Liquid Penetrant Testing (PT) Requirements Under Nadcap NDT / AC7114
Consumables are batch-controlled: certificates for each batch, contamination checks, and the sulphur and halogen limits where the material demands it. Nadcap NDT / AC7114, enforced by Performance Review Institute (PRI), a not-for-profit affiliate of SAE International, administering Nadcap.: Employer-based. AC7114 audits the supplier's own written practice built to AIA/NAS 410 (EN 4179 in Europe); PRI certifies no individuals.
An auditor examining PT asks for penetrant, developer, cleaner and emulsifier batch records, plus the light meters for the inspection environment. AC7114 is the base checklist of the Nadcap NDT programme, and it audits the NDT quality system rather than any one method. It covers customer requirement flowdown and the sequencing of NDT operations, procurement control over sub-tier calibration and cleaning/etching facilities, an annual internal NDT audit, control and traceability of inspection status identifiers, inspection and traveller records, and calibration including interval extension. Section 5 audits people: the written practice, certification packages, vision records, the Responsible Level 3, outside Level 3 agencies and training course outlines. AC7114 is never used alone — every accredited method adds a slash sheet, and each prime may add a supplemental question set. The general quality system is covered by AS9100/EN9100, AC7004, or ISO/IEC 17025 for test houses.
Source: AC7114 Rev L (Issued 1997-07, Revised 21-SEP-2017, superseding Rev K, to be used on audits starting on or after 31-DEC-2017) read in full for question numbering and Compliance Assessment Guidance. Current revisions confirmed from PRI-issued Nadcap NDT certificates and Scopes of Accreditation: AC7114 Rev S (audits on/after 19-May-2024) and AC7114S Rev R (on/after 10-Nov-2024) on 2025-dated certificates; AC7114 Rev R and AC7114S Rev Q on a certificate expiring 31 May 2026; AC7114 Rev P and AC7114S Rev O on a certificate expiring 31 May 2023. PRI Nadcap FAQ (accreditation length wording) and Getting Started pages, accessed 21 Aug 2026.
| Item | What applies | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Regime | Nadcap Audit Criteria for NonDestructive Testing (NDT) Auditees Accreditation Program — AC7114 | Enforced by Performance Review Institute (PRI), a not-for-profit affiliate of SAE International, administering Nadcap on behalf of the Nadcap NDT Task Group and its subscribing primes |
| Method | Liquid Penetrant Testing (PT) | Needs its own procedure and its own qualified personnel |
| Procedure approval | The employer's Level III, qualified in this method | The signature an auditor traces |
| Other methods in scope | MT, UT, RT (film), ET, Digital radiography (DDA) and computed radiography (CR), Remote image and film viewing | Each needs separate qualification |
| Renewal | Initial accreditation is 12 months. PRI states it can be extended to 18 months based on audit performance after three audits, and to 24 months after five audits, under the Supplier Merit Program. Both lengths appear on real certificates: an 18-month accreditation expiring 31 May 2023 and a 24-month accreditation expiring 31 May 2026 and 28 February 2027. Major NCRs, non-sustaining corrective actions and accumulated delinquency days cost a site its merit interval. | Applies to the personnel certification behind this method |
Does Nadcap NDT / AC7114 require a separate procedure for PT?
Yes. Every method in scope needs its own written procedure, approved by someone qualified in that method, describing technique, equipment, calibration, scanning or coverage, acceptance criteria and reporting. A single combined "NDT procedure" covering several methods is a finding under every regime that names procedures individually.
Who can approve a PT procedure under Nadcap NDT / AC7114?
A Level III qualified in PT. Because Nadcap NDT / AC7114 accepts employer-based certification, that Level III may be contracted rather than employed — but their own qualification must cover PT, and an auditor will check that before accepting the signature.
What PT records does a Nadcap NDT / AC7114 audit sample?
The approved procedure, the technician's PT certification on the date of work, and the equipment evidence — penetrant, developer, cleaner and emulsifier batch records, plus the light meters for the inspection environment. The auditor works backwards from a finished job, so every item has to reconcile with the report and its stated acceptance criteria.
What is the most common PT finding at audit?
Batch certificates missing for consumables used, or dwell time not recorded. It is a records failure rather than a technique failure — the examination was performed correctly and the evidence supporting it cannot be produced, which under Nadcap NDT / AC7114 is recorded the same way as not having done the work.
Can a technician certified elsewhere perform PT under Nadcap NDT / AC7114?
Not automatically. Employer-based certification ends when the holder leaves, so the new employer must certify them under its own written practice. Prior training and documented experience transfer as evidence; the certificate itself does not.
What equipment evidence does PT need under Nadcap NDT / AC7114?
Calibration status traceable to the day of use, covering the instrument and its accessories — probes, cables, blocks and reference standards for ultrasonics; sources and densitometers for radiography. An in-calibration instrument with an out-of-calibration reference block fails the same way as an uncalibrated one.
How do PT requirements differ from the other methods in Nadcap NDT / AC7114?
Scope, qualification and evidence are method-specific, so the differences are real rather than administrative. Nadcap NDT / AC7114 also covers MT, UT, RT (film), ET, Digital radiography (DDA) and computed radiography (CR), and each carries its own procedure, its own personnel qualification and its own equipment evidence.
Personnel certification for PT
Employer-based. AC7114 audits the supplier's own written practice built to AIA/NAS 410 (EN 4179 in Europe); PRI certifies no individuals. Crucially the checklist explicitly contemplates an outsourced Level 3. Question 5.5.1 lets the employer designate either an Internal or an External Responsible Level 3 — a corporate Level 3 not stationed at the site counts as external. 5.5.2 requires every audited method to be covered by a Level 3, internal or external. 5.5.3 asks whether outside agencies provide Level 3 services and 5.5.4 requires documentation on file proving that outside Level 3 is certified to NAS 410/EN 4179. The employer, not the contractor, still signs the certifications.
Related: the Nadcap NDT / AC7114 overview, outsourced ASNT Level III cover, written practice development, NDT procedure development, a programme gap assessment, interim Level III cover.