Case Study: Avoiding a 26-Week Delay with Stocked DFARS Screws

Posted: December 16, 2025 | Author: | Filed under: DFARS, Domestic Fasteners, keensert, key-locking inserts, Mil-Spec Fasteners, Socket Head Cap Screw, Socket Products | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A Buyer’s Case Study on Compliance + Speed

If you sell into the defense or aerospace industry, “finding a screw” is never just finding a screw. The part has to be dimensionally and chemically correct and compliant, with the documentation to prove it. 

This is where many procurement teams get stuck: the hardware exists, but the paper trail doesn’t… or the lead time blows up the schedule. 

The MF Supply Value Proposition

If you have a commercial part on a BOM that now needs DFARS / Buy American + documentation, MF Supply helps you do one of two things: 

  1. Convert the requirement into the correct Mil-Spec / spec-controlled equivalent (form/fit/function + compliance + paperwork). 
  1. Source or produce a DFARS-compliant version of a commercial catalog part with shorter lead times and with the right cert package. 

You get the part you need, on time, with the compliance paperwork you need without playing supplier roulette.

What DFARS/Buy American Actually Means for Fasteners 

For fasteners made from specialty metals (including many stainless and high-alloy steels), DFARS requires qualifying melt/manufacture origin. But the “gotcha” is simple:  If you can’t document it, it doesn’t count. 

Typical documentation packages include: 

  • Manufacturer Certificate of Conformance (COC) 
  • Country-of-origin / DFARs specialty metal compliance statements 
  • Material Test Reports (MTRs)

Visit the DPC website, section 252.225, to keep up to date with DFARs requirements, which were updated January 2023. Click here and scroll to 7009 for more information: 252.225-7000 Buy American Act – Balance of Payments Program Certificate.

The Challenge: Compliant Part, Short Lead Time, Complete Documentation

Many “available” fasteners on the market are: 

  • Not DFARS compliant
  • Not available with COC/MTR 
  • Not stocked (or stocked without the right chain-of-custody), leading to long lead times  

The Situation: “We Need It Now… and It Needs To Pass Audit.”

A manufacturer supporting a defense aerospace assembly needed a 10-32 x 3/4 socket head cap screw in 300-series stainless. The Bill of Materials (BOM) required: 

  • DFARS-compliant specialty metal
  • Manufacturer COC  
  • MTRs / test reports 
  • Documented material origin 

Their incumbent supplier quoted 26–30 weeks. That was a hard no. 

The Solution: Cross-Reference to an In-Stock Mil-Spec Option (With Paperwork)

The buyer searched for DFARS-compliant 10-32 x 3/4 socket head cap screws in stainless steel and landed on MF Supply’s product page for: NAS1351C3-12 (10-32 x 3/4) Mil-Spec socket head cap screw, stainless, DFARS 

MF Supply worked with the buyer to: 

  • Confirm the correct spec-controlled requirement  
  • Pull active inventory from a qualified supply chain 
  • Provide COC + MTR documentation 
  • Confirm DFARS specialty metal origin with documentation

The result 

  • 26+ week production delay avoided 
  • Compliance risk eliminated 
  • Audit-ready paperwork shipped with the order 

When Cross-Referencing Helps (And When It Doesn’t)

Cross-referencing can reduce lead times and risk when it’s validated upfront: 

  • Form/fit/function confirmed 
  • Spec requirements verified (AN/MS/NAS/NASM, etc.) 
  • Documentation requirements confirmed (COC, MTR, COO/DFARS statements) 

Substitution only works when the part and the paperwork both match the requirement. 

Buyer Takeaway: In-Stock + Paperwork=Shorter Lead Times, No Surprises

If your customer needs DFARS / Buy American compliance, always ask: 

  • Can you provide a COC?
  • Can you provide DFARS specialty metal documentation?  
  • Is material origin documented? 
  • Is it in stock, or are you quoting a 20–30 week lead time? 

At MF Supply, inventory is backed by documentation, so you don’t have to choose between speed and compliance. 

Need DFARS-compliant screws fast and with paperwork? 

Send your part number, drawing, or BOM requirements. We’ll confirm the right spec, validate compliance, and quote the fastest safe path. 

And yes, “finding the right screw for you” isn’t just our tagline. It’s our favorite sport. 

Related:  

Book a one-on-one consultation with our President, Robin, to discuss how MF Supply can help you solve your Industrial Sourcing, Fastener, and Safety concerns.

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Here are 5 reasons to buy from MF Supply

  • We Source and Deliver What Others Can’t, Faster Than You Imagined – With speedy solutions for elusive parts and lengthy delivery times – We’ve got you covered with both custom-made specials (send us your prints!) and hard-to-source options, quickly and at a fair price.
  • Cost-Effective Functional Equivalents to OEM Brand Fasteners-Why Pay More? – Reduce lead times and costs with the same quality and same performance.  Try us for alternatives to brands like McMaster-Carr, MSC, Misumi, PEM, and RAF and experience unmatched savings! Same form, fit and function for less.  
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MF Supply is a WBE/WOSB certified supply chain partner to business, industry and government.  We are sourcing experts and stocking distributors of Hardware, Precision & Mil-Spec Fasteners and Safety supplies.  For more than 50 years, we have been supplying manufacturers in the electronics, industrial, commercial, aerospace and military markets with the full range of fastener products and services.  Our Cage Code is 58QG4 and our registered name is RL Supply Inc dba MF Supply.