Mill test certificate checklist: a practical review template

Start with the original and the order

Keep the supplier’s original PDF intact. Give the review a stable shipment or purchase-order reference, and record which file and revision you checked. A certificate number, a purchase-order number and a heat number serve different purposes; putting them in separate columns prevents an apparent match from hiding a wrong document.

The purchase order determines what you need to inspect. Before reading values, list the requested grade, heat references, product description and any required certificate type. This checklist is an evidence-organizing aid, not a complete material acceptance specification.

• Record the certificate identifier exactly as printed.
• Identify the manufacturing mill explicitly; do not substitute the distributor.
• Capture heat and grade values with their original labels.
• Look for an explicit melt-and-pour statement if your review requires it.
• Keep the page number and a short source quotation with each observation.

Use the CSV without changing the evidence

The template has nine columns: review reference, original filename and revision, field, expected value, observed value, source page, original label or short quotation, status, and reviewer note. Repeat the review reference and filename on each row so that sorting or filtering does not detach an observation from its source.

Before entering identifiers in Excel, format the relevant columns as Text. When importing a completed CSV, use the text/CSV import controls and set identifier columns to Text before loading. Microsoft documents that automatic conversions can remove leading zeros and that formatting afterwards does not restore zeros already lost. Check a value such as 008419 against the original after importing; do not silently replace it with 8419.

• Expected value: copy the requirement or shipment reference, if there is one. Leave it empty when none was provided; explain why in the note.
• Observed value: copy only what the source supports. Keep an absent value empty and describe the gap in the note.
• Source page and label: identify where another reviewer can retrace the observation.
• Status: leave pending until checked; then use reviewed, missing or conflicting. Reviewed describes the evidence check, not approval of the material.

Review one field at a time

Read the label and value together. When a table has several rows, check the relevant row, column heading and any continuation on the next page. Preserve leading zeros and suffixes in identifiers. A number that appears near a heat reference is not automatically another heat number.

Use three review outcomes: evidence found and checked, evidence missing, or evidence conflicting. “Missing” means the document did not support your entry; it does not mean the material failed a physical test. If you correct an extracted value, record why and recheck its source.

Mill test report red flags: what to check next

A red flag is a reason to investigate a particular observation. It is not proof that a certificate is fraudulent or that the material is defective. Use the checks below to identify the source of uncertainty and the evidence needed to resolve it.

Record each issue in its own checklist row, with the exact page, label and shipment line. Keep missing evidence distinct from a contradiction. If you cannot interpret the requirement or test result, assign that decision to the responsible quality or inspection professional rather than choosing a plausible answer.

• Missing continuation or unreadable evidence: if the file says “page 1 of 2” but contains one page, or a stamp obscures the relevant row, request a complete, legible original. Record what is unavailable; do not reconstruct the missing value.
• Unlinked product or heat row: if several products or heats appear in one report, identify which row supports the shipment line. A matching value elsewhere on the page does not resolve the linkage. Ask for the missing allocation evidence.
• Identifier changes between PDF and worksheet: compare characters, leading zeros and suffixes with the original before querying the supplier. For example, 008419 becoming 8419 after CSV import may be a spreadsheet conversion; Microsoft’s text-import guidance below explains how to preserve the source value.
• Conflicting document revisions: if the same certificate reference arrives with a different heat or grade, retain both files. Ask which revision applies and what changed; do not assume the newer filename explains the difference.
• Certificate type differs from the order: record the requested type and the type stated in the PDF. Refer the discrepancy to the responsible professional. LRQA’s specialist Type 3.2 process is not performed by marking checklist fields reviewed.
• A conclusion has no traceable source: if an AI suggestion or a supplier summary supplies a country or identifier that you cannot locate in the cited original, leave it unconfirmed and request the supporting statement linked to the material.

Keep shipment lines and revisions separate

For a shipment with several heat references, duplicate the comparison rows for each line and put its line number in the review reference. Do not use a match on line 1 to close a discrepancy on line 2. For example, DEMO-PO-104 / line 2 keeps the expected heat, observed heat and follow-up together when you filter for conflicting rows.

If a replacement certificate arrives, retain the earlier file and its review. Start a new review with the replacement filename and revision, identify which observations changed, and check the affected rows again. Record the responsible reviewer and date in the note. A previous reviewed status should not automatically transfer to a new source.

Resolve exceptions before handing over the record

For each unresolved field, write a specific follow-up: the expected value or statement, the certificate and shipment concerned, and the evidence needed. Keep both conflicting values visible until the supplier or responsible reviewer resolves them. Do not overwrite a conflict just to complete the spreadsheet.

The CSV template contains blank rows for the main evidence fields. Add your source references and decision notes; do not mark a row reviewed until a person has checked it. Store the finished checklist alongside the original PDF and any supplier clarification. In MeltLedger, saved snapshots and CSV/evidence JSON exports provide the same connection between an observation and its source.

Fictional worked example: three different outcomes

Common questions