How to fill in AS9102 Form 3
Form 3 is completed from two directions at once. The requirements come off the drawing, and the results come off the inspection. This page describes the order of work that keeps those two sides aligned, and the mistakes that make rows drift apart.
Before you type anything
Filling in Form 3 is the last step, not the first. The work that decides whether the form is any good happens before the first row is entered.
- Confirm you are working to the controlled revision. The drawing, the model, the specification and the purchase order all need to be at the revision the report is being built against.
- Balloon the drawing. Every dimension, note, surface finish and material requirement gets a number. Form 3 rows are keyed to those numbers, so the numbering has to exist first. More on ballooning.
- Have the inspection results available in a usable form — CMM output, hand-measurement records, or the inspection plan with values filled in.
The order that works: requirements side first
Build the skeleton of the form from the drawing before adding any measurements.
- Enter the characteristic number for each ballooned callout, in drawing order.
- Enter the reference location so the row can be traced back to a sheet or zone.
- Enter the specification requirement — what the feature has to be.
- Enter the nominal value, and the plus and minus tolerances as separate entries. Where a general tolerance block applies rather than a written tolerance, make sure the form says which block was used.
- Record the characteristic designation where the drawing or contract classifies the feature.
At that point you have a complete list of what has to be measured. That list is your checklist, and it is also the thing most likely to be incomplete: a missed note or surface-finish callout is a missed row.
Then the results side
- Work down the rows and enter the measured result for each characteristic.
- Enter the pass or fail determination. If the form you are transcribing from already states the determination, copy it. Recomputing it is how a transcription exercise turns into a conformity question.
- Enter the inspection method used for that characteristic.
- Enter the gage or equipment identifier, so the value traces to a calibration record.
- Enter the inspector and the inspection date.
- Where a characteristic failed, reference the nonconformance record.
The mistakes that cause the most rework
| Mistake | What goes wrong |
|---|---|
| Ballooning and form filling done by different people at different times | Numbering drifts. Rows no longer match the drawing and the whole package has to be reconciled. |
| Collapsing nominal and tolerance into one entry | A value written as 12.000±0.05 is not a nominal. The requirement can no longer be read unambiguously from the form. |
| Retyping values by hand | Digit transposition is the classic failure. 12.013 becomes 12.031 and nothing flags it. |
| Leaving the gage ID blank or generic | The measurement cannot be traced to a calibrated instrument. |
| Recomputing pass or fail instead of copying it | Any difference between your recomputation and the recorded result becomes a discrepancy you have to explain. |
| Skipping notes, surface finishes and general tolerances | Requirements that are not dimensions get left out entirely. |
If you are moving Form 3 into Excel
A common pattern is to finish the form and then transcribe it: to hand it to someone else, to load it into a customer portal, or simply to keep working with the data. That transcription step is where digit transposition errors come from, because it is pure copying with no thinking in it.
Getting Form 3 data into Excel.
Frequently asked questions
What order should AS9102 Form 3 be filled in?
Build the requirements side first, meaning characteristic numbers, reference locations, specifications, nominals and tolerances, then add the measured results, determinations, methods, gage IDs and dates. That keeps the row list complete before measurement data is attached to it.
Do I balloon the drawing before or after filling in Form 3?
Balloon first. Form 3 rows are keyed to balloon numbers, so the numbering has to exist before rows can reference it.
Should pass or fail be recalculated when filling in Form 3?
No. If the form you are transcribing from already records a determination, that determination is the record. Recomputing it introduces a second, potentially different answer.
Why is retyping Form 3 data a problem?
Hand transcription of numeric data is where digit transposition errors happen, such as 12.013 becoming 12.031. The copying step adds no judgement, only risk.
Sources
- IAQG — AS9102 forms and supporting form instructions
- IAQG — Form 3 Characteristic Accountability (9102B)
- Net-Inspect — Form 3 Excel template guidelines
Standards are revised. Always work from the current published edition of AS9102 from SAE International. This page is orientation only and is not a substitute for the standard.