NDT inspection cost in Fort Worth: Radiographic Testing rates
Field-anchored pricing guide for RT (Radiographic Testing) and the other five common NDT methods in Fort Worth, TX. Rates are quoted in USD per hour and reflect the Tier-1 labour band that applies across texas triangle markets.
F-35 program audits NDT subcontractors against DCMA standards — single-instrument cert traceability is the difference between a passing and failing audit.
Low band
$472
per hour · routine scope, full-day crew
Typical
$826
per hour · most jobs land here
High band
$1416
per hour · turnaround / night shift / rope access
Inspection-services demand across Fort Worth, TX flows out of aerospace / defense, oil & gas (barnett shale legacy), and manufacturing / heavy. The texas triangle corridor — a top-tier metro of roughly 2.9 million — concentrates 4 named industrial sites that RT crews mobilise to on a recurring cadence, with Lockheed Martin Air Force Plant 4 typically holding standing-order contractor coverage.
EN 4179 (Europe) dominates the RT order book here. Lockheed Martin AFP4 (F-35), Bell Textron, Naval Air Station JRB. Combined with Bell Textron Fort Worth's capital-asset footprint, that is what makes Fort Worth, TX a priority RT market for local providers.
Bell V-280 + V-22 — only US tilt-rotor production cluster; composite rotor + drive system UT specialty. Wages, capital-equipment depreciation, and procedure overhead all feed into the RT rate band, which clears at the regional benchmark for Level II work Procurement teams should expect aggressive negotiation on volume contracts here.
BPVC Sec V Art. 2 (RT) governs the RT examination itself. On top of that, Fort Worth, TX contractors close the procedure against TPSC §757.001, TCEQ, AS9100, FAA Part 145, NAVAIR (NAS JRB) before the first weld is shot. AMS 2644 typically appears in the customer pack for aerospace / defense market — and Lockheed Martin Air Force Plant 4 (AFP4)'s pre-qualification process re-validates that the procedure pack is current at every onboarding.
- TPSC §757.001
- TCEQ
- AS9100
- BPVC Sec V Art. 2 (RT)
- BPVC Sec VIII Div 1 UW-51
- B31.3 para 344.5
Field-anchored RT pricing in Fort Worth, TX runs $809/day at the typical Level II point, scaling to $1286/day for Level III procedural sign-off. The texas triangle demand profile, COL index 99.5, and low transport band combine into a ×1.05 multiplier on the national base ($620–$920/day). Lockheed Martin Air Force Plant 4 (AFP4) sets the high water mark — pre-qualified providers there typically collect the upper-band rate without negotiation.
| Line item | Rate | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Hourly labour (Level II) | $81–$121/hr | standard programme rate |
| Hourly labour (Level III) | $161/hr | procedure qualification + disposition |
| Day rate (Level II) | $809/day | 8 hours, ≤30 km from base |
| Equipment surcharge | $294/day | instrument + consumables |
| Mobilisation | $325/trip | low transport-surcharge band |
| Outage / night-shift uplift | +25–40% | turnaround windows and weekend work |
Effective multiplier vs national base: ×1.05 · transport surcharge band: low.
Providers covering the Fort Worth, TX market work to the cadence set by Lockheed Martin Air Force Plant 4 (AFP4) and other anchors like Bell Textron Fort Worth, Naval Air Station JRB Fort Worth. Filter the NDT Connect provider list by city to surface crews with current RT qualifications and recent named-site deliverables — three quotes inside 72 hours is the realistic SLA for routine scope.
Major regional clients served
- Lockheed Martin Air Force Plant 4 (AFP4)
- Bell Textron Fort Worth
- Naval Air Station JRB Fort Worth
- BNSF Railway (HQ)
- GM Arlington Assembly (regional)
Across Fort Worth, TX, RT is the examination aerospace / defense programmes lean on for butt-weld inspection on pipe and plate. The local case is straightforward: Lockheed Martin AFP4 (F-35), Bell Textron, Naval Air Station JRB drives a workload mix where EN 4179 (Europe) accounts for the majority of billable hours, and RT's detection envelope — particularly for the common-mode defects — is the right technical fit.
Lockheed Martin Air Force Plant 4 (AFP4) and the aerospace-defense footprint at Lockheed Martin Air Force Plant 4 set the scope language. Procedures cite BPVC Sec V Art. 2 (RT); deliverables are Radiograph (film or DICONDE digital) and a written disposition. Programme work dominates the local order book, with UT/PAUT (for laminar flaws) carried as the standard paired method for cross-coverage.
Where Fort Worth, TX departs from generic national benchmarks: Lockheed AFP4 — only F-35 final assembly site globally; F-35 NDT proc SE12 cert depth unmatched. Bell V-280 + V-22 — only US tilt-rotor production cluster; composite rotor + drive system UT specialty Recurring asset populations are the volume backbone; spot-buys cover the surge.
Credentialing in Fort Worth, TX runs through Dallas-Fort Worth ASNT Section (Level II/III), AWS Fort Worth Section (CWI/CWE), and the nearest API exam centre for pressure-equipment tickets. RT Level II takes about 720 hours of combined classroom and field experience to qualify; the credential stack — ASNT plus CWI plus API 510/570/653 where relevant — is what unlocks the aerospace / defense job classes that drive local demand.
- ASNT chapter: Dallas-Fort Worth ASNT Section
- AWS section: AWS Fort Worth Section
- API exam centre: access via nearest regional centre
How much does RT cost in Fort Worth, TX?
RT (Radiographic Testing) day-rates in Fort Worth, TX typically clear at $809/day for Level II crews, with the pricing multiplier on the national base running ×1.05 (transport surcharge band: low). Local Level II inspector wages average $81,000/year per BLS, which anchors that day-rate band. Always solicit at least three parallel quotes before committing programme spend.
Which Fort Worth, TX sites use RT most often?
Lockheed Martin Air Force Plant 4 (AFP4) and Bell Textron Fort Worth are the high-volume RT buyers in Fort Worth, TX. The aerospace-defense footprint at Lockheed Martin Air Force Plant 4 is a recurring RT mobilisation point. Pre-qualification at these gates is what unlocks the volume contracts.
What credentials do RT inspectors need to work in Fort Worth, TX?
Working RT scope in Fort Worth, TX requires ASNT Level II for the method (roughly 720 total training hours to qualify), plus Dallas-Fort Worth ASNT Section membership is common. AWS CWI is required for welding-related scope; API 510/570/653 tickets unlock pressure-equipment work. API exam logistics route through the nearest regional centre.
What aerospace / defense failure modes does RT screen for in Fort Worth, TX?
On aerospace / defense jobs in Fort Worth, TX, RT is most often called for Butt-weld inspection on pipe and plate screening. Recurring scope on EN 4179 (Europe) cycles drives the volume. The technique sits inside TPSC §757.001's acceptance framework, and local crews build inspection plans around the failure modes the aerospace / defense owners audit hardest.
How fast can a RT crew mobilise in Fort Worth, TX?
Routine RT scope in Fort Worth, TX typically picks up a certified crew within 24–72 hours of posting a request — the deep contractor base around Lockheed Martin Air Force Plant 4 (AFP4) keeps mobilisation lead times short. Outage windows and turnaround support are negotiated against rotation; post the scope to NDT Connect to receive parallel quotes from providers already pre-qualified at Fort Worth, TX sites.
What standards govern RT acceptance in Fort Worth, TX?
RT examinations in Fort Worth, TX reference BPVC Sec V Art. 2 (RT) / BPVC Sec VIII Div 1 UW-51 as the technical floor and TPSC §757.001, TCEQ for documentary compliance. Lockheed Martin Air Force Plant 4 (AFP4)'s qualification matrix layers an additional customer-specific spec on top — procedures must close on all three before the crew is cleared at the gate.
Method
Radiographic Testing
Abbreviation
RT
Labour band
Tier 1 (×1.18)
Code authority
FAA Part 145
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Request a quotePricing caveat
The numbers above are field-anchored ranges, not a quote. Actual Fort Worth rates vary with scope, accessibility, shift, and contractor utilisation. Always solicit at least three quotes before committing programme spend.
Compare RT rates in nearby cities
Verified Fort Worth, TX Inspection-Market Data
Hard numbers from BLS, EIA, AAPA, Census & API directories — anchoring this page to Fort Worth, TX's actual NDT market, not a generic template.
- Local Wage Anchor — Level II NDT Technician
- $81K/yr typical for Fort Worth, TX
- Metro Industrial Base
- 2.9M people in Within Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington MSA
- Sector Mix (NDT Demand Drivers)
- Aerospace / Defense (40%) · Oil & Gas (Barnett Shale legacy) (15%) · Manufacturing / Heavy (15%)
- Active API-Certified Inspectors (regional)
- ~80 API 510 · ~140 API 570 · ~90 API 653
- ASNT Chapter / Community
- Dallas-Fort Worth ASNT Section
- Cost-of-Living Impact on Rate Cards
- COL index 99.5 (0.5 pts below national avg) · transport surcharge band: low
Source: BLS OES May 2024 (Fort Worth subset of DFW MSA)
Source: US Census ACS 2023
Source: BEA Regional Accounts 2023
Source: API ICP roster + state directories (est.)
Source: ASNT chapter directory
Source: C2ER ACCRA COL Index 2024
Continue Reading — In-Depth Guides
Authored by ASNT Level III inspectors. Real procedures, real numbers, real codes.
- Radiographic Testing — Complete GuideSources, exposure, IQIs, ASME V, digital RT.
- Radiographic Testing MethodMethod-level overview, sources, films, sensors.
- How to Interpret Radiograph Weld DefectsIdentify slag, porosity, LOF on RT film.
- NDT Inspector Salary Guide [2026]US pay by certification level, method & industry — and how to earn more.
- NDT Inspection Cost Index [2026]US inspection rates by method & region, and what moves the price.
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