What Form 3 is for
AS9102 splits a first article inspection (FAI) report into three forms. Form 1, Part Number Accountability, identifies the part, drawing, revision and organization. Form 2, Product Accountability, covers raw materials, special processes and functional tests. Form 3, Characteristic Accountability, Verification and Compatibility Evaluation, is the line-by-line proof that every design characteristic was checked and met its requirement.
The core idea is accountability. Every characteristic on the drawing gets a unique number (a balloon), and every balloon gets a row on Form 3. A reviewer should be able to pick any balloon on the drawing, find its row, and see the requirement and the objective evidence that it was met. If the drawing has 84 balloons, Form 3 accounts for 84 characteristics, no more and no fewer.
The header: fields 1 to 4
The top of Form 3 repeats four identifiers from Form 1 so each page can stand on its own: Part Number, Part Name, Serial Number and FAI Report Number. Copy them exactly as they appear on Form 1. A mismatched report number between forms is a small error that makes a reviewer wonder what else is off.
The columns, one by one
Field numbering below follows the Rev C forms. If your customer still asks for Rev B, the columns are the same in spirit; check the numbering on the form they give you.
5. Characteristic number
The balloon number from the drawing. It must match exactly, including any sub-numbering for multiplied features (for example 4.1 to 4.4 for a "4X" hole callout, if you explode them). Don't skip or reuse numbers. If you remove a balloon, say why rather than leaving a silent gap.
6. Reference location
Where the characteristic is on the drawing, usually the sheet and zone, such as Sht 1, C4. It saves the reviewer hunting across a D-size sheet. For notes, use the note number or the zone where the note sits.
7. Characteristic designator
If the drawing or your customer's requirements mark a characteristic as key, critical or major, record that designation here, using the customer's symbol or code. Leave it blank for ordinary characteristics. Designated characteristics often carry extra requirements, such as variable data rather than pass/fail, or ongoing SPC, so they deserve a second look.
8. Requirement
The requirement as the drawing states it: nominal and tolerance (25.000 +0.021/-0), limits, a full GD&T feature control frame with its datums, or the text of a note ("Break all sharp edges 0.2 max"). Write what the drawing says, not your interpretation of it. Where a general tolerance from the title block applies, show the resulting tolerance so the row can be judged on its own.
9. Results
The actual result. For variable characteristics, the ones you measure with a number, record the measured value: 25.012, not "OK" or a tick. Many customers reject reports that say "conforms" where a number was measurable. For attribute characteristics, such as visual checks, go/no-go gauges or "deburr all edges", record the outcome plainly ("Conforms", or the gauge result). For a multiplied feature with one balloon, record a result for every instance.
If a result is out of tolerance, record the actual value anyway. Never adjust it or leave it blank. The nonconformance is handled in the next column.
10. Designed or qualified tooling
Some characteristics aren't measured directly but are verified by tooling, such as a dedicated check fixture or other qualified tooling. In those cases, identify the tool here so the verification is traceable. Leave it blank when the characteristic was measured directly.
11. Nonconformance number
If the characteristic doesn't meet its requirement, reference the nonconformance report (NCR) number that documents it and its disposition. A failed characteristic with no NCR reference is one of the fastest ways to get a report rejected.
Comments and optional fields
Use the remaining space for anything a reviewer needs: the inspection method or gauge, a CMM program reference, or a note that a characteristic was verified at a previous operation. Some customers specify what they want here; follow their flow-downs.
Mistakes that get Form 3 sent back
- Missing notes. Notes are characteristics too. "Remove all burrs", "Mark per..." and "Finish per spec" all need balloons and rows, even if the result is an attribute check.
- Balloons and rows out of step. The drawing shows 1 to 62; Form 3 jumps from 40 to 42. Reconcile the count before signing.
- "OK" instead of a number. If you measured it, record the value.
- Requirement copied wrong. A transposed digit in the tolerance makes a passing part look failing, or worse, the other way round.
- Multiplied features with one result. "4X Ø6.60" needs four results, whether in one row or four.
- Units not stated on a drawing that mixes inch and metric callouts.
- Gauges out of calibration. It isn't a Form 3 field, but auditors check that each measurement was taken with a calibrated instrument.
Free Form 3 Excel template
We've published free Excel templates for Forms 1, 2 and 3, laid out to the Rev C field numbering. Form 3 has 60 rows, a frozen header, and prints landscape with the column headings repeated on every page.
- Download the Form 3 template (.xlsx)
- Download Forms 1, 2 and 3 in one workbook (.xlsx)
- See all templates
The templates aren't official SAE forms. If your customer supplies its own form, use theirs. AS9102 itself is published by SAE International, and the standard has the authoritative field definitions.
The faster way to fill it
The slowest part of Form 3 is the first four columns: numbering every characteristic and typing each requirement off the drawing. That's exactly what the free AI ballooner does. Upload a PDF drawing and get back a ballooned PDF and a Form 3 spreadsheet with characteristic numbers, zones and requirements already filled in, with anything it's unsure about flagged for you to check.
Related: How to balloon an engineering drawing · Full vs partial FAI
From the blog: AS9102 Form 1, field by field · AS9102 Form 2 explained · How to read a CMM report · Why FAI reports get rejected · First article inspection report template · Calibration out of tolerance: what to do