5 Signs Your Spring Supplier Isn’t Meeting Your Tolerances
When you're relying on metal springs to keep your equipment running, top-notch service, and purpose-driven springs matters. Tolerances—the acceptable range of variation in a spring’s dimensions, force, or performance—can make or break your product.
Whether you're working in agriculture, manufacturing, transportation, or another demanding field, if your springs aren’t made to spec, everything from product quality to operational efficiency can suffer.
At Tennessee Spring & Metal, we work with companies every day who come to us frustrated by inconsistent quality, failed deliveries, or unexpected malfunctions in the field—all because their previous spring supplier didn’t meet critical tolerances.
If you're wondering whether it's time to reassess your current spring provider, here are five signs they may not be meeting your tolerances—and how it’s affecting your bottom line.
1. You’re Seeing More Equipment Failures or Inconsistent Performance
One of the first signs of out-of-tolerance springs is inconsistent or declining performance in your machinery or product. Springs that are even slightly off in length, diameter, force output, or pitch can cause:
Binding or jamming of moving parts
Excessive wear on nearby components
Inconsistent compression or extension
Premature fatigue or breakage
Let’s say you’re using compression springs in a clutch mechanism. If the free length or spring rate is off by even a small margin, you could end up with slipping, unpredictable engagement, or reduced lifespan. In precision applications, small tolerance deviations can result in big operational issues.
2. Parts Don’t Fit or Function Right During Assembly
Have your production or maintenance teams been modifying springs on the floor just to make them fit? Do you have to tweak your process to accommodate inconsistent components?
If your team is spring too much time re-bending or trimming springs, reordering or returning batches, or adjusting assembly tooling to compensate for out-of-spec parts then your spring supplier is not holding tolerances reliably.
Springs are meant to fit seamlessly into your assemblies without additional work. If you're customizing parts post-delivery—or holding up production because something doesn’t fit—your supplier is costing you time, money, and efficiency.
3. You’re Not Receiving Detailed Inspection Reports or Quality Documentation
When tolerances are critical, documentation is non-negotiable.
A reputable spring supplier should provide:
Measurement reports (e.g., force, diameter, length, pitch)
Certificate of conformance
Material certifications
If your current supplier is giving you little more than a packing slip and a shipping label, it's hard to know whether your parts meet spec until something goes wrong. Without documentation, you’re flying blind—and taking a risk with every batch you receive.
At Tennessee Spring & Metal, we provide detailed quality control documentation upon request, so our customers never have to guess.
4. Your Supplier Can't Explain Their Tolerance Capabilities
Close enough just doesn’t cut it.
Holding tight tolerances requires:
High-quality wire and consistent material sourcing
Precision coiling equipment and tooling
Strict quality control processes
Skilled technicians and engineers
A supplier who can't clearly define and meet your tolerance requirements may not have the equipment, expertise, or systems in place to deliver consistently precise components.
At Tennessee Spring & Metal, we follow industry-standard tolerances and can accommodate tighter tolerances for critical applications. And we’ll always explain exactly what we can deliver.
5. You Keep Having to Send Springs Back
Returns happen—but they shouldn’t be a regular part of your workflow.
Frequent issues like springs failing inspection, wrong material or wire size, incorrect spring force, and inconsistent performance across a batch are signs your supplier isn’t reliably hitting tolerances—or isn't taking your specifications seriously.
Each return means lost time, delayed production, and extra shipping costs. More importantly, it damages trust. You need a spring partner who delivers parts that work the first time, every time.
At Tennessee Spring & Metal, returns are rare—because we work closely with our customers to define specs, verify tolerances, and test performance before anything ships out the door.
In spring manufacturing, tolerances are the difference between a machine that runs smoothly and one that breaks down. Between a part that fits perfectly and one that halts production. Between a satisfied customer and a returned shipment.
We specialize in precision, performance, and peace of mind. From custom design and prototyping to full-scale production, we deliver springs that meet your specs, your tolerances, and your expectations—every time.
Send us your drawings or a sample, and our engineering team will evaluate your part and provide a quote for a custom solution built to your tolerances. For more information about Tennessee Spring and Metal or to request a quote, contact us at 1-800-497-3545 or email us at info@tennesseespring.com.