What Aerospace NDT and Inspection Cost, and Why
Inspection is priced mostly on setup and engineering, not on the minutes a part spends under a probe: technique development and approval, CMM programming, fixtures, reference standards and the report. A first lot of a new part costs far more per piece than a repeat lot, and the drawing and purchase order decide most of that difference.
Updated
The short answer
An NDT or dimensional inspection job costs what the setup, the inspector's time at the required certification level, the equipment time, the lab's accreditation overhead, the report and any re-inspection add up to. On first lots, setup and paperwork usually outweigh the inspection itself.
We found no neutral published rate card for aerospace NDT, CMM or first article work, and we will not invent one. This guide explains each cost driver, why it moves the price and how the buyer controls it, then gives the public figures we could verify. For what to require from an inspection lab, see our inspection and NDT sourcing page; this page is about price.
How an inspection lab prices a job
Labs price around setup, equipment time and certified labor. Asking for those lines separately shows where a quote is heavy.
- Setup and engineering: technique or procedure development, CMM programming, fixture or reference standard work, and any approval cycle with your engineering group.
- Run time: time on the CMM, penetrant line, ultrasonic system, film or digital radiography cell, or CT scanner, plus handling and part preparation.
- Certified labor: the inspector who performs the work and, where the procedure requires it, a higher level inspector who interprets and accepts.
- Data and reporting: data reduction, the report or AS9102 forms, images and volume files, and records retention.
- Minimums and logistics: lot minimums, packaging and freight, and for source inspection, travel.
Cost drivers at a glance
| Driver | Why it moves cost | How the buyer controls it |
|---|---|---|
| Method and level | Methods differ in equipment and preparation; higher inspector levels cost more per hour | Call out the method and sensitivity the design needs; state who must interpret and accept |
| Part size and geometry | Large, complex or thick parts need bigger equipment, more views, more scan coverage and more handling | Send envelope, weight, material and features of interest with the request |
| Lot size and setup | Setup is spent once per part number and lot; small lots carry it on few parts | Release repeat lots of the same revision; keep programs and techniques on file |
| Nadcap lab overhead | Accreditation audits, personnel certification and process controls are built into the rate | Require Nadcap or prime approval where the contract does, and name the method scope |
| Technique development and approvals | New UT, ET, RT or CT techniques are engineering work and may need your approval | Supply existing techniques and acceptance criteria; turn approvals around quickly |
| CT scan time and data size | Resolution, part size and material set scan time, reconstruction and file size | Specify the features and the resolution the decision needs, not the finest possible |
| CMM programming vs run time | The first program is hours of work; repeat runs take minutes per part | Pay for the program once and ask for it to be retained for later lots |
| FAI paperwork | Ballooning and building forms take hours beyond measuring | Provide a ballooned drawing and the maker's certs; say full or partial FAI |
| Rush and after-hours | Overtime and displaced work carry premiums | Give real need dates early; ask which step is the constraint |
| Re-inspection | Rejects, disputes and unclear criteria mean doing the work twice | Put acceptance criteria, edition and decision rules on the PO |
Method and inspector level
The method sets the equipment and preparation, and the certification level of the person signing the result sets the labor rate. Ordering a more sensitive method or level than the design needs raises cost on every lot.
Penetrant inspection is often the cheapest per part, but on machined parts it may need an etch to remove smeared metal before inspection, which adds a chemical step. Magnetic particle applies only to ferromagnetic material and needs demagnetization checks. Ultrasonic and eddy current depend on reference standards and scan plans. Radiography adds views, film or digital processing and radiation safety controls. Computed tomography carries the most equipment cost per hour.
Under NAS 410, personnel are certified by their employer at levels that define who may set up, perform, interpret and accept. If your procedure requires a Level 3 to approve techniques or a Level 2 to accept results, that labor is priced in. The method details are on our nondestructive testing library page. Confirm the current revision of NAS 410 your contract invokes before you flow it down.
Part size and geometry
Bigger and more complex parts cost more to inspect because they need larger equipment, more coverage and more handling, and fewer labs can take them. Geometry often matters more than weight.
A long tube or large panel may exceed a penetrant tank or immersion UT system, forcing a lab with larger equipment or a manual technique. Complex shapes with internal passages, thick sections or tight radii need more radiographic views, more UT scan paths or a CT scan. On a CMM, a part with hundreds of characteristics and several datum setups takes longer to program and run than a simple prismatic part, and a large part may move to a portable arm or laser tracker. Send the envelope, weight, material and the features of interest in the first request so the lab sizes the job once.
Lot size and setup
Setup is spent per part number and per lot, so small lots pay it on few parts. This is the main reason the first five pieces of a new part cost so much more each than the next fifty.
Setup covers racking and fixturing, loading a program or technique, verifying system performance before the run (for example, penetrant system checks or UT calibration on the reference standard), and closing the paperwork. Releasing parts in fewer, larger lots of the same revision spreads that cost. Mixing several part numbers that share a method and acceptance criteria into one visit can help too, if the lab's procedure allows. When parts are also being machined or processed, our special process cost guide explains the same lot logic for outside processing.
Nadcap lab overhead
A Nadcap accredited NDT lab carries costs a non-accredited lab does not: audit fees, staff time preparing for and closing audit findings, written practices, personnel certification records and process control checks. Those costs are built into its rates.
That overhead buys documented method control, and many contracts require it. It also narrows the field: when your prime's approved source list names only a few labs for a method, there is less price competition and longer queues. Flow down Nadcap or prime approval where the contract requires it, with the method named, and do not add it to work that does not need it. Published Nadcap audit price figures are summarized on our special process cost page.
Technique development and approvals
A new ultrasonic, eddy current, radiographic or CT technique is engineering work, and if your quality system must approve it, the approval loop costs calendar time and sometimes billed hours. It is usually the largest one-time line on a new NDT part.
Technique work includes choosing probes or exposure settings, defining scan coverage or views, building or buying reference standards with the right material and artificial flaws, demonstrating sensitivity, and writing it up. If your engineering group or the prime must approve the technique before production inspection, every round of comments adds days. Provide existing techniques if you own them, give acceptance criteria up front, and assign someone to review the technique promptly. Ask the lab to quote technique development separately from per-part inspection so repeat lots are priced without it.
CT scan time and data size
CT cost follows scan time and data volume, and both rise steeply with resolution and part size. Asking for the resolution the decision needs, rather than the finest the scanner can do, is the main lever.
Finer voxel size means more projections, longer exposures or a smaller field of view, so a large part at fine resolution may need several stitched scans. Dense materials and thick sections need higher energy and longer exposures. Reconstruction and analysis time grow with volume size. The arithmetic is simple: a volume of 1,000 by 1,000 by 1,000 voxels stored at 16 bits per voxel is about 2 GB, and doubling the voxel count in each direction multiplies that by eight, to about 16 GB. Large files take time to analyze, package, transfer and retain. State the features of interest (porosity in a region, wall thickness, internal geometry), the smallest feature that matters and whether you need the raw volume or only a report.
CMM programming vs run time
On a CMM, the first program is the cost; repeat runs are cheap. A lab may spend hours building alignments, probe paths and the report template for a new part, then measure each later part in minutes.
Programming time grows with characteristic count, the number of datum setups, profile and position callouts that need many points, and whether a 3D model is available. Without a model, the programmer works from the drawing alone, which is slower. Ask the lab to quote programming once, retain the program and alignment for the same revision, and price repeat lots on run time. A revision change means the program must be updated, so a new revision brings back part of the setup cost. Our inspection and metrology reference covers the equipment.
FAI paperwork
An AS9102 first article costs more than the measurement because every characteristic, note and flag note must be ballooned, recorded and traced to certs. On a busy drawing the paperwork can exceed the measuring time.
Cost drivers are characteristic count, the number of sheets and notes, how many material and process certs must be collected and checked for Form 2, and whether it is a full or partial FAI. A lab that receives a ballooned drawing, the 3D model and complete certs from the maker spends far less time than one that has to chase them. Our first article inspection guide explains the forms, and the FAI review checklist shows what the finished package must contain.
Rush, after-hours and re-inspection
Rush work and repeat work are the two most avoidable costs. Both trace back to schedules and requirements set late.
Rush and after-hours: the Fair Labor Standards Act requires covered nonexempt employees to be paid at least time and one half for hours over 40 in a workweek, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. The Act does not itself require premiums for weekends or nights, so any premium beyond overtime is the lab's own policy and should be asked about. Expedites also displace scheduled work, which labs price in.
Re-inspection: a reject, a dispute over a measurement or unclear acceptance criteria means the job is done twice. Put acceptance criteria, the ASME Y14.5 edition the drawing uses and any decision rule for results near a limit on the PO, and agree in writing who pays for re-inspection when the part was conforming and when it was not. Repeat rejects belong in a corrective action; see our corrective action and SCAR reference.
Public numbers worth knowing
We found no government or neutral industry price list for aerospace NDT, CMM or FAI work. These are the figures we could verify.
- Inspector pay: the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a median wage for quality control inspectors of $48,570 per year, or $23.35 per hour, in May 2025.
- NDT specialist pay: O*NET OnLine lists a 2025 median wage of $37.67 per hour, or $78,350 per year, for non-destructive testing specialists. O*NET notes that this figure comes from the broader BLS category of engineering technologists and technicians, except drafters, all other, so it is an approximation.
- Overtime: time and one half for hours over 40 in a workweek for covered nonexempt employees, under the FLSA as described by the Department of Labor.
A lab's billed rate also covers equipment, calibration, accreditation, facilities and overhead, so wages show only one part of the price. Compare complete quotes on the same scope.
Ways to lower inspection cost
- Call out the method, sensitivity and inspector level the design actually needs.
- Send part envelope, material, model and features of interest in the first request.
- Release repeat lots of the same revision and keep programs and techniques on file.
- Quote technique development and CMM programming separately from per-part work.
- Specify CT resolution from the smallest feature that matters.
- Give the lab a ballooned drawing and complete certs for FAI.
- Put acceptance criteria and decision rules on the PO to avoid re-inspection.
- Give real need dates early instead of paying for after-hours work.
For the receiving side, our receiving inspection checklist helps you decide what to inspect in house. If the parts come from fixtures or check gauges, see our tooling and fixture cost guide, and for the machining itself, our machining cost guide.
Get inspection quoted on your real scope
Send the drawing and revision, the method or inspection scope, acceptance criteria, quantities and the report you need through the inspection quote form. Method, geometry and lot size decide which labs can take the work and how much of the price is setup, so stating them first gives comparable quotes. A person replies within 1 business day, and rush requests are prioritized. We do not own CMMs or NDT equipment. We match your scope to labs whose accreditation and approvals cover the method, flow down your criteria and report requirements, check reports against the drawing and PO, and give you one quote, one point of contact and one purchase order even when dimensional and NDT work go to different labs. Every order ships with a certificate of conformance. Controlled drawings and CT volumes do not go through the website; see our confidentiality page and controlled programs.
Send the job. A person replies within 1 business day.
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.
We have it.
Reference . A person replies within 1 business day. Watch for our email from [email protected].
Questions
Why does NDT on a few parts cost so much?
Most of the cost is setup: loading or developing a technique, verifying the system on reference standards, preparing parts and closing the paperwork. That is spent once per lot whether it holds two parts or two hundred, so small lots pay it on few pieces. Releasing larger lots of the same revision and asking the lab to keep the technique on file are the usual ways to bring the per-part price down.
Why is a CT scan more expensive than radiography?
CT ties up costly equipment for longer, then needs reconstruction and analysis of a large 3D volume. Scan time and file size rise with resolution and part size; a 1,000 cubed voxel volume at 16 bits is about 2 GB, and doubling resolution in each direction multiplies it by eight. Specifying the features of interest and the smallest flaw that matters lets the lab choose the coarsest resolution that still answers the question.
How much should CMM programming add to an inspection quote?
It depends on characteristic count, datum setups, profile callouts and whether a 3D model is supplied. There is no published standard price. Programming is a one-time cost per part revision, while run time repeats per part, so ask the lab to show them as separate lines and to keep the program and alignment for later lots. A new revision usually means updating the program.
Does requiring a Nadcap accredited NDT lab raise the price?
Usually somewhat. Accredited labs carry audit, personnel certification and process control costs, and approval requirements narrow the number of eligible labs, which affects price and queue time. When your contract or prime requires Nadcap or an approved source for the method, it is not optional. Flow it down only where required, with the method named, so routine work is not priced as if it needed it.
Who pays for re-inspection when a part is rejected?
Agree it before the work starts. A common arrangement is that the buyer or maker pays when the part was nonconforming and the lab pays when its own error caused the reject. Disputes are cheaper to settle when the PO states the acceptance criteria, the ASME Y14.5 edition and any decision rule for results near a limit, and when the lab records its setup so the measurement can be repeated.
Are there published wage or price figures for NDT technicians?
Wage figures exist; price lists do not. BLS reports a May 2025 median of $48,570 a year for quality control inspectors. O*NET lists $78,350 a year, or $37.67 an hour, for non-destructive testing specialists in 2025, drawn from a broader BLS technician category. A lab's billed rate is higher because it also covers equipment, calibration, accreditation and facilities.
Related
Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: Quality Control Inspectors (pay, May 2025)
- O*NET OnLine, 17-3029.01 Non-Destructive Testing Specialists (wages, 2025)
- U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division: Overtime Pay
- Performance Review Institute, Nadcap program overview
- ASTM International, E1570 Standard Practice for Fan Beam Computed Tomographic Examination
- SAE International, AS9102 Aerospace First Article Inspection Requirement
- ASME, Y14.5 Dimensioning and Tolerancing
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