NDT inspection cost in Lafayette: Radiographic Testing rates
Field-anchored pricing guide for RT (Radiographic Testing) and the other five common NDT methods in Lafayette, LA. Rates are quoted in USD per hour and reflect the Tier-2 labour band that applies across gulf coast markets.
Lafayette is the staging gate for every Gulf of Mexico subsea job — equipment that misses a calibration window on a Friday loses its slot on Monday's offshore boat.
Low band
$400
per hour · routine scope, full-day crew
Typical
$700
per hour · most jobs land here
High band
$1200
per hour · turnaround / night shift / rope access
Inspection-services demand across Lafayette, LA flows out of offshore oil & gas services, helicopter & marine, and pipeline. The gulf coast corridor — a compact metro of around 489K residents — concentrates 3 named industrial sites that RT crews mobilise to on a recurring cadence, with Gulf of Mexico offshore (regional) typically holding standing-order contractor coverage.
Wellhead pressure test dominates the RT order book here. Gulf of Mexico offshore operations base. Combined with Schlumberger's capital-asset footprint, that is what makes Lafayette, LA a core RT market for local providers.
BSEE NDT regulations specifically for offshore — distinct from API 510/570/653. 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 measured negotiation on volume contracts here.
BPVC Sec V Art. 2 (RT) governs the RT examination itself. On top of that, Lafayette, LA contractors close the procedure against LDEQ, BSEE/BOEM offshore regs, API 510/570/653, ASME before the first weld is shot. API RP 7G-2 typically appears in the customer pack for offshore oil & gas services market — and Halliburton's pre-qualification process re-validates that the procedure pack is current at every onboarding.
- LDEQ
- BSEE/BOEM offshore regs
- API 510/570/653
- BPVC Sec V Art. 2 (RT)
- BPVC Sec VIII Div 1 UW-51
- B31.3 para 344.5
Field-anchored RT pricing in Lafayette, LA runs $809/day at the typical Level II point, scaling to $1286/day for Level III procedural sign-off. The gulf coast demand profile, COL index 86, and medium transport band combine into a ×1.05 multiplier on the national base ($620–$920/day). Halliburton 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 | $525/trip | medium transport-surcharge band |
| Outage / night-shift uplift | +25–40% | turnaround windows and weekend work |
Effective multiplier vs national base: ×1.05 · transport surcharge band: medium.
Providers covering the Lafayette, LA market work to the cadence set by Halliburton and other anchors like Schlumberger, Baker Hughes. 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
- Halliburton
- Schlumberger
- Baker Hughes
- Stone Energy
- Hilcorp
Across Lafayette, LA, RT is the examination offshore oil & gas services programmes lean on for aerospace casting and forging inspection. The local case is straightforward: Gulf of Mexico offshore operations base drives a workload mix where wellhead pressure test accounts for the majority of billable hours, and RT's detection envelope — particularly for galling on tool joints — is the right technical fit.
Halliburton and the offshore footprint at Gulf of Mexico offshore (regional) set the scope language. Procedures cite BPVC Sec V Art. 2 (RT); deliverables are Radiograph (film or DICONDE digital) and a written disposition. Rig-up integrity verification dominates the local order book, with UT/PAUT (for laminar flaws) carried as the standard paired method for cross-coverage.
Where Lafayette, LA departs from generic national benchmarks: Lafayette is Gulf of Mexico offshore operations capital — helicopter ops to platforms. BSEE NDT regulations specifically for offshore — distinct from API 510/570/653 Recurring casing string populations are the volume backbone; spot-buys cover the surge.
Credentialing in Lafayette, LA runs through Lafayette ASNT (Level II/III), AWS Lafayette (CWI/CWE), and a local 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 offshore oil & gas services job classes that drive local demand.
- ASNT chapter: Lafayette ASNT
- AWS section: AWS Lafayette
- API exam centre: hosted locally
How much does RT cost in Lafayette, LA?
RT (Radiographic Testing) day-rates in Lafayette, LA typically clear at $809/day for Level II crews, with the pricing multiplier on the national base running ×1.05 (transport surcharge band: medium). Local Level II inspector wages average $80,000/year per BLS, which anchors that day-rate band. Always solicit at least three parallel quotes before committing programme spend.
Which Lafayette, LA sites use RT most often?
Halliburton and Schlumberger are the high-volume RT buyers in Lafayette, LA. The offshore footprint at Gulf of Mexico offshore (regional) 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 Lafayette, LA?
Working RT scope in Lafayette, LA requires ASNT Level II for the method (roughly 720 total training hours to qualify), plus Lafayette ASNT membership is common. AWS CWI is required for welding-related scope; API 510/570/653 tickets unlock pressure-equipment work. An API exam centre is hosted in Lafayette, LA itself.
What offshore oil & gas services failure modes does RT screen for in Lafayette, LA?
On offshore oil & gas services jobs in Lafayette, LA, RT is most often called for sulfide stress cracking screening. Recurring scope on wellhead pressure test cycles drives the volume. The technique sits inside LDEQ's acceptance framework, and local crews build inspection plans around the failure modes the offshore oil & gas services owners audit hardest.
How fast can a RT crew mobilise in Lafayette, LA?
Routine RT scope in Lafayette, LA typically picks up a certified crew within 24–72 hours of posting a request — the established contractor base around Halliburton 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 Lafayette, LA sites.
What standards govern RT acceptance in Lafayette, LA?
RT examinations in Lafayette, LA reference BPVC Sec V Art. 2 (RT) / BPVC Sec VIII Div 1 UW-51 as the technical floor and LDEQ, BSEE/BOEM offshore regs for documentary compliance. Halliburton'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 2 (×1.00)
Code authority
API 6A / 17D for subsea
Get a quote
Post a RT scope and receive parallel quotes from certified Lafayette providers.
Request a quotePricing caveat
The numbers above are field-anchored ranges, not a quote. Actual Lafayette 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 Lafayette, LA Inspection-Market Data
Hard numbers from BLS, EIA, AAPA, Census & API directories — anchoring this page to Lafayette, LA's actual NDT market, not a generic template.
- Local Wage Anchor — Level II NDT Technician
- $80K/yr typical for Lafayette, LA
- Metro Industrial Base
- 489K people in Lafayette, LA
- Sector Mix (NDT Demand Drivers)
- Offshore Oil & Gas Services (50%) · Helicopter & Marine (20%) · Pipeline (15%)
- Active API-Certified Inspectors (regional)
- ~70 API 510 · ~90 API 570 · ~40 API 653
- ASNT Chapter / Community
- Lafayette ASNT
- Cost-of-Living Impact on Rate Cards
- COL index 86.0 (14.0 pts below national avg) · transport surcharge band: medium
Source: BLS OES Lafayette MSA 2024
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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