inspector picks, with the result recorded.
- Packing and loading. Rust protection, crate strength, weights and marks, and how the load is secured in the container.
Sample sizes follow ISO 2859-1; see the AQL guide. Each finding is classed critical, major or minor, and the report ends in one verdict: Cleared to load, Hold or Not cleared.
How the checklist changes by product
| Product | Main risk | What the inspector adds |
|---|---|---|
| Iron castings | Porosity or shrinkage that opens up on machining; ductile iron with poor nodularity | Machined-face inspection, ISO 8062-3 dimensional tolerance grades, witnessed Brinell hardness, microstructure report, witnessed dye-penetrant or magnetic-particle testing |
| Steel forgings | Laps and internal flaws; heat treatment not done as certified | Witnessed ultrasonic testing to ASTM A388, furnace charts read against the certificate, hardness across the batch |
| Fasteners | Wrong property class; hydrogen embrittlement in plated high-strength bolts | Head-mark check, thread gauging, witnessed proof-load and wedge tests, baking records |
| Brass precision parts | Alloy or lead content not as ordered; wrong thread form | Handheld XRF alloy screening, thread gauges for the specified form, plating and burr checks |
| Flanges and pipe fittings | Grade mix-ups; markings that do not trace to the certificate | ASME B16.5 or B16.9 dimensions, MSS SP-25 marking, PMI on alloy and stainless grades, heat-number reconciliation |
Castings and forgings that end up in vehicles are covered from the buyer's side on the engine and transmission components page.
What we witness, what we review, and what needs a specialist
Engineering inspection in India is mostly about seeing the factory's own tests done properly on parts chosen at random, and about reading records critically. Clear To Load does not own a test laboratory or test rigs, and our inspection does not replace NDT by certified technicians. ISO/IEC 17020 accreditation is in progress. This is how the work divides:
| Our inspector does | Our inspector witnesses | Needs a specialist or accredited lab |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensional and visual inspection against the drawing; AQL sampling; marking and packing checks | Hardness, proof-load, wedge, pressure and leak tests on the factory's calibrated equipment | Independent chemical analysis, tensile and impact tests, microstructure, salt spray |
| Review of EN 10204 certificates, heat-treatment charts, NDT reports and calibration certificates | Ultrasonic, magnetic-particle, dye-penetrant or radiographic testing done by the factory's certified technicians | NDT performed or interpreted by a certified Level II inspector you appoint |
| Heat-number traceability from certificate to parts | PMI by handheld XRF on parts we select | EN 10204 type 3.2 validation, which needs your authorised representative or an inspector designated by the relevant regulation |
Where your order needs any item in the right-hand column, write it into the purchase order so the factory plans for it. We can pull and seal samples for an ISO/IEC 17025-accredited lab through lab testing coordination. Independent NDT by a certified technician is not part of our service: appoint an NDT agency and name it in the order, and our inspector can witness its work. For how the certificate types differ, see mill test certificates and EN 10204.
Standards and market rules that shape the checklist
| Rule or standard | Applies to | What it means at the factory |
|---|---|---|
| EN 10204 | All metal parts ordered with certificates | Order the document type (2.2, 3.1, 3.2); heat numbers on the certificate must match marks on the parts |
| ISO 8062-3, ISO 2768 | Castings; machined features | The drawing's general tolerance class decides what counts as out of tolerance. See ISO 2768 general tolerances |
| ISO 898-1, ISO 898-2 | Carbon and alloy steel bolts, screws, studs and nuts | Property class marked on the head and proven by hardness and load tests |
| US Fastener Quality Act | Covered fasteners sold in the US | Manufacturer's insignia, where the standard requires one, recorded with the USPTO |
| ASME B16.5, B16.9; MSS SP-25 | Flanges and butt-weld fittings | Dimensions, pressure class and marking to the standard |
| EU RoHS; US Safe Drinking Water Act; Prop 65 | Brass parts in electrical equipment, potable water or consumer goods | Lead content of the alloy matters. See RoHS and Prop 65 |
EU CBAM. The EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism has applied in its definitive regime since 1 January 2026. Its list of goods (Annex I to Regulation (EU) 2023/956) includes iron and steel headings 7307 (tube or pipe fittings), 7318 (screws, bolts, nuts and washers) and 7326 (other articles of iron or steel, which includes many forged parts). Heading 7325, other cast articles of iron or steel, is not on the list as of October 2026, and copper alloys such as brass are not covered. CBAM is the EU importer's obligation and needs emissions data from the producer; it is not something an inspection checks, but it is worth raising with your supplier early.
Where castings, forgings and brass parts are made in India
We name a town only where an official or research source supports it. None of these towns is a DGFT Town of Export Excellence.
| Town | Source | What it says |
|---|---|---|
| Rajkot, Gujarat | DC-MSME list of completed common facility centres (updated 20 March 2024) | Pump and Foundry Cluster, Rajkot |
| Ahmedabad, Gujarat | DC-MSME list of completed common facility centres (updated 20 March 2024) | Foundry Industry Cluster, Ahmedabad |
| Kolhapur, Maharashtra | TERI cluster profile for SIDBI (2012) | About 300 foundry units in Kolhapur and Sangli districts, mainly SG and grey iron castings, largely for the automotive industry, with about 30% of output exported at the time |
| Jamnagar, Gujarat | Gujarat Industries Commissionerate cluster list; IANS report, 18 February 2026 | "Brass Parts" cluster; IANS reported nearly 8,000 units making brass components |
The Gujarat Industries Commissionerate also lists castings and forgings clusters in Ahmedabad, Bhavnagar, Jamnagar, Rajkot, Vadodara and Anand. Export scale, from Department of Commerce TradeStat for FY2025-26 (provisional): HS 7325 other cast articles of iron or steel US$1,249.8 million; HS 7318 screws, bolts and nuts US$864.4 million; HS 7307 tube and pipe fittings US$1,152.2 million. HS headings mix products, so these show the size of the trade, not exact product totals.
Booking an inspection of metal parts
Clear To Load is based in Jodhpur, with inspectors in Jaipur, Saharanpur, Moradabad, Delhi NCR and Kolkata, and covers every city in India. An inspection costs US$249 per man-day. Rajkot, Ahmedabad, Jamnagar and Kolhapur are outside our inspector base cities, so travel is charged at actual cost; see pricing.
For engineering parts, send the drawing and its revision, the material standard and grade, the certificate type you ordered, and a list of tests you want witnessed, at least a few days before the inspection so the factory can schedule them. A during-production inspection on the first parts off the line catches dimensional and process errors while parts can still be corrected; a pre-shipment inspection then checks the finished lot, its records and its packing. The product pages below cover each type in detail.
Sources
- DC-MSME: Completed Common Facility Centres under MSE-CDP (updated 20.03.2024)
- TERI (2012), Cluster Profile Report: Kolhapur Foundry Industry, for SIDBI
- Industries Commissionerate, Government of Gujarat: cluster development
- IANS: Jamnagar emerges as global brass manufacturing hub with MSME support (18 Feb 2026)
- Department of Commerce, TradeStat: commodity-wise exports (HS 7307, 7318, 7325; FY2025-26 provisional)
- Regulation (EU) 2023/956 establishing a carbon border adjustment mechanism (EUR-Lex)
- European Commission: Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism