Surface integrity is the surface condition of a workpiece after being modified by a manufacturing process. The term was coined by Michael Field and John F. Kahles in 1964.
The surface integrity of a workpiece or item changes the material's properties. The consequences of changes to surface integrity are a mechanical engineering design problem, but the preservation of those properties are a manufacturing consideration.
Surface integrity can have a great impact on a parts function; for example, Inconel 718 can have a fatigue limit as high as  after a gentle grinding or as low as  after electrical discharge machining (EDM).