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Which certifications does a manufacturer need?
Most manufacturers start with ISO 9001, the base quality system nearly every OEM asks for, at about $8,000–$25,000 and 3–6 months for a small shop. Sector standards build on it: IATF 16949 for automotive, AS9100 for aerospace, ISO 13485 for medical devices. Defense work adds ITAR registration and, for controlled drawings, CMMC.
What does it take to sell into a new market?
Pick the markets you want. The path lists what their buyers require or commonly ask for, in the order to get it.
Markets you want to sell into
- 1
ISO 9001
Often askedThe base quality management system standard. Most OEM supplier manuals ask for it, and every sector standard below builds on it.
- Typical cost
- $8k–$25k first year
- Typical time
- 3–6 months, then the audit
- Needs
- Documented processes, calibrated gauges, controlled drawings, internal audits and a management review.
- 2
IATF 16949
RequiredThe automotive quality standard, ISO 9001 plus automotive requirements: APQP, PPAP, FMEA, control plans, MSA and SPC.
- Typical cost
- $20k–$50k+
- Typical time
- 6–12 months
- Needs
- An automotive customer or RFQ to be eligible, and records from running the system before the certification audit.
- 3
ISO 14001
Often askedThe environmental management standard. Rarely a hard requirement for parts, increasingly asked for by large OEMs and in automotive supplier manuals.
- Typical cost
- $8k–$20k first year
- Typical time
- 4–8 months
- Needs
- An environmental aspects register, legal compliance tracking and objectives. It runs well alongside ISO 9001.
Ranges are typical for shops under about 100 people. Registrar quotes, consultants and the state of your current system move them.
How do the certifications compare?
Typical for a shop under about 100 people.
CertificateTypical costTypical time
ISO 9001
Typical cost$8k–$25k first year
Typical time3–6 months, then the audit
IATF 16949
Typical cost$20k–$50k+
Typical time6–12 months
AS9100
Typical cost$10k–$50k over the 3-year cycle
Typical time6–12 months for a small shop
ISO 13485
Typical cost$15k–$40k
Typical time6–12 months
ITAR registration
Typical costFrom $3,000 a year in DDTC fees
Typical timeWeeks to a few months
CMMC Level 2
Typical cost$34k–$112k to implement, then $10k–$30k a year
Typical time12–18 months
Nadcap
Typical costAudit fees per process, plus the work to meet each checklist
Typical time6–12 months per process
ISO 14001
Typical cost$8k–$20k first year
Typical time4–8 months
What should a shop do before hiring a registrar?
The work that makes an audit a formality.
- Get a customer reason. A certificate nobody asks for is overhead; one a target customer requires is a door.
- Calibrate and label every gauge used for acceptance, with records.
- Control drawings and revisions, so the floor never runs an old one.
- Write down how work is quoted, received, made, inspected and shipped. Short procedures people follow beat long ones nobody reads.
- Run the system for a few months before the audit. Registrars audit records, not intentions.
- Get quotes from two or three accredited registrars. Day rates and audit days differ.
Questions about certification
Can I get RFQs without ISO 9001?
Yes, for many general industrial parts. Buyers then look for a documented quality system: calibrated gauges, controlled drawings, inspection records. Programs that require a certificate won't route to you until you hold it.
Should I get ISO 9001 before IATF 16949 or AS9100?
You don't have to certify to ISO 9001 first, but you build all of it either way, because both sector standards contain it. Many shops certify to ISO 9001, run it a year, then upgrade.
Is ITAR registration a certification?
No. It is a registration with the State Department's Directorate of Defense Trade Controls, required to manufacture defense articles. It comes with real obligations for controlling technical data and who can see it.
Does SSG hold these certifications?
No. SSG is a representation firm. It matches each program with principals that hold the certificates that program requires, and asks for current certificates before routing.
Get RFQs matched to your shop
Apply with your processes, materials, certifications and open capacity. SSG routes matching RFQs to you with drawings and a DFM check attached, and is paid only as commission on orders you invoice.