Welder and Welding Procedure Qualification Testing and Certification

Welder and welding procedure qualification show that a weld is made to a qualified procedure by a qualified welder. itmad provides independent witness, destructive and NDT testing, and certification to ASME IX, AWS D1.1, ISO 9606 and ISO 15614, with defined ranges of approval stated on every certificate. The procedure and the welder are qualified separately, and confusing the two is the most common reason a fabrication is rejected at audit. itmad operates across the Middle East, Asia and Europe. Last reviewed: October 2026.

Why qualification matters

A weld is only as sound as the procedure it was made to and the welder who made it. Both have to be qualified, and they are qualified separately.

WPS, PQR and WQT

A Welding Procedure Specification (WPS) is the document that tells the welder how to make the weld: process, material group, thickness, joint design, consumables, current, preheat, interpass and post-weld heat treatment. The fabricator writes it. A Procedure Qualification Record (PQR) is the evidence that a weld made to the procedure produces acceptable mechanical properties. A test coupon is welded and then subjected to destructive testing, with tensile, bend, impact and macro examination as the code requires, and the PQR qualifies the procedure, not any person.

A Welder Qualification Test (WQT) shows that an individual welder can produce a sound weld working to a qualified procedure. It qualifies the person, within a defined range of approval, and every welder must hold one before working on the fabrication. The order matters: the procedure is qualified first and welders are qualified to it afterwards, since a welder certificate against an unqualified procedure demonstrates nothing to the client or auditor who asked for it.

Range of approval

A welder qualification certificate is not general. It covers a defined range of welding process, material group, thickness, pipe diameter, welding position, joint type, backing and consumable classification. A welder qualified on 10 mm plate in the flat position is not thereby qualified for 25 mm pipe overhead. The range is stated explicitly on every certificate itmad issues, because a certificate whose range is not checked against the work fails at audit.

Continuity and validity

Welder qualifications lapse. Most codes require the welder to have used the qualified process within a defined period, commonly six months, and the employer must document that continuity. A certificate that is in date on its face can therefore be invalid because the welder has not worked in the process. itmad states the continuity requirement on every qualification it issues, and can verify existing continuity records as part of personnel assessment.

What the testing involves

The test piece, position, material and procedure are agreed against the intended production range. itmad independently witnesses the welding itself, including consumable control and parameters, and the finished test piece is examined visually. Non-destructive examination is used where the code permits it in place of destructive testing, and destructive testing (bend, tensile, fracture, macro and impact as the code requires) is carried out through laboratories. Results are assessed against the acceptance criteria of the governing code, and the welder qualification certificate is issued stating the range of approval and the validity conditions.

Standards applied

itmad applies the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code Section IX for welding and brazing qualifications on pressure equipment, AWS D1.1 for structural steel, the ISO 9606 series for qualification testing of welders, and the ISO 15614 series for the specification and qualification of welding procedures. API 1104 applies to pipelines and related facilities, and client and project specifications apply where they add requirements.

Independence

itmad witnesses, tests and certifies. itmad does not write welding procedures, advise on welding parameters, or train welders to pass a test that itmad will then assess. That separation is what makes a certificate worth holding: one from a body that also developed the procedure and coached the welder demonstrates nothing to the client or auditor who asked for it.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a WPS, a PQR and a WQT?

A WPS tells the welder how to make the weld and is written by the fabricator. A PQR is the evidence that a weld made to that procedure produces acceptable mechanical properties, and a WQT shows that an individual welder can produce a sound weld working to a qualified procedure.

What is a range of approval?

A welder qualification certificate covers a defined range of process, material group, thickness, pipe diameter, position, joint type, backing and consumable classification. A welder qualified on 10 mm plate in the flat position is not thereby qualified for 25 mm pipe overhead.

What does welder qualification testing involve?

Agreeing the test piece, position, material and procedure, independent witness of the welding, visual examination and, where the code permits, non-destructive examination. Destructive testing follows, and the results are assessed against the acceptance criteria of the governing code.

Which standards does itmad apply?

ASME Section IX for pressure equipment, AWS D1.1 for structural steel, the ISO 9606 series for welders and the ISO 15614 series for procedures. API 1104 applies to pipelines, and client or project specifications apply where they add requirements.

Can a certificate that is in date still be invalid?

Yes. Most codes require the welder to have used the qualified process within a defined period, commonly six months, and the employer must document that continuity. itmad states the continuity requirement on every qualification it issues.

Does itmad write welding procedures or train welders?

No. itmad witnesses, tests and certifies, and does not write procedures, advise on welding parameters or train welders to pass a test that itmad will assess. That separation is what makes the certificate worth holding.