Non-Destructive Testing Report Template and Free PDF

When considering the test technique to inspect the quality and performance of a component, there are two most common approaches, it can either be done through destructive testing or non-destructive testing. What’s the difference?

Destructive Testing (DT) is a classical mechanical test technique that requires damaging the material, sometimes until failure, to evaluate its strength or performance. Some examples are fatigue tests, corrosion tests, hardness tests, or tensile tests. These are typically used in industries like construction, automotive, and manufacturing. This method is particularly useful in material development or for performing quality failure analysis, such as in manufacturing, to evaluate why a material failed and to repeat the failure to identify its vulnerabilities or stresses.

However, Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) is preferred by more industries that do not want to damage their materials or compromise the material's integrity, and it can be very efficient because it doesn’t require a long process of preparation, and the inspection is straightforward.

NDTs are classified in different main types which are:

• Visual Testing or Inspection
• Surface Level Testing
• Volumetric Testing Methods

Visual Testing is considered the most basic form of NDT, as the inspector only needs to inspect at a macroscopic level through direct visual observation of a component or material. This can also be considered an example of surface level testing.

Surface Level Testing is essentially a superficial method where defects are detected on the surface or subsurface of the object. Examples of these are visual inspection, dye penetrant, magnetic particle, eddy current, and ultrasonic testing.

Volumetric Testing is when inspection is conducted within the volume of the inspected object, such as ultrasonic testing focusing on longitudinal waves, radiography, and thermography. (Ahmed Amine Daikh, 2025)

The testing method to choose would depend on the purpose of the inspection, whether it is to improve production efficiency or through failure analysis and material development. Both methods offer their own merits, and they should always align with the company’s goals.

As soon as the inspection method is chosen, the best way to go is to make use of effective quality management software that would help in the documentation of either destructive testing or non-destructive testing reports to ensure that the results are accurately recorded and easily accessible for future reference or analysis.