--- title: Incoming inspection for machine shops | FactoryQA description: "A receiving inspection procedure for machine shops: paperwork checks, risk-based sampling with Z1.4 or c=0 plans, accept or reject, and supplier feedback." image: https://factoryqa.com/hubfs/fqa-og-res-incoming-inspection-procedure.png --- [![FactoryQA](https://factoryqa.com/hubfs/fqa-logo-white.png)](https://factoryqa.com/) Features [**Platform overview**Every module, and how they connect](https://factoryqa.com/feature-overview)[**AI features**Purpose-built AI in every module](https://factoryqa.com/ai-powered-quality-management)[**Integrations**ERP connectors and imports](https://factoryqa.com/integrations) [**Dashboard**Every module in one scorecard](https://factoryqa.com/products/qualitybi-dashboard)[**Tasks**Every to-do, from every module](https://factoryqa.com/products/task-management)[**Compliance**Readiness for your standard](https://factoryqa.com/products/compliance)[**Quality Plans**Ballooning, PFMEA, control plans, PPAP](https://factoryqa.com/products/quality-plans)[**Documents**Revisions, approvals, sign-offs](https://factoryqa.com/products/document-control)[**Issues**NCRs, CAPAs and SCARs](https://factoryqa.com/products/non-conformance-management)[**Inspection**Sheets, first articles and SPC](https://factoryqa.com/products/inspection-sheets)[**Calibration**Gages, due dates and Gage R&R](https://factoryqa.com/products/calibration-management)[**Preventive Maintenance**Scheduled work orders and repairs](https://factoryqa.com/preventive-maintenance-factoryqa)[**Supplier Quality**Approved suppliers, portal and SCARs](https://factoryqa.com/products/supplier-management)[**Audits**Schedules, checklists and findings](https://factoryqa.com/products/audit-management)[**Learning Management**Courses, quizzes and the training matrix](https://factoryqa.com/products/learning-management-system)[**QMS Generator**Your manual from an interview](https://factoryqa.com/products/qms-generator) Services [**Services overview**Certification, consulting and supplier quality](https://factoryqa.com/services)[**Get Certified**Three paths to AS9100, ISO 9001 or ISO 13485: do it yourself, join a workshop, or work 1-1 with a consultant.](https://factoryqa.com/certification-services)[**Certification Workshops**A 9-week, small-group program with 18 expert-led sessions and an AI-built document kit.](https://factoryqa.com/certification-cohorts)[**QMS Consulting**A consultant on your team from training through implementation, internal audit and the registrar audit.](https://factoryqa.com/qms-consulting)[**Supplier Quality Services**Qualification, management, training and security services for your whole supply base.](https://factoryqa.com/supplier-quality-services) [Pricing](https://factoryqa.com/pricing) [Log in](https://app.factoryqa.com/auth/login)[Book a demo](https://factoryqa.com/get-a-demo)[Start free](https://app.factoryqa.com/auth/register) Features[**Platform overview**](https://factoryqa.com/feature-overview)[AI features](https://factoryqa.com/ai-powered-quality-management)[Integrations](https://factoryqa.com/integrations)[Dashboard](https://factoryqa.com/products/qualitybi-dashboard)[Tasks](https://factoryqa.com/products/task-management)[Compliance](https://factoryqa.com/products/compliance)[Quality Plans](https://factoryqa.com/products/quality-plans)[Documents](https://factoryqa.com/products/document-control)[Issues](https://factoryqa.com/products/non-conformance-management)[Inspection](https://factoryqa.com/products/inspection-sheets)[Calibration](https://factoryqa.com/products/calibration-management)[Preventive Maintenance](https://factoryqa.com/preventive-maintenance-factoryqa)[Supplier Quality](https://factoryqa.com/products/supplier-management)[Audits](https://factoryqa.com/products/audit-management)[Learning Management](https://factoryqa.com/products/learning-management-system)[QMS Generator](https://factoryqa.com/products/qms-generator) Services[**Services overview**](https://factoryqa.com/services)[Get Certified](https://factoryqa.com/certification-services)[Certification Workshops](https://factoryqa.com/certification-cohorts)[QMS Consulting](https://factoryqa.com/qms-consulting)[Supplier Quality Services](https://factoryqa.com/supplier-quality-services)More[**Pricing**](https://factoryqa.com/pricing)[Log in](https://app.factoryqa.com/auth/login)[Book a demo](https://factoryqa.com/get-a-demo) Supplier quality # Incoming inspection for machine shops A receiving inspection procedure for machine shops: paperwork checks, risk-based sampling with Z1.4 or c=0 plans, accept or reject, and supplier feedback. FactoryQA quality teamNovember 12, 2026 Incoming inspection is where a machine shop catches a supplier's mistake before it becomes your scrap, your late delivery or your customer's escape. It does not have to mean measuring everything. ISO 9001 and AS9100 (clause 8.4) ask you to set the type and extent of control based on the risk of what you buy and how the supplier has performed. Here is a procedure that does that, short enough to actually follow. *1***Receive**Count, ID, damage *2***Check paperwork**PO, C of C, certs *3***Inspect to plan**Sample per plan *4***Decide**Accept or reject *5***Release or hold**Stock or quarantine*NCR if rejected* *6***Feed back**Scorecard and SCAR The inspection level follows the supplier's history ## 1. Receive Match the delivery to the purchase order: part number, revision, quantity and packaging. Check for shipping damage and for correct identification on every container. Anything that does not match goes to a hold area until it is sorted out. ## 2. Check the paperwork - **Certificate of conformance** that names the part number, revision, quantity and the requirements it certifies, signed by the supplier - **Material certifications** with heat or lot numbers that match the material marking, and chemistry and properties within the specification - **Special process certifications** for heat treat, plating, NDT or welding, from an approved source, citing the specification and revision on your PO (see [controlling special processes](https://factoryqa.com/resources/controlling-special-processes)) - **First article or PPAP** approval for a new part or a changed one - **Traceability** for parts where counterfeit risk matters (see [counterfeit parts prevention](https://factoryqa.com/resources/counterfeit-parts-prevention)) Paperwork problems are nonconformances too. A missing cert is as good a reason to hold a lot as a bad dimension. ## 3. Decide how much to inspect Base the plan on the risk of the part and the supplier's history: | Situation | Typical inspection | | --- | --- | | New supplier, or a new or changed part | First article or full dimensional on the first lots | | Key or critical characteristics | Sampling or 100% on those characteristics, every lot | | Proven supplier, stable history | Reduced sampling, or certificate review only for low-risk items | | Supplier with recent rejects or an open SCAR | Tightened sampling until the corrective action is proven | | Catalog and commodity items (fasteners, raw stock) | Identity, certs and a few key checks | For sample sizes, many shops use ANSI/ASQ Z1.4 (equivalent to ISO 2859-1). You find the code letter from the lot size and inspection level, then the sample size and accept and reject numbers for your AQL. For example, at general inspection level II a lot of 281 to 500 parts gives code letter H, a sample of 50. Aerospace and automotive customers often require zero-acceptance (c=0) plans, where a single defect rejects the lot; check your customer's requirements before you choose a plan. ## 4. Inspect to a written plan Inspect against the drawing revision on the PO, with calibrated gages, and record measured values for the characteristics you check. An inspection plan built from the ballooned drawing means every inspector checks the same characteristics the same way. ## 5. Accept, or hold and report Accepted lots are identified as inspected and released to stock. Rejected lots are tagged and quarantined, and an NCR records the facts so the material review board can decide the disposition (see [MRB and dispositions](https://factoryqa.com/resources/mrb-dispositions-guide)). Never let a suspect lot sit unlabeled on a shelf. ## 6. Feed it back Every reject belongs in the supplier's record. Serious or repeated problems get a SCAR (see [how to write one](https://factoryqa.com/resources/how-to-write-a-scar)), and reject rates feed the [supplier scorecard](https://factoryqa.com/resources/supplier-scorecard-guide). Use the history to adjust the inspection level: earn reduced inspection with good lots, lose it with a reject. ## Procedure checklist - Scope: which purchased items the procedure covers - Receiving checks: PO match, quantity, damage, identification - Required documents per item type - How the inspection level is set and changed (risk, history) - Sampling plan and accept and reject rules - Records: what is recorded and where - Identification of accepted, rejected and on-hold material - Nonconformance handling, NCR and supplier notification - Who may release material, and how urgent releases are controlled Inspection in FactoryQA: sheets built from the ballooned drawing, graded as results are entered. In FactoryQA, characteristics flagged Incoming on a ballooned drawing build the part's incoming inspection sheet, with limits, gages and sample size, and readings are graded as they are entered. A failed reading leads straight to a supplier issue and a SCAR the supplier answers without an account. Supplier certificates are tracked with expiry dates, and rejects show on the supplier's scorecard. See [Inspection](https://factoryqa.com/products/inspection-sheets) and [Supplier Quality](https://factoryqa.com/products/supplier-management). ## Frequently asked questions ### Do we have to inspect every incoming part? No. ISO 9001 and AS9100 ask you to set the type and extent of control based on risk and supplier performance. High-risk parts and new suppliers get more inspection; proven suppliers of low-risk items can get less. ### Can a certificate of conformance replace inspection? For low-risk items from a proven supplier, often yes, if your procedure and your customer allow it. For key characteristics and special processes, a certificate alone is rarely enough. ### What sampling plan should a machine shop use? Many use ANSI/ASQ Z1.4 (ISO 2859-1). Aerospace and automotive customers often require zero-acceptance (c=0) plans. Your customer's requirements come first. ### What should a certificate of conformance contain? At least the supplier, your PO number, part number and revision, quantity, a statement that the product meets the PO requirements, and an authorized signature. Many customers add lot or serial numbers and specification revisions. ### How do we reduce incoming inspection for a good supplier? Write the rule into the procedure: for example, after a set number of consecutive accepted lots, move to reduced sampling, and return to normal or tightened inspection on any reject. Keep reading ## More from Resources [Comparison**Best QMS software for machine shops and job shops (2026)**Nine QMS options for machine shops and job shops compared from vendor websites: pricing, AS9102 and ballooning, SPC, supplier portals and ERP fit.](https://factoryqa.com/resources/best-qms-software-for-job-shops)[Supplier quality**AS9100 8.4.3 flow-down: what your purchase orders must say**What AS9100 clause 8.4.3 says to flow down to suppliers, with sample purchase order quality clauses and the DFARS, CMMC and ITAR clauses that often apply.](https://factoryqa.com/resources/as9100-flow-down-requirements)[Guide**MRB and dispositions: use as is, rework, repair, scrap**How a material review board decides on nonconforming parts: use as is, rework, repair, return, regrade or scrap, and what AS9100 requires for each.](https://factoryqa.com/resources/mrb-dispositions-guide) ## Try it on your own process: start free. 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