A welding procedure and a welder are qualified separately, and the paperwork for each answers a different question. This guide explains WPS vs WPQR in plain terms: what each document does, how welder qualification sits next to them, and what a QA/QC lead or welding coordinator can check before a welder starts on a production joint.
This guide focuses on the ISO framework and the welding procedure test route in ISO 15614-1. Other codes, including ASME, use their own qualification rules; records should not be treated as interchangeable without checking the governing requirements.
For work using the qualification route discussed here, three types of document need to be checked together:
The ISO series discussed here calls the record a WPQR (welding procedure qualification record), and the general rules for the whole series sit in ISO 15607:2019. It states that welding procedures are qualified by conforming to one or more WPQRs. It also assumes that welding procedure specifications are used in production by competent welders qualified to the relevant part of ISO 9606, or by competent operators qualified to ISO 14732.
So the procedure is qualified, the person is qualified, and production needs both.
For arc welding, the content of a WPS is set by ISO 15609-1:2019. It specifies requirements for the content of welding procedure specifications for arc welding processes, and the variables it lists are those influencing the quality of the welded joint. The WPS is the instruction for the work front, not proof that the procedure works.
For the route discussed here, the evidence comes from a welding procedure test. For arc and gas welding of steels, and arc welding of nickel and nickel alloys, the test standard is ISO 15614-1:2017. It specifies how a preliminary welding procedure specification is qualified by welding procedure tests, and it applies to production welding, repair welding and build-up welding. Its abstract states the primary purpose: to show that the joining process can produce joints with the required mechanical properties for the intended application.
Put together, the sequence runs like this:
A procedure test is not the only qualification route. Depending on the application standard and contract, the applicable framework may also permit routes based on tested consumables, previous welding experience, a standard welding procedure or a pre-production welding test. The welding coordinator should confirm which route is permitted for the actual work.
ISO 15614-1 gives two levels of procedure test. In level 2, the extent of testing is greater and the ranges of qualification are more restrictive than in level 1. A level 2 test automatically qualifies for level 1, but not the other way round. When no level is specified in a contract or application standard, all the requirements of level 2 apply. Check at contract review which level the specification calls for, and whether the existing WPQRs meet it.
A qualified procedure says nothing about the person holding the torch. That is the job of ISO 9606-1:2012, which specifies the requirements for qualification testing of welders for fusion welding of steels. It assesses the person's practical skill in controlling the welding equipment and producing an acceptable test weld.
Two points from its scope matter on site:
So a welder with a valid certificate may still not be cleared for a joint the qualification range does not cover, and a qualified WPS does not make an unqualified welder acceptable. The two checks run side by side.
| Document | WPS | WPQR | Welder qualification |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | How the weld is made | Qualification basis for the procedure | Qualification of the individual welder |
| Standard used here | ISO 15609-1:2019 (content) | ISO 15614-1:2017 (procedure test) | ISO 9606-1:2012 (welder test) |
| Question answered | How? | Does the procedure give the required properties? | Can this welder make an acceptable weld? |
Before a welder starts on a production joint, a QA/QC lead or welding coordinator can work through four points:
Check the editions and amendments required by the contract, and review any transition provisions before relying on an older qualification. A newer publication does not, by itself, establish whether an existing record is acceptable for a particular project. That decision requires the governing standard and the project requirements.
RAM's published project records include welding work in different settings. In Norway, RAM project photographs document workshop work on superduplex desalination tanks: welding on tank shells and pipe connections, flanged nozzles and internal tube supports. On Scarabeo 8, an offshore unit in service on the Norwegian shelf, photographs show small-bore tubing and pipe welding. RAM also has an offshore welding record from an Orange Nassau Energie platform on the Netherlands shelf.
The records on the projects page and the service pages do not publish which procedures or qualification ranges applied, so this article does not describe them. What they do show is how much the work changes between jobs: superduplex tank shells in a workshop, small-bore pipe on an offshore unit.
RAM's welding and fabrication page keeps the three documents apart in the same way as this article: a WPS describes how the weld is made, the WPQR provides the qualification basis for the procedure, and the individual welder's qualification is a separate requirement. The published capability covers processes 111 (MMA), 141 (TIG) and 136 (flux-cored MAG) as a general range; the applicable process and qualification depend on the material, joint, position and project specification.
Before anyone mobilises, RAM's published method is to understand the work, match capability to the task (process, position, material, previous working environment), and check qualifications and documentation against what the project asks for. For welding, that means checking each proposed welder's qualification range, relevant experience and required documentation against the project requirements. As the oil and gas page notes, a welder whose qualification range does not cover the scope may not be accepted, which can delay a work front, particularly in a shutdown or turnaround window.
The two delivery models split the work differently. Under workforce supply, welders join the client's organisation and the client directs the work. Under technical subcontracting, RAM organises the trades, supervision and coordination around the deliverables, interfaces and acceptance criteria in the contract.
If you are preparing a welding scope, send the available WPS, material and thickness range, welding positions, work environment and required qualification records to the RAM team, and the documentation for the assignment can be discussed from there.
No. The WPQR records the qualification basis. The approved WPS gives the instructions and variables for production welding.
No. Procedure qualification and individual welder qualification are separate checks. Production requires both to cover the assigned work.
Confirm the correct WPS revision, supporting WPQR, welder qualification range, validity and the editions required by the contract.
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