Per the FAA, "Surplus" is described as "a product, assembly, part, or material that has been released as surplus by the military, manufacturers, owners/operators, repair facilities, or any other parts supplier. These products should show traceability to an FAA-approved manufacturing procedure."

"New Surplus" is a trade or industry specific term that is not officially recognized by the FAA. Unfortunately, "New Surplus" is a loosely used term by some parts supplier to describe items that may appear to be new and unused but have no documentation or certification to support the claim. Therefore, in most cases where items do not have traceability or proof of condition, such items are be considered "As Is" or "As Removed".

In FAA Advisory Circular AC20-62E, it is further explained that surplus items "although advertised as "remanufactured," "high quality," "like new," "unused," or "looks good," should be carefully evaluated before they are purchased. The storage time, storage conditions, or shelf life of surplus parts and materials are not usually known." "New Surplus" is not an acceptable term to be input into any maintenance release such as the FAA Form 8130-3 according FAA Order 8130.21G.

In most transactions, Southeast Aerospace does not consider "New Surplus" a valid condition term. Southeast Aerospace will not consider any unit as "New" condition without exact traceability, documentation, and history for a unit from the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM). Otherwise, Southeast Aerospace considers any unit lacking appropriate OEM paperwork as "As Removed" and thus will require recertification.

Once any item regardless of condition is tested and certified according to manufacturer's specifications, it is considered "Inspected", "Repaired", or "Overhauled" depending on the work performed during the certification process.