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.

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.

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 review example

Common questions