QuotedPartAnswers · Updated 2026-10-30
Is AS9100 worth it for a small machine shop?
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AS9100 is worth it when a customer you already have, or a specific one you are pursuing, will not buy without it, and the gross margin on that work covers the yearly cost. As an example only: if certification costs $14,000 a year all in and your gross margin is 35%, you need $40,000 of extra sales a year to break even. If that new work will be 25% of your sales, the shop needs about $160,000 of annual revenue before the maths works. Put your own numbers in the worksheet below.
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What it is and who asks for it
AS9100 is the aerospace quality management standard published by SAE for the International Aerospace Quality Group. It is ISO 9001 plus extra requirements aerospace buyers care about: configuration management, first article inspection, counterfeit-part prevention, special-process control, risk management and on-time delivery measures. Primes and the larger tier-1 suppliers often flow it down to their suppliers. A shop that machines for one of them is asked either for AS9100 certification or to accept a supplier survey of its quality system.
Not every aerospace customer needs it. Many small buyers, prototype work and defense shops buy from approved sources on the strength of a first article, a good history and a customer audit. The question to answer before spending a cent is: which named customers have told me, in writing, that certification is a condition of an order?
A worksheet you can fill in
Use your own numbers: get quotes from at least three registrars (certification bodies), ask a consultant what a shop your size needs, and count the hours your people will spend. The values below are placeholders chosen to show the arithmetic, not typical costs.
| Line | Example | How to fill it in |
|---|---|---|
| Yearly cost: audits, surveillance, fees | $14,000 (all costs together) | Registrar quotes, spread over the 3-year certificate cycle, plus consultant, calibration, training and internal hours |
| Gross margin on the new work | 35% | Quoted-vs-actual margin on comparable aerospace jobs you have already run |
| Extra sales needed per year | $40,000 | Yearly cost ÷ gross margin |
| Share of sales the new work will be | 25% | Be honest: only orders from customers that require certification |
| Annual revenue where it breaks even | $160,000 | Extra sales ÷ share |
What to do before certifying
Start with the lowest-cost step that the buyer will accept. Many shops are asked for a quality system long before they are asked for a certificate: a documented procedure for contract review, purchasing, receiving inspection, calibration, nonconformance and corrective action, and records that trace a part to its material and its inspection. That system is also what an AS9100 auditor will look at, so nothing is wasted if you certify later.
ISO 9001 is the common first step and many customers accept it. The ISO organization does not certify companies itself; independent registrars do, and the standard can be used without a certificate. AS9100 adds requirements on top, so a shop certified to ISO 9001 already has most of the system in place. Ask the registrar which edition applies: the aerospace standard is in a revision cycle, and the transition rules will affect when you should start.
Also check the customer's own supplier approval route. Some customers will approve a shop on a survey and a first article with no certificate at all, and some will accept a plan with a date. Ask what they will do if you are not certified, instead of assuming.
When the answer is no
Skip it for now if your aerospace work is a small share of sales and no customer has made it a requirement, if your shop lacks stable processes (the audit will find that out), or if one person holds all the quality knowledge in their head. Certification doesn't fix a shop that can't reliably repeat a job; it documents one that can.
The cost that surprises shops most is internal time. An owner or quality manager who spends a day a week on the system is paying for it in lost quoting and sales hours, which is a cost the registrar's invoice doesn't show.
Sources and limits
Claims are dated where they can change. Product calculations are examples from the stated inputs, not a promise about a customer's quote. Competitor wording is attributed to the source shown.
- All costs and shares in the worksheet are example inputs, not sourced averages; no survey figure is used on this page.
Questions
Does AS9100 get me aerospace work?
It gets you through the door with buyers who require it. It doesn't create demand; you still have to quote, win and deliver.
Can I do ISO 9001 first?
Yes, and that is what many shops do. AS9100 is built on ISO 9001, so the work carries over.
How long does it take?
It depends on how much of a documented system you already run. A shop with written procedures and records can take months; a shop starting from nothing takes longer. Ask each registrar for its own timeline.
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