What this is
What is a vibration analysis record?
What is a vibration analysis record?
A vibration analysis record documents velocity and frequency readings from fixed measurement points on rotating equipment, on a defined route and interval. Each reading is classified against an ISO 10816 severity zone and, where a baseline exists, trended against it to judge whether a bearing, imbalance or misalignment fault is developing.
Who should carry out a vibration analysis?
A trained analyst, ideally certified, who understands the instrument and the machine class being read. A trainee's reading is not equivalent to a certified analyst's finding and should be recorded as supervised rather than folded in with the same confidence.
How is a reading judged severe?
By the zone together with the trend against baseline and the rate of change, not the zone alone. A reading in an unsatisfactory zone but stable over several surveys is a different problem from a moderate reading climbing quickly, and the two should not get the same action.
Scope
When is a vibration analysis record required?
Vibration analysis is one condition-monitoring technique run against the same rotating asset, answering a specific question: is the machine's dynamic behaviour changing. Using it where a different technique is correct produces a record that misses the fault it wasn't built to see.
Use this template when
- Rotating equipment on a defined monitoring route is due its reading at the set interval
- New or repaired equipment needs a baseline reading, under normal conditions, before it enters the route
- A previous survey raised a Watch or Alert and a diagnostic follow-up is needed on that asset
- Post-repair verification is needed to confirm the fault signature is actually gone, not just quiet
- A change in duty, speed or load pattern means the baseline needs re-establishing before further readings are trusted
Do not use it for
- Thermographic Survey, which uses infrared imaging to find heat anomalies rather than dynamic vibration signatures
- Oil Analysis Record, which records laboratory analysis of lubricating oil, wear metals and contamination
- Ultrasonic Inspection Record, which detects leaks, electrical discharge and early bearing friction through ultrasound
- Asset Condition Inspection, which assesses general visual condition rather than a dynamic signature
- Equipment with no rotating element or accessible measurement point, where none of these readings can honestly be taken
Compliance mapping
Which ISO 10816 requirements does this satisfy?
ISO 10816 is a measurement and severity-zone standard, not a management-system clause set, so the fit here is to the standard's part and the section it governs, not a numbered clause.
| Clause | Requirement | Where it lands |
|---|---|---|
| ISO 10816-1 | Overall broadband velocity as the primary quantity measured and reported at each point | Measurement points |
| ISO 10816-1 | Classification of the measured value into severity zones A to D against the reference machine class | Measurement points |
| ISO 10816-3 | Zone boundaries specific to industrial machine classes, where the machine falls under this part | Assessment |
| ISO 13373-1 | General procedures for vibration condition monitoring, including consistent, repeatable measurement points | Measurement points |
| ISO 13373-3 | Guidelines for vibration diagnosis, linking dominant frequency location to probable fault type | Measurement points |
| ISO 17359 | General guidelines for condition monitoring, including baseline establishment and route-based scheduling | Header |
| ISO 10816-1 | Comparability of successive measurements requires the machine operating in a steady, representative condition | Header |
What it does not cover
- Thermographic survey, which needs an infrared image and a temperature comparison, not a velocity or frequency reading.
- Oil analysis, which needs a laboratory sample and result against wear-metal and contamination limits.
- Ultrasonic inspection, which needs an ultrasonic detector reading, not an accelerometer trace.
- General condition inspection, which records visual and physical condition rather than a dynamic signature.
- The repair itself, which belongs in the linked work order, not in the survey that found the need for it.
Global
Vibration Analysis Record requirements by country
ISO 10816 is voluntary, not a statutory requirement, so no jurisdiction mandates this record by name. What differs is how strongly a documented monitoring programme is expected as evidence of a maintained plant.
OSH Act General Duty Clause; insurer and manufacturer maintenance conditions
No standard requires vibration analysis specifically, but a catastrophic failure with no monitoring in place is examined against recognised industry practice.
A documented route with baselines and trend records is evidence a recognised hazard was addressed, which matters after a failure even where no specific standard was breached.
Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998, reg.5
Duty to maintain work equipment in an efficient state and good repair.
Condition monitoring is accepted evidence of a maintenance system that satisfies the duty; the regulation does not name the technique, so defensibility rests on it being carried out and trended competently.
ISO 10816 / ISO 20816 series; ISO 55001 asset management
Certification schemes expect condition-based maintenance evidence for critical rotating assets.
Auditors look for a defined methodology, a maintained baseline and a route actually followed, not just a template that exists.
How to complete it
How to complete a vibration analysis record, step by step
Most routes are walked to schedule and scored to the zone table. What determines whether the finding is real sits outside what the template prompts for.
Take the baseline immediately after commissioning or repair, under normal running conditions, before any trend judgement is made. A baseline taken under an unusual condition, or never taken, removes the only thing that makes a later reading meaningful.
A reading under abnormal load or speed is not comparable to baseline. Flag it and, where possible, repeat under representative conditions rather than forcing a trend judgement the baseline was never meant to support.
Two machines can share an overall velocity figure and mean different things once frequency content is examined. One times running speed, two times, and high frequency broadband each point to a different fault, and the recommended action should follow the diagnosis.
A machine in an unsatisfactory zone but stable across surveys is being watched correctly. One in an acceptable zone but rising rapidly is about to become the problem. Reading the zone alone collapses that distinction.
What auditors find
Most common vibration analysis record findings
The route is usually walked and the zone recorded. The findings concern what happens around that number.
| Finding | Clause | What fixes it |
|---|---|---|
| Reading taken under abnormal load or speed, with no flag against comparability. | ISO 10816-1 | Record load condition at every reading and mark abnormal readings as indicative, not comparable to baseline. |
| No baseline exists for a new or repaired asset before the first trend judgement. | ISO 17359 | Set the baseline at commissioning or immediately after repair, under representative conditions. |
| Zone recorded but dominant frequency and suspected fault left blank. | ISO 13373-3 | Identify the dominant frequency and record a probable fault type whenever the zone is Alert or worse. |
| Severity judged from the zone alone, with trend and rate of change not distinguished. | ISO 10816-1 | Record trend against baseline and rate of change as separate judgements alongside the zone. |
| Trainee-supervised reading recorded with the same confidence as a certified analyst's finding. | Analyst competence | Flag trainee-supervised readings and have the certified analyst co-sign before it is acted on. |
| Alarm or Alert severity raised with no work order or action owner assigned. | Assessment | Raise the work order and assign owner and date when the finding is made, not at the next scheduled review. |
Case in point
Case in point: the reading that looked fine at the wrong load
A technician surveyed an extraction fan bearing and recorded Zone B, stable trend, three weeks before the fan seized. The survey was taken while the fan ran at reduced airflow following a damper adjustment that shift, compared directly against a baseline set at full duty, with no note of the mismatch.
The post-failure review found the bearing defect frequency had been climbing for two consecutive surveys. It had not shown as a zone change because the reduced load also reduced overall velocity, masking a fault signature worsening at its own frequency. The fix was procedural: load condition is now recorded against every point, and any reading outside the representative range is flagged rather than carried forward as a clean result.
The template
The template, field by field
The form exactly as it installs. Every field, option, score and conditional rule is editable, and the links to other templates come with it.
3 sections
- Reference
- MNT-032
- Archetype
- Record
- Record ID
- VIB-2026-000
- Scoring
- Severity band
- Direction
- High is bad
- Singleton
- No
- Basis
- ISO 10816
- Links
- Links Asset; feeds Work Order
- Tags
- Maintenance, Condition monitoring
- Sections
- 3
- Fields
- 43
- Follow up fields
- 4
- Repeating sections
- 1
- Links out
- 4
Header
17 fieldsRecord ID*
Auto sequence. Format VIB-2026-000.
The record's own ID. Other templates point at this value.
Status*
Drives who this goes to next.
- Planned2 pts
- In progress2 pts
- Complete3 pts
- Deferred0 pts
- Open0 pts
- Closed3 pts
- Overdue0 pts
Date and Time*
Raised By*
Site*
Site ID*
Format SITE-000.
Links to FDN-001 Site ID
Area
The area within the site.
Exact Location
Drop a pin for anything hard to find.
Asset*
Asset ID*
Format AST-0000.
Links to FDN-002 Asset ID
Survey Type*
Routine route, baseline, diagnostic follow up or post repair verification.
Analyst*
Analyst Certified*
- Yes3 pts
- Trainee supervised1 pt
- No0 pts
Equipment Running Normally*
Readings taken under abnormal load or speed are not comparable with the baseline.
- Yes3 pts
- Partly1 pt
- No0 pts
Load Condition
Baseline Available*
- Yes3 pts
- No0 pts
Weeks Of Warning
Vibration analysis typically gives four to twelve weeks of notice on bearing and alignment problems. That is the difference between a planned change and a shattered shaft in the middle of a run.
Measurement points
Repeats9 fieldsPoint Reference*
Position*
Drive end horizontal, vertical, axial. Non drive end likewise.
Overall Velocity mm per second*
ISO 10816 Zone*
- Zone A, new machine4 pts
- Zone B, acceptable3 pts
- Zone C, unsatisfactory1 pt
- Zone D, unacceptable0 pts
Bearing Condition Value
Temperature C
Dominant Frequency
One times running speed suggests imbalance. Two times suggests misalignment. High frequency suggests bearings.
Suspected Fault
- None4 pts
- Imbalance2 pts
- Misalignment2 pts
- Looseness1 pt
- Bearing wear1 pt
- Gear defect0 pts
- Cavitation1 pt
- Electrical1 pt
Spectrum Attached
Assessment
17 fieldsOverall Severity*
- Normal4 pts
- Watch3 pts
- Alert1 pt
- Alarm0 pts
Trend Versus Baseline*
- Stable3 pts
- Slight increase2 pts
- Clear increase0 pts
Rate Of Change*
A high but stable reading is different from a moderate reading climbing fast.
- Stable3 pts
- Slow2 pts
- Rapid0 pts
Estimated Time To Failure
- Over 12 months4 pts
- 6 to 12 months3 pts
- 1 to 6 months1 pt
- Under a month0 pts
Recommended Action*
- Continue monitoring3 pts
- Increase monitoring frequency2 pts
- Plan corrective work1 pt
- Immediate action0 pts
Recommended By Date
Work Order Raised*
- Yes3 pts
- Not needed3 pts
- No0 pts
Work Order ID
Links to MNT-002 Work Order ID
Next Survey Due*
Action Required*
Raise the action record, then enter its reference here.
- No2 pts
- Yes0 pts
Priority
- High0 pts
- Medium1 pt
- Low3 pts
CAPA ID
Format CAPA-2026-00000.
Links to FDN-014 CAPA ID
Action Owner
Analyst*
Signature*
Reliability*
Second Signature*
MNT-032 · record IDs look like VIB-2026-000 · Links Asset; feeds Work Order
Open in KnowellaRun it with agents
From a document you fill in to a programme that runs itself
The reading is easy. What fails is the surrounding judgement: the load nobody recorded, the baseline never re-established, and the alert left unrouted until the next review.
Holds the route library against the asset register, flags surveys missing a required baseline, and routes each finding to its owner with the linked work order.
Connects analyst certification to the readings taken, so a trainee-supervised finding is visibly distinct from a certified diagnosis.
Escalates an Alarm finding with a short estimated time to failure into the safety workflow, so a bearing days from failure gets a hazard report's urgency.
Rolls route completion, overdue surveys and open findings into one view, and holds every write for approval before it touches a record.
This template lives in KnowMaintain — asset maintenance. Work orders, planned maintenance, calibration, reliability and shutdowns.
Meet KnowMaintain→Glossary
Vibration Analysis Record definitions and key terms
- Zone (ISO 10816)
- The severity band, A through D, a velocity reading falls into against reference values for the machine's class.
- Overall velocity
- The broadband RMS vibration velocity at a point, in millimetres per second, the quantity ISO 10816 zones are built from.
- Baseline
- A reference reading taken under known-good, steady conditions, against which later readings from the same point are trended.
- Dominant frequency
- The frequency location carrying the largest signal, used to identify probable fault type rather than just severity.
- Route-based monitoring
- Measuring the same fixed points on a defined schedule so the trend across surveys, not any single reading, drives the decision.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about vibration analysis record
What do the ISO 10816 zones mean?+
Zone A is typical of a new machine, Zone B acceptable for unrestricted long-term operation, Zone C unsatisfactory for long-term running and should prompt corrective action, Zone D indicates damage-level severity. Boundaries are set against the machine's class, not one universal number.
How much warning does vibration analysis give before failure?+
Typically four to twelve weeks on bearing and alignment problems, because these faults develop a detectable frequency signature before audible noise or a process disturbance. The warning is only as good as the baseline and the consistency of readings compared against it.
Can a reading be trended if the machine wasn't running normally?+
Not honestly. Load and speed both affect overall velocity and frequency content, so a reading taken under an abnormal condition should be recorded as such and treated as indicative rather than compared directly to a baseline taken under normal running.
What does the dominant frequency actually tell you?+
It points to a probable fault type. One times running speed usually means imbalance, two times means misalignment, and high-frequency broadband content usually means bearing wear or an early gear defect. Amplitude alone cannot make that distinction.
Who should carry out a vibration analysis?+
A trained analyst, and ideally a certified one for anything beyond a routine route reading. A trainee's reading should be recorded as supervised rather than given the same weight as a certified analyst's diagnostic finding.
How does severity translate into a recommended action?+
Zone, trend and rate of change together, not the zone alone. A stable reading in an unsatisfactory zone supports continued monitoring at increased frequency; a moderate reading climbing rapidly supports planning corrective work or immediate action regardless of its current zone.
Keep going
Related templates and programmes
Industries this is written for
Programmes this belongs to
Used together in Asset Inspection and Statutory Examination
Asset Condition Inspection
Assesses the general condition of an asset against defined criteria
Thermographic Survey
Records infrared images of electrical panels, motors and bearings to find hot spots
Oil Analysis Record
Records laboratory analysis of lubricating oil, covering wear metals, contamination and additive condition
Ultrasonic Inspection Record
Records ultrasonic readings used to find air leaks, electrical discharge and early bearing wear
Pressure Vessel Inspection
Checks pressure vessels and their safety devices for corrosion, damage and correct operation
Crane and Hoist Inspection
Checks cranes, hoists and their controls for wear, function and load rating
More in Asset Inspections
Asset Condition Inspection
Assesses the general condition of an asset against defined criteria
Thermographic Survey
Records infrared images of electrical panels, motors and bearings to find hot spots
Oil Analysis Record
Records laboratory analysis of lubricating oil, covering wear metals, contamination and additive condition
Ultrasonic Inspection Record
Records ultrasonic readings used to find air leaks, electrical discharge and early bearing wear
Pressure Vessel Inspection
Checks pressure vessels and their safety devices for corrosion, damage and correct operation
Crane and Hoist Inspection
Checks cranes, hoists and their controls for wear, function and load rating
Written and reviewed by
Siddarth Singh
Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Knowella
Certified Safety Professional and industrial and systems engineer with more than a decade inside food supply chain, freight and manufacturing operations. This page was written against the current text of the standards it cites, not against secondary summaries of them.
- Certified Safety Professional (CSP), Board of Certified Safety Professionals
- MBA, University of Chicago Booth School of Business
- MS and BS, The Ohio State University, Industrial and Systems Engineering
- Six Sigma Black Belt
Sources and last review. Reviewed 16 August 2026 against:
- ISO 10816-1, evaluation of machine vibration by measurements on non-rotating parts, general guidelines
- ISO 10816-3, evaluation criteria for industrial machines above 15 kW
- ISO 13373-1, vibration condition monitoring, general procedures
- ISO 17359, condition monitoring and diagnostics of machines, general guidelines
This page is general guidance, not legal advice. Confirm requirements with your jurisdiction’s regulator.