A preform is designed by the backward tracing scheme of the rigid-plastic finite element method(FEM) for net-shape shell nosing components without machining after forming. The current process of the shell nosing requires cost-consuming machining to produce final products. Here, the backward tracing scheme of the rigid-plastic FEM, a novel method for preform design of metal forming processes, derives a sound preform for net-shape shell nosing product. The current process is simulated by the rigid-plastic finite element analysis to check the metal flow involved in the forming with a trial preform and its modified preform. The two preforms are found to be inadequate for net-shape shell nosing product. The first application of the back ward tracing scheme derives a preform producing a not-shape shell nosing product. The first application of the backward tracing scheme derives a preform producing a net-shape product numerically, but it is difficult to be formed economically as a preform. Thus an improved preform is designed by the badkward tracing scheme, which is suitable for net-shape manufacturing of the shell nosing components in view of economy of production and forming characteristics of the product. The preform in the current process and a modified preform are confirmed by a series of experiments and the results give the same deformation with the numerical ones. Finally the newly designed preform by the FEM was experimentally proved to be adequate in obtaining net-shape products.