Fasteners & Metals
Program Overview
The CTS Fasteners & Metals Program helps participants quickly and reliably monitor their performance, saving valuable time for production schedules and business operations without compromising quality standards. Established as the Metals Collaborative Reference Program in the 1980s as standards for testing and accreditation in the metals industry were in their infancy, our program both grew and shaped the changing industry landscape with input from the American Association of Laboratory Accreditation (A2LA), as well as the National Institute of Science and Technology (NIST) and the National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program (NVLAP); today, over 600 laboratories worldwide trust us as a partner in maintaining metals accreditation requirements and quality standards.
Program Resources
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Program Schedule
A condensed schedule of testing by quarter.
Shop Tests
Enrollment Schedule
Our Fasteners & Metals program is conducted on a quarterly basis, with laboratories participating in one or two testing cycles depending on the enrollment date and the tests' stated frequency. Enrollment deadlines and frequencies are included with individual test descriptions.
Enroll Between July 25 – December 1 (Quarters 1 & 3)
Enroll Between July 25 – March 1 (Quarters 2 & 4)
Enroll Between December 2 – June 1 (Quarter 3)
Enroll Between March 2 – July 24 (Quarter 4)
Testing Schedule by Quarter
Dimensional Tests
Impact Tests
Tensile Properties Tests
Fasteners Tests
Hardness Tests
Metallography Tests
Chemical Analysis Tests
*While CTS will make every effort to adhere to the published program schedules, all dates provided are tentative and are subject to change.