Aerospace Hardware Sourcing With Traceability

Updated October 14, 2026

What aerospace hardware sourcing covers

It covers every bought part on your drawing or parts list that nobody machines for you: fasteners, seals, connectors, bearings, electromechanical parts, EEE parts, protective hardware, chemicals and raw stock. Each family is governed by its own standards, so the sourcing work is matching the exact part number to a traceable source and getting the right paperwork back.

The parts library is organized by family. Each category page links to detailed guides on the governing specs, part number structure and receiving checks.

The documents in the table are examples drawn from those guides, not a complete list. Your drawing and contract decide which revision applies, so confirm the current revision on ASSIST or SAE before you buy.

Know which kind of part number you are buying

Before a hardware line can be sourced, you need to know whether the number is a standard part, a qualified product designation, a manufacturer catalog number or your own company drawing number. Each one points to a different set of acceptable sources.

• Standard part numbers such as NASM, NAS, MS or SAE AS numbers describe the part completely. Any manufacturer that makes it to the standard can supply it, unless the standard, the drawing or your contract limits the source. Read the whole number, because dash codes carry diameter, grip, material and finish.
• Qualified product designations come from a specification that requires qualification. Only the products listed against that specification qualify. The detail is on our QPL and QPD guide.
• Manufacturer catalog numbers identify one maker's product. The source is that maker or its authorized channel, and a look-alike from another brand is a substitution, not the same part.
• Company drawing numbers for bought parts usually list approved manufacturers and their part numbers. Only those references are acceptable unless your engineering group approves another.

Old numbers still turn up on legacy drawings. AN3 through AN20 bolts, for example, were cancelled and superseded by NASM3 through NASM20, and the MS21042 nut became NASM21042. Our mil-spec versus commercial parts page explains how these families relate. If a line is identified only by NSN, the NSN sourcing guide shows how to get to the part numbers behind it.

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Authorized and independent sources

Buy hardware from the manufacturer or its authorized or franchised distributors first. Those channels can trace each lot back to the maker. Go to independent sources only when the part is out of production and no authorized source has stock, and then only with testing and paperwork controls.

For DoD work, DFARS 252.246-7008 makes this order mandatory for electronic parts, which it defines to include integrated circuits, discrete components and circuit assemblies. Original manufacturers and authorized suppliers come first, contractor approved suppliers second, and anything else carries notification and testing duties. That clause is written for electronic parts, but the same logic is good practice for fasteners, bearings and seals. SAE AS6174 sets counterfeit avoidance requirements for materiel other than electronic parts, and SAE AS5553 and AS6081 cover electronic parts for users and distributors.

A distributor's AS9120 certificate shows it runs a quality system for buying, storing and splitting parts. It does not make the distributor authorized for any brand. Our page on buying from AS9120 distributors explains the paperwork to require from each kind of source, and the counterfeit parts avoidance guide covers testing and reporting when you must buy outside the authorized channel.

QPL items on a hardware list

Many common hardware families are qualified products, so check the qualification requirement before choosing a source. If the governing specification requires listing, a part from an unlisted maker does not meet the drawing, even when it looks and measures the same.

Examples from the parts guides include aircraft hydraulic line filters bought to MIL-DTL-8815 and its qualified products list, nonstructural quarter turn panel fasteners under NASM5591, and military connectors and relays whose specifications carry qualified source lists. For each line, confirm in the Qualified Products Database on ASSIST that the manufacturer and plant are listed on the date of shipment, and ask the distributor to state the actual manufacturer on its certificate. When a listed source is removed or stops making the part, the line becomes an obsolete search rather than a routine buy.

Specialty metals and fasteners on DoD orders

Steel, titanium and nickel alloy hardware can fall under the DFARS specialty metals restriction, and fasteners have their own rules inside it. If your contract carries DFARS 252.225-7009, flow it to the hardware source and say which exception, if any, you will accept.

The January 2023 version of 252.225-7009 exempts most commercially available off-the-shelf items, but it lists COTS fasteners as an exception to that exemption. COTS fasteners are covered unless they are built into COTS end items, subsystems, assemblies or components, or unless they qualify for a separate commercial fastener exception. That exception applies when the fastener maker certifies it will buy domestically melted or produced specialty metal amounting to at least 50 percent of the specialty metal it buys for fastener production in the calendar year. The clause also has a minimal content allowance of 2 percent of the total specialty metal weight in the end item. Our DFARS specialty metals guide walks through the whole clause.

The Fastener Quality Act is a separate law with a narrower reach. Its definition of a covered fastener excludes fasteners specifically made for aircraft when the FAA has approved their quality and suitability, and fasteners made under a fastener quality assurance system. Do not rely on either point without reading your contract and the drawing.

Lot control, cure dates and shelf life

Hardware that ages has to be bought with its dates, not just its part number. Sealants, adhesives, greases and elastomer seals all carry a manufacture or cure date, and some carry an expiry that cannot be extended.

• Chemicals. Ask for the batch number and manufacture date on the certificate, and state the minimum shelf life you need remaining at delivery. MIL-STD-129 sets how shelf life dates are marked on military packaging.
• Elastomer seals. O-rings and packings are bought with a cure date and lot. SAE AS5316 covers storage of elastomer seals.
• Lots. Require one lot per bag or container, with no mixing of lots or manufacturers, so a nonconformance can be traced and contained.
• Moisture sensitive parts. Microcircuits often need dry pack handling to J-STD-033, which has to survive splitting and kitting.

The shelf life control guide covers the DoD program and the difference between extendible and non extendible items.

Kits and line-side packaging

If your technicians pick hardware for each installation, a kit built to your kit definition can replace dozens of separate picks. A kit only works if lot and shelf life data stay visible after the parts leave their original packages.

When you ask for kits, decide:

• The kit definition and its revision, which you control
• How each part is bagged and labeled: part number, quantity, lot and, for chemicals and seals, the date data
• Whether parts are packaged by installation step or station so they arrive in the order they are used
• FOD rules for open hardware, and ESD packaging for sensitive parts
• What documentation travels inside each kit and what goes in the shipment file

Our aerospace kitting page covers kit definitions, labeling and changes after release in detail.

Obsolete and hard to find line items

Most hardware lists have one or two lines that hold up the whole order: a discontinued connector, a superseded bearing or a fastener with a dash number nobody stocks. Split those lines out early so the rest of the list is not waiting on them.

For each problem line, find out why it is unavailable. It may be superseded by a new number, out of stock but still in production, on allocation, or truly discontinued. A superseded number usually needs only an engineering check. A discontinued part means choosing between authorized remaining stock, an independent source with testing, a qualified alternate approved by your design authority, or a new source built from drawings. Our obsolete aerospace parts page lays out those paths and the risk each one carries.

How hardware joins machined work on one PO

Bought hardware and made parts can travel on one purchase order with one certificate of conformance package. The work is split behind the scenes by supplier type and brought back together before delivery.

1. The parts list is split into made lines, such as machined, sheet metal or harness work, and bought lines grouped by category.
2. Your requirements are flowed to each source: quality clauses, DFARS clauses, approved manufacturers and paperwork.
3. Bought hardware that a fabricator installs, such as inserts, nut plates or bushings, is sent to that fabricator with its certs, so the assembly record names the hardware lot.
4. Loose hardware that ships with the made parts is packed by lot and line, or kitted.
5. Every cert is checked against your PO before the shipment closes.

The BOM sourcing page covers mixed parts lists in full, and the CNC machining hub covers the machined side. When installed hardware is part of a first article, the hardware certs belong on AS9102 Form 2, as the first article guide explains.

Receiving hardware

Receiving checks the paperwork against the parts before anything goes to stock. The certificate, the label and the part markings should all show the same part number, manufacturer and lot.

• Manufacturer certificate of conformance naming the lot, plus the distributor certificate when bought through distribution
• Part markings and package labels that match the certs and the PO
• Date and shelf life data for chemicals and seals, checked against the minimum you ordered
• Visual condition, packaging and, for ESD sensitive parts, intact protective packaging
• Sample dimensional or test checks your procedure requires

Our library pages on receiving inspection and the receiving inspection checklist go deeper, and the certificate of conformance guide shows what a usable CoC contains.

What to put on the PO or parts request

Give every line enough detail that a source can quote it without guessing and receiving can check it without asking.

• Full part number with every dash code, and the specification revision where it matters
• Manufacturer and manufacturer part number, or your approved manufacturer list for the line
• Whether alternates or superseding numbers are acceptable, and who approves them
• QPL or QPD requirement where the specification has one
• Source requirement: manufacturer or authorized distributor only, or independent sources allowed with stated testing
• Certificates: manufacturer CoC, distributor CoC, material certs or test reports
• DFARS clauses that apply, including 252.225-7009 and 252.246-7008
• Minimum shelf life at delivery for dated items
• Packaging: lot segregation, ESD, preservation, labeling or kitting
• Quantity, need date and whether partial delivery helps

For controlled parts lists or drawings, read our controlled programs page before sending anything.

How Aerospace Sourcing handles hardware

We are a sourcing service. We do not hold inventory, publish prices or show stock, and we are not an authorized or franchised distributor for any manufacturer. We source hardware through the manufacturer or its authorized and franchised distributors, and we only go to other sources for obsolete lines under counterfeit avoidance controls, with your agreement.

• One quote, one lead time, one point of contact and one purchase order, even when hardware comes from several sources and joins machined or fabricated work
• Your clauses, approved manufacturers and paperwork requirements flowed down line by line
• Certificates and lot data checked against the parts and your PO before shipment
• Kits built to your definition when you need them
• A certificate of conformance with every order, plus the manufacturer and test documents your request requires

Send your hardware list

Send part numbers, manufacturers, quantities and need dates through the hardware request form, or use the parts request page for a short list. Telling us up front which lines need a QPL source, authorized channel only or a minimum shelf life decides which sources can quote. A person replies within one business day, and rush requests are prioritized. If the list is export controlled, see our confidentiality page for how to send it.

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Part, quantity and date are enough to start. Drawings and the mutual NDA follow by reply, and controlled programs never send technical data through this site.

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Service *CNC machiningSheet metal, welding and fabricationAdditive manufacturing (metal and polymer)Composites fabrication and repairWire harness and cable assemblyElectronics and PCB assemblyGround support equipment, lifting and handlingTooling, jigs and fixturesTubing, fluid lines and pressure systemsObsolete and hard-to-find parts (AS6081 sourcing)Certified surplus material (titanium, Inconel, aluminum)Certified fasteners, hardware and raw materialTest lab time (vibration, thermal vacuum, cleanroom)Precision cleaning and oxygen serviceFinishing and special processes (anodize, plating, heat treat)Inspection, NDT, CMM and first articleCertified small-business subcontractorsEngineering, drafting and DFMCrating, transport and chain-of-custody logisticsContract technicians and skilled laborSomething else

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Questions

Related

• Sourcing a Full Aerospace Bill of Materials
• Aerospace Hardware and Installation Kitting
• How Do You Buy Safely From Aerospace Parts Distributors?
• What Is a QPL Part, and How Do You Find a Qualified Source?

Sources

• Acquisition.gov: DFARS 252.225-7009 restriction on certain articles containing specialty metals (JAN 2023)
• Acquisition.gov: DFARS 252.246-7008 sources of electronic parts
• Cornell LII: 15 U.S.C. 5402, Fastener Quality Act definitions
• SAE: AS6174 counterfeit materiel, assuring acquisition of authentic and conforming materiel
• SAE: AS6081 counterfeit electronic parts, distributors
• SAE: AS9120B quality management systems for aviation, space and defense distributors
• EverySpec: AN3 thru AN20, cancelled and superseded by NASM3 thru NASM20
• EverySpec: MS21042M, cancelled and superseded by NASM21042
• SAE: AS568F aerospace size standard for O-rings
• SAE: AS5316 storage of elastomer seals
• EverySpec: MIL-STD-129R Change 2, military marking for shipment and storage
• EverySpec: MIL-DTL-38999M Amendment 2