How do you calculate first article inspection cost?

Multiply pieces by inspection cost per piece and the billable share, then add fixed FAIR documentation cost. With 5 pieces at $180, a 90% billable share, and $1,200 documentation, the total is $2,010.

What is included in first article cost?

The variable cost of dimensional and functional inspection per piece plus the fixed cost of producing the AS9102 FAIR package — ballooned drawings, results tables, and material certifications.

Why is cost per first article piece so high?

Because fixed documentation cost is spread over a tiny run. Here $2,010 over 5 pieces is $402 per piece, dominated by the $1,200 FAIR adder rather than the $810 of variable inspection.

What is the billable inspection share?

The fraction of inspection cost the customer agrees to reimburse. At 90%, you recover most per-piece inspection spend but absorb the remainder, which the calculator bakes into the variable cost.

First article cost vs production inspection cost — what's the difference?

First article cost carries the full documentation overhead and inspects every characteristic; production inspection relies on sampling and reuses the approved FAIR, so per-piece cost drops sharply after approval.

How do I lower first article cost per piece?

Spread the run over more pieces, automate the FAIR with CMM-to-report software to cut documentation cost, or negotiate a higher billable share with the customer.

NPI, DFM/DFA & Engineering Change calculator

First Article Cost Calculator

First Article Cost totals what it actually costs to inspect and document a first article inspection (FAI) run before a part is cleared for production. Quality engineers, estimators, and program leads in aerospace and precision machining use it to quote new-part introductions accurately under AS9102 and to recover inspection spend from the customer. It matters because FAI is labor-intensive — every dimension is verified and reported — and underpricing it quietly erodes margin on every launch. The calculator separates the variable per-piece inspection cost from the fixed documentation overhead so you see both the total and the true cost per first article piece.

What this calculator does

Estimate first article inspection cost from piece count, per-piece inspection cost, billable share, and FAIR documentation cost.
a quality engineer needs to price a first article inspection and report for a new or revised part.
It computes total first article cost as pieces times per-piece inspection cost times the billable share, plus fixed FAIR documentation cost, then divides by piece count for unit cost.

Formula used

Total first article cost = first article pieces × inspection cost per piece × billable share + FAIR documentation cost
Cost per first article piece = total first article cost ÷ first article pieces

Inputs explained

First article pieces inspected:
Dimensional inspection cost per piece:
Customer-billable inspection share:
FAIR documentation and reporting cost:

How to use the result

Use it when quoting a new part or engineering-change re-FAI, or when deciding how much inspection cost to pass to the customer.
It assumes a flat inspection cost per piece; in reality the first article inspected often takes far longer than subsequent pieces, so a uniform rate understates the first-piece burden.

Common questions

How do you calculate first article inspection cost? Multiply pieces by inspection cost per piece and the billable share, then add fixed FAIR documentation cost. With 5 pieces at $180, a 90% billable share, and $1,200 documentation, the total is $2,010.
What is included in first article cost? The variable cost of dimensional and functional inspection per piece plus the fixed cost of producing the AS9102 FAIR package — ballooned drawings, results tables, and material certifications.
Why is cost per first article piece so high? Because fixed documentation cost is spread over a tiny run. Here $2,010 over 5 pieces is $402 per piece, dominated by the $1,200 FAIR adder rather than the $810 of variable inspection.
What is the billable inspection share? The fraction of inspection cost the customer agrees to reimburse. At 90%, you recover most per-piece inspection spend but absorb the remainder, which the calculator bakes into the variable cost.
First article cost vs production inspection cost — what's the difference? First article cost carries the full documentation overhead and inspects every characteristic; production inspection relies on sampling and reuses the approved FAIR, so per-piece cost drops sharply after approval.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.