Quick Answer
Quick Answer
Issuing outgoing test certificates means assembling and delivering the quality documentation package — supplier MTCs, company-issued CoCs, NDE reports, and inspection records — that accompanies a shipment to your customer. The process must be controlled, traceable, and aligned with the customer's specific documentation requirements before shipment is released.
Outgoing certification is where your internal quality process meets your customer's requirements. A shipment that leaves without the correct documentation is incomplete — regardless of how well the material was fabricated or inspected. Customers in regulated industries routinely hold payment until compliant documentation is received. Some reject shipments at the dock if paperwork is missing.
Getting outgoing certificates right requires a systematic assembly process, not a last-minute scramble.
What Goes Into an Outgoing Certificate Package?
The contents of an outgoing certification package depend on the customer's purchase order and any supplementary documentation requirements. Common components include:
Pass-through supplier MTCs: The original Mill Test Certificates from the material producer, covering every heat of material incorporated into the delivered items. These are pass-through documents — you received them from your supplier and transmit them to your customer. They must be legible, complete, and matched to the specific heats used.
Company-issued Certificate of Conformance: Your organization's declaration that the delivered items conform to the specified requirements. The CoC typically identifies:
- Customer name and PO number
- Your internal order or job number
- Item description, quantity, and identification (tag numbers, serial numbers, spool numbers)
- Applicable standards and specifications
- Statement of conformance
- Authorized signature and date
NDE reports: Radiography (RT), ultrasonic (UT), magnetic particle (MT), or dye penetrant (PT) reports for welds, joints, or base material as required by the applicable code and customer specification.
Dimensional inspection reports: Final dimensional checks, including fit-up dimensions, flange bolt-circle alignment, or other critical dimensions specified in the customer's datasheet.
Heat treatment records: Time-temperature charts for post-weld heat treatment (PWHT), stress relief, or other thermal processes, with the associated certificate of completion.
Weld documentation: Welding Procedure Specifications (WPS) and Procedure Qualification Records (PQR) referenced in the work, if required by the customer.
Hydrostatic or pressure test records: Test pressure, duration, test medium, and pass/fail result for pressure-retaining components.
Third-party inspection reports: If an authorized inspection agency (AIA) or customer-designated inspector witnessed the work, their sign-off documents or inspection release notes.
The Outgoing Certificate Assembly Process
Step 1: Identify Documentation Requirements Before Production Starts
The time to understand what documentation a customer requires is when the order is received — not when the shipment is being packed. Review the customer's PO for:
- Specific certificate types required
- Format requirements (e.g., original signatures, company letterhead, specific form templates)
- Electronic or physical delivery preferences
- Required content (what must appear on the CoC, what customer project details to reference)
- Any customer approval of documentation before release to ship
Create a documentation checklist for the job. Assign responsibility for each document type.
Step 2: Link Materials to Work Orders During Fabrication
As production proceeds, the stock issues to the work order create the material traceability record. Each issued lot carries its heat number and certificate reference. By the time the job is complete, the system should know exactly which heats were consumed — and therefore which supplier MTCs must be included in the outgoing package.
This is where integrated certificate and stock management pays off: the outgoing package contents can be determined automatically from the stock issue records rather than manually reconstructed from memory or paper travellers.
Step 3: Assemble the Documentation Package
Collect all required documents:
- Pull supplier MTCs linked to the issued heats
- Generate the company CoC from the approved template, referencing the correct standards, job number, and item identification
- Retrieve NDE, dimensional, and heat treatment records from the inspection records for this job
- Collect any third-party inspection releases
Review the package against the documentation checklist to confirm completeness before proceeding.
Step 4: Quality Review and Approval
The outgoing documentation package should be reviewed by a quality authority — typically the Quality Manager or a designated quality engineer — before release. This review confirms:
- All required documents are present
- The CoC references are accurate and complete
- NDE and inspection records show satisfactory results
- Heat numbers on MTCs match the stock records for consumed material
- No open non-conformances remain unresolved on this job
The reviewer signs off on the documentation release. This sign-off is documented and forms part of the job quality record.
Step 5: Delivery to Customer
Documentation delivery methods vary:
- Physical package with shipment — original signed documents included in the shipping box or tube
- Email PDF package — scanned or generated PDFs sent to the customer's quality contact
- Customer portal upload — documents uploaded to the customer's supplier portal or document management system
- Electronic data interchange (EDI) — structured data transmission for high-volume trading relationships
Some customers require originals for certain document types (e.g., original signed CoC on company letterhead). Others accept PDF copies for everything. Clarify this at order intake.
Re-Certification: When You Issue Your Own MTC
In some situations, a fabricator issues their own Mill Test Certificate rather than passing through the supplier's document:
- Material was re-tested to verify compliance (incoming test failure followed by re-test and acceptance)
- Customer requires all documentation on the fabricator's letterhead
- Material was processed (e.g., cut, formed, machined) and the original certificate needs supplementation
- The fabricator is acting as a material processor with accreditation to certify
Re-certification carries significant responsibility. The certifying organization must have:
- Qualified and calibrated test equipment
- Accredited laboratory or documented test procedures
- An authorized signatory with documented authority
- A traceable chain from the original heat identity to the re-certified document
A re-certification that is not backed by actual testing is fraudulent. If you are passing through a supplier's results on your own letterhead, make that provenance explicit — identify the original MTC and testing laboratory.
What is the difference between a pass-through MTC and a Certificate of Conformance?
A pass-through MTC is the original document issued by the material producer, transmitted unchanged to your customer. A Certificate of Conformance is a separate declaration from your organization that the delivered items meet the specified requirements — it may reference the underlying MTCs but is a distinct document signed by an authorized person in your organization. Most complete certification packages include both.
How do we handle a customer who requires documentation before they will accept a shipment?
This is standard practice in regulated industries. Build the documentation review into your shipping process so that documentation approval is on the critical path alongside physical completion and inspection. Never release a shipment expecting to send documents afterward — the shipment should not leave until documentation is approved. Set customer expectations at order intake about realistic documentation preparation lead times.
What should a Certificate of Conformance contain?
At minimum: your company name and address, customer name and PO number, your job or order reference, a description of the items (quantity, part numbers, tag numbers), the applicable standards and specifications being claimed, a clear statement of conformance, the name and title of the authorized signatory, and the date of certification. Many customers provide a required CoC format — always use the customer's format if specified.
How long should we retain copies of outgoing documentation packages?
Retain outgoing documentation for at least as long as the customer is likely to need it or as required by the applicable standard. For pressure vessel components, this is typically 25 years or the life of the equipment. For general commercial fabrication, a minimum of 10 years is a reasonable baseline. Your documented retention policy should define periods by product category. See our Document Retention Rules guide for a full breakdown.
Can we automate outgoing certificate package assembly?
Yes — this is one of the most valuable automation opportunities in quality management. A system like TestCert, which links stock issues to certificates throughout the production process, can automatically identify which supplier MTCs belong in the outgoing package for a job, populate CoC templates from job data, and compile the package for review. The quality reviewer focuses on verification and approval rather than document hunting.
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