"Do you have DFARS compliant fittings?" When a buyer on a military or defense job asks me that, the honest answer starts with a few questions of my own. DFARS is easy to say and easy to get wrong on a purchase order. After 20 years in the instrumentation valve and fitting business, here's what I want every buyer and tech to know before they order tube fittings and tubing for a government job.
What "DFARS Compliant" Means for Fittings and Tubing
DFARS is the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement, the Department of Defense's add-on to the federal buying rules. For our world, the part that matters is the specialty metals clause, usually DFARS 252.225-7009. In plain terms, it requires that certain metals in parts going to the Department of Defense be melted or produced in the United States or a qualifying country.
Stainless steel and nickel alloys like Inconel fall under that clause. So when a contract carries it, the 316 stainless fittings and tubing on your line have to meet it too. "Made in the USA" stamped on a box isn't the same thing. What counts is where the metal was melted.
Check the Contract Before You Order
Not every job needs DFARS material, and DFARS material isn't always the cheapest option. Before you order, look at the prime contract or the PO flow-down and confirm:
- Whether the specialty metals clause is actually called out
- Which parts it covers: fittings, tubing, valves, or all of it
- What paperwork the customer or prime contractor wants with the shipment
If the clause is there, put "DFARS compliant" right on your PO line items so there's no guessing at the counter.
Match the Tubing to the Fittings
The most common slip I see is DFARS compliant fittings installed on tubing that isn't, or the other way around. Every wetted metal part in the run counts, so buy both from a supplier who can cover both. A-Best Industrial Inc. Fittings, Valves, and Tubing stocks DFARS compliant 316/316L and 304/304L stainless tubing along with the fittings to go with it. See our tubing page for what's on the shelf.
The tubing also has to suit the fitting. Wall thickness and hardness should fall within the fitting maker's catalog, or the ferrules won't grip right, no matter how compliant the metal is.
DK-Lok on U.S. Navy Ships
A-Best Industrial Inc. Fittings, Valves, and Tubing and DK-Lok are no strangers to Navy work. DK-Lok is the primary tube fitting brand the U.S. Navy use to build U.S. Navy ships. When you order DK-Lok for a military job, you're getting the same brand the shipyard builds with.
If an older system on your job was built with Swagelok or Parker A-Lok, you don't have to tear it out to add DK-Lok. DK-Lok tube fittings are 100% interchangeable and intermixable with Swagelok and Parker A-Lok for like size and material, properly assembled per the DK-Lok catalog. In ASTM F1387 testing witnessed by TÜV Rheinland, 14 combinations of intermixed DK-Lok and Swagelok nuts, ferrules and bodies passed 100% of the testing, with "No failure observed." DK-Lok also confirms it in its Parker A-Lok interchangeability letter.
Ask for the Paperwork Up Front
Compliance you can't prove won't help you at receiving inspection. Ask your supplier, before the order ships, for a certificate of conformance that states DFARS compliance and ties back to the parts on your PO. Keep that paperwork with the job file. If a prime contractor or inspector asks later, you'll have it in hand instead of chasing it.
Quick Buyer Checklist
- Confirm the contract calls out the DFARS specialty metals clause
- Mark "DFARS compliant" on every affected PO line
- Buy compliant fittings and compliant tubing, not just one
- Match tubing wall and hardness to the fitting catalog
- Get the certificate of conformance before the parts ship
Let Us Help With Your Next Military Job
A-Best Industrial Inc. Fittings, Valves, and Tubing is an authorized DK-Lok distributor in San Pedro, serving California and supporting customers nationwide and the U.S. Military with DFARS compliant fittings and tubing for military applications. Browse our compression tube fittings, then call 310-833-3353 or email sales@abesttube.com. We're open Monday–Friday, 8:00 AM–5:00 PM Pacific, with after-hours emergency service.
Swagelok and Parker A-Lok are trademarks of their respective owners. Brand names are used only to identify the parts customers ask us to quote.