Vibration Analysis Report Template — ISO 10816 Compliant Format

Vibration analysis is one of the most powerful predictive maintenance techniques available to industrial engineers — capable of detecting bearing wear, imbalance, misalignment, and looseness months before a failure occurs. But the measurement is only as useful as the documentation. A vibration analysis report that does not follow a recognised structure, or that omits the reference standard used for severity assessment, is difficult to act on and almost impossible to compare against historical readings.

This guide covers what a compliant vibration analysis report must contain, how ISO 10816 defines severity, how to structure your measurement tables, and the documentation mistakes that most commonly cause reports to be questioned or re-done.

What is a vibration analysis report?

A vibration analysis report documents the results of a vibration measurement survey on rotating machinery — motors, pumps, fans, compressors, gearboxes, and similar assets. It records the measurement points, the instrument and method used, the values obtained, an assessment of severity against a defined standard, and recommendations for action.

Unlike a generic maintenance report, a vibration analysis report has a strong technical focus. The client needs to understand not just what was found, but how to interpret it. That means every value needs context: what measurement point, what direction, what frequency range, what the reference limit is, and what severity zone it falls into.

Reports are typically produced after a scheduled vibration survey, after a reported change in machine behaviour (new noise, increased temperature, higher energy consumption), or as part of a post-repair acceptance check.

ISO 10816 — the standard explained

ISO 10816 (Mechanical vibration — Evaluation of machine vibration by measurements on non-rotating parts) is the most widely referenced international standard for assessing the severity of vibration in rotating machinery. It defines four severity zones based on broadband vibration velocity, measured in mm/s RMS.

The standard is divided into several parts covering different machine categories — Part 1 covers general guidelines, Part 3 covers industrial machinery with power above 15 kW and operating speeds between 120–15,000 RPM, and so on. When writing a report, you must always specify which part of the standard you are referencing, since the zone boundaries differ between categories.

Note that zone boundaries vary by machine group within the standard. Always verify the applicable limits for your specific machine class and record which group you used in the report.

Required sections of a vibration analysis report

A complete vibration analysis report should include all of the following sections. Missing any one of them makes the report incomplete for both the client's maintenance team and any third-party auditor reviewing the records.

1. 1
   Executive Summary Overall condition assessment, number of measurement points surveyed, number of alarm or danger findings, and the single most important action the client needs to take.
2. 2
   Equipment Details Asset tag, manufacturer, model, serial number, installation date, rated speed (RPM), rated power (kW), bearing designations (drive end and non-drive end), and coupling type.
3. 3
   Measurement Methodology Instrument make and model, calibration certificate reference, measurement standard applied (e.g. ISO 10816-3 Group 1), frequency range, transducer type, mounting method, and operating conditions at time of measurement (load, temperature, RPM).
4. 4
   Measurement Results Table One row per measurement point. Columns: point ID, location description, direction (horizontal/vertical/axial), velocity RMS (mm/s), displacement (µm pk-pk if applicable), ISO severity zone, trend vs. previous measurement.
5. 5
   Findings & Analysis Interpretation of any out-of-zone readings. Dominant frequency components (1× running speed, 2×, sub-synchronous, bearing defect frequencies), likely fault mechanism, supporting observations (temperature, noise, visual inspection).
6. 6
   Recommendations & Follow-up Specific corrective actions, urgency level, next measurement interval, parts to procure, and any safety precautions required before next survey.

Structuring the measurement results table

The measurement table is the technical core of the report. It must be structured so that any competent engineer can read it without referring back to the body text. Here is the recommended column structure:

The trend column is particularly important for ongoing monitoring programs. A value in Zone B that is increasing at 0.6 mm/s per month may require earlier intervention than a stable Zone B reading, even though both are technically within the same zone at the time of measurement.

Common documentation mistakes

Several mistakes appear repeatedly in vibration analysis reports and consistently cause the document to be questioned or returned for revision:

• No ISO standard or group referenced. Writing "Zone B" without specifying which part of ISO 10816 and which machine group makes the severity assessment unverifiable.
• Mixing velocity and displacement without explanation. Both are valid measures but they are not interchangeable. If you report both, label each clearly and explain why displacement was included.
• Omitting operating conditions. A vibration measurement taken at 40% load is not directly comparable to one taken at full load. Always record load, speed, and temperature at time of measurement.
• No instrument calibration reference. Without a calibration certificate number and calibration date, the measurement data is unauditable.
• No trend data for alarm readings. A Zone C reading on its own is alarming. A Zone C reading that was Zone A six months ago and has risen steadily is an emergency. Include the historical context.
• Recommendations without prioritisation. Listing five actions without indicating which must be done immediately and which can wait for the next scheduled maintenance window forces the client to guess at urgency.

Generating vibration analysis reports with AI

FieldReport AI includes a dedicated Vibration Analysis report type. You describe the machine, the measurement points, and the findings — including uploading the data export PDF from your vibration analyser — and the tool generates a complete report including executive summary, equipment table, work performed section, findings with severity analysis, and follow-up recommendations.

The AI is prompted to never invent measurement values or serial numbers, referencing only data you provide. It understands ISO 10816 severity zones and will structure zone assessments correctly when you give it the velocity values. For contractors who produce vibration reports regularly, it removes the 30–45 minutes of formatting and prose-writing while maintaining the technical standard the report requires.