NDT inspection cost in Oklahoma City: Radiographic Testing rates
Field-anchored pricing guide for RT (Radiographic Testing) and the other five common NDT methods in Oklahoma City, OK. Rates are quoted in USD per hour and reflect the Tier-1 labour band that applies across mid continent markets.
Pipeline operators in the OK midstream require API 570 calibration traceability on every UT thickness gauge — losing the audit trail loses the contract.
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
Oklahoma City, OK hosts a mature NDT contractor ecosystem built around oil & gas upstream and aerospace / defense. Tinker AFB / OC-ALC, Boeing Oklahoma City, and the wider mid continent operator pool route RT scope through pre-qualified providers — losing a Level II credential here costs real money on outage windows.
SCOOP/STACK plays; Devon, Continental Resources HQs. That industrial substrate is what places Oklahoma City, OK on the short list for RT programme contracts: frac stack cadence, ODEQ oversight, and the aerospace-depot footprint at Tinker AFB / Oklahoma City Air Logistics Complex all push the RT day-rate above generic regional benchmarks.
Spring TAR (Mar-May) brings the seasonal peak — expect crew rotation to tighten and spot-buy premiums to land at the upper bound of the published rate band. Tinker AFB depot — only US heavy-bomber depot, requires DoD-cleared NDT inspectors for B-1, B-52, B-2 fleets
ODEQ sets the documentary depth RT reports must reach in Oklahoma City, OK — and OK Boiler Code 40 O.S. 141.1 layers a second audit trail on top. The method-level reference is BPVC Sec V Art. 2 (RT); industry-side, API 5DP is the standard that owners cite in the bid pack. Procedures must demonstrate currency on both before the crew is cleared at gates like Tinker AFB / OC-ALC.
- ODEQ
- OK Boiler Code 40 O.S. 141.1
- PHMSA
- BPVC Sec V Art. 2 (RT)
- BPVC Sec VIII Div 1 UW-51
- B31.3 para 344.5
A typical RT bid in Oklahoma City, OK lands at $739/day for Level II work and roughly $1176/day for Level III sign-off authority. Mobilisation surcharge runs low (band-L), with COL index 88.5 feeding the labour line. Tinker AFB / OC-ALC programme contracts trade volume against rate; spot-buys pay the 10–20% premium. The full multiplier resolves at ×0.96 once transport and demand-density are layered in.
| Line item | Rate | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Hourly labour (Level II) | $74–$110/hr | standard programme rate |
| Hourly labour (Level III) | $147/hr | procedure qualification + disposition |
| Day rate (Level II) | $739/day | 8 hours, ≤30 km from base |
| Equipment surcharge | $269/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: ×0.96 · transport surcharge band: low.
The Oklahoma City, OK RT contractor base is sized to recurring demand from Tinker AFB / OC-ALC, Boeing Oklahoma City, Devon Energy (HQ). Provider listings on NDT Connect include current ASNT certification level, instrument calibration status, and named-site experience — replacing the email-and-spreadsheet pre-qualification dance most procurement teams still run for new vendors.
Major regional clients served
- Tinker AFB / OC-ALC
- Boeing Oklahoma City
- Devon Energy (HQ)
- Continental Resources (HQ)
- Chesapeake Energy (HQ)
For the oil & gas upstream operators that dominate the Oklahoma City, OK industrial base, RT is the workhorse for aerospace casting and forging inspection. SCOOP/STACK plays; Devon, Continental Resources HQs means the scope is dense, repeatable, and tightly specified — with wellhead populations driving the recurring volume.
Local crews run RT packages calibrated for galling on tool joints, deliver Radiograph (film or DICONDE digital), and close the disposition against ODEQ. Rig-up integrity verification accounts for the bulk of billable hours; frac stack cycles drive the seasonal peaks. BPVC Sec V Art. 2 (RT) sign-off authority is the contractor capability that consistently wins the bid here.
Cushing OK — settlement point for NYMEX WTI crude futures; 90M+ barrels of storage requires constant API 653 floor scanning. Tinker AFB / OC-ALC pre-qualifications are the gatekeeper — crews who already hold them win the volume work; new entrants run the onboarding gauntlet first. Tinker AFB depot — only US heavy-bomber depot, requires DoD-cleared NDT inspectors for B-1, B-52, B-2 fleets
Inspectors qualifying into the Oklahoma City, OK RT market route through Oklahoma City ASNT Section for ASNT Level II/III certification under SNT-TC-1A or CP-189. Total Level II training time for RT runs roughly 720 hours including classroom and on-the-job experience. Welding-related credentials route through AWS Oklahoma City Section for AWS CWI exam access; the city hosts an API exam centre for 510/570/653 testing. Prerequisite per ASNT: radiation safety training.
- ASNT chapter: Oklahoma City ASNT Section
- AWS section: AWS Oklahoma City Section
- API exam centre: hosted locally
How much does RT cost in Oklahoma City, OK?
RT (Radiographic Testing) day-rates in Oklahoma City, OK typically clear at $739/day for Level II crews, with the pricing multiplier on the national base running ×0.96 (transport surcharge band: low). Local Level II inspector wages average $75,000/year per BLS, which anchors that day-rate band. Always solicit at least three parallel quotes before committing programme spend.
Which Oklahoma City, OK sites use RT most often?
Tinker AFB / OC-ALC and Boeing Oklahoma City are the high-volume RT buyers in Oklahoma City, OK. The aerospace-depot footprint at Tinker AFB / Oklahoma City Air Logistics Complex 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 Oklahoma City, OK?
Working RT scope in Oklahoma City, OK requires ASNT Level II for the method (roughly 720 total training hours to qualify), plus Oklahoma City ASNT Section 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 Oklahoma City, OK itself.
What oil & gas upstream failure modes does RT screen for in Oklahoma City, OK?
On oil & gas upstream jobs in Oklahoma City, OK, RT is most often called for sulfide stress cracking screening. Recurring scope on frac stack cycles drives the volume. The technique sits inside ODEQ's acceptance framework, and local crews build inspection plans around the failure modes the oil & gas upstream owners audit hardest.
How fast can a RT crew mobilise in Oklahoma City, OK?
Routine RT scope in Oklahoma City, OK typically picks up a certified crew within 24–72 hours of posting a request — the deep contractor base around Tinker AFB / OC-ALC 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 Oklahoma City, OK sites.
What standards govern RT acceptance in Oklahoma City, OK?
RT examinations in Oklahoma City, OK reference BPVC Sec V Art. 2 (RT) / BPVC Sec VIII Div 1 UW-51 as the technical floor and ODEQ, OK Boiler Code 40 O.S. 141.1 for documentary compliance. Tinker AFB / OC-ALC'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
API 570
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Post a RT scope and receive parallel quotes from certified Oklahoma City providers.
Request a quotePricing caveat
The numbers above are field-anchored ranges, not a quote. Actual Oklahoma City 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 Oklahoma City, OK Inspection-Market Data
Hard numbers from BLS, EIA, AAPA, Census & API directories — anchoring this page to Oklahoma City, OK's actual NDT market, not a generic template.
- Local Wage Anchor — Level II NDT Technician
- $75K/yr typical for Oklahoma City, OK
- Metro Industrial Base
- 1.5M people in Oklahoma City MSA
- Sector Mix (NDT Demand Drivers)
- Oil & Gas Upstream (28%) · Aerospace / Defense (22%) · Pipelines / Midstream (15%)
- Active API-Certified Inspectors (regional)
- ~220 API 510 · ~340 API 570 · ~480 API 653
- ASNT Chapter / Community
- Oklahoma City ASNT Section
- Cost-of-Living Impact on Rate Cards
- COL index 88.5 (11.5 pts below national avg) · transport surcharge band: low
Source: BLS OES May 2024 Oklahoma City 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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