What goes in a Manufacturing Record Book?

In manufacturing, an MRB — Manufacturing Record Book — is the compiled set of quality records that travels with a fabricated item to its buyer: material certificates, welding and NDT records, test reports, dimensional and coating reports, and the certificates of conformity, organised into numbered chapters behind an agreed index. It is not a form or a single document but a book, assembled during fabrication and handed over — and usually approved — before shipment or final payment. The term is standard in oil & gas, pressure equipment, piping and structural steel; European projects often say MDB (Manufacturing Data Book) for the same deliverable.

A Manufacturing Record Book exists to answer one question for the client and the regulator: can we prove this was built correctly? Every document inside it is a piece of that proof. If a document is missing, the proof has a hole — and a reviewer or third-party inspector (TPI) will reject the book until the hole is filled.

This is why "what goes in an MRB" is not a trivia question. The contents list is effectively a contract: it is agreed with the client at project kickoff as an MRB index, and every item on it must be collected, classified and accepted before handover. For the conceptual background — what an MRB is and how it relates to an MDB, VDB or quality dossier — see our pillar guide What is a Manufacturing Data Book? This article is the practical, document-by-document checklist.

Although every contract differs, almost every MRB follows the same chapter order — broadly the sequence in which fabrication and inspection happen. The table below is the canonical structure.

The remaining sections walk through each chapter and what makes a document acceptable rather than merely present.

The opening chapter sets up the book and ties it to the contract. It typically contains the cover page, the master table of contents, the approved MRB index, transmittal sheets, the purchase order and project specifications, the inspection & test plan (ITP), and the document revision register. This chapter is small in page count but critical: it is where a reviewer checks that the book's structure matches what was agreed.

The materials chapter is usually the largest. Every pressure- and load-bearing component must trace back to a mill test certificate — normally an EN 10204 3.1 or 3.2 certificate carrying the heat number, chemical analysis and mechanical properties. The acceptance test here is traceability: every heat number on a certificate must be linkable to a physical item, and every item must have a certificate. A break in that chain is the most common reason a materials chapter is rejected.

The welding chapter proves that every joint was made by a qualified welder following a qualified procedure. It contains the Welding Procedure Specifications (WPS), the Procedure Qualification Records (PQR) that back them, the welder qualification records (WPQ), and a weld map or weld register linking each joint to a welder and a procedure. The relationship between these three documents trips up a lot of people — we break it down in WPS vs PQR vs WPQ explained.

Non-destructive testing reports prove the welds and materials are free of unacceptable defects. Depending on the code and the joint, this chapter holds radiographic (RT), ultrasonic (UT), liquid penetrant (PT), magnetic particle (MT) and visual (VT) reports, plus supporting examinations such as PMI and hardness. Each report must reference the weld or item, the procedure, the technician's certification level and the acceptance standard — see NDT reports in a data book for what makes each one valid.

The testing chapter contains the proof that the item performs as required: hydrostatic or pneumatic pressure test certificates, leak tests, and factory acceptance test (FAT) reports — often witnessed and counter-signed by the client or a TPI. The heat-treatment chapter holds post-weld heat treatment (PWHT) charts and furnace records, with time-temperature traces proving the cycle met the procedure. The dimensional chapter holds as-built dimensional reports and survey records confirming the item was built to tolerance.

The coating chapter documents surface preparation, dry film thickness (DFT) readings, and adhesion tests. The drawings chapter holds the final as-built drawings, isometrics and general arrangements in their approved revision. The final chapter — the certificates of conformity — is the legal close-out: the Declaration of Conformity, the PED or ASME certificate, CE marking documentation where applicable, and the third-party inspection release note. This is the chapter that formally states the deliverable conforms.

One reason MRBs run late is that no single party produces all the content. Material certificates come from suppliers; welding and test records from the fabricator; NDT from a subcontracted house; heat-treatment charts from the furnace operator; drawings from engineering; and the conformity certificates from the fabricator and TPI together. The document controller owns the hard part: collecting all of it and reconciling it against the index.

In practice this means a lot of chasing — emailing suppliers for missing certificates, reconciling what was promised against what arrived. That collection problem is where most of the calendar time goes; we cover how to make it a visible, self-reminding workflow in how to collect supplier documents. For a free starting structure, the MDB / MRB template gives you the chapter dividers ready to fill.