What is the AWS CWI and how do you qualify for it?
The Certified Welding Inspector (CWI) is the American Welding Society's inspection credential, issued under AWS QC1 and examined under AWS B5.1. The examination has three parts, each sat on the same testing event: Part A fundamentals (welding processes, metallurgy, symbols, destructive and non-destructive testing, safety), Part B practical inspection using replica weldments and inspection tools, and Part C, an open-book examination on a code book you nominate — commonly AWS D1.1 structural steel, API 1104 pipelines or ASME Section IX. Eligibility runs on a matrix that trades formal education against documented welding-related experience, and every candidate must pass a near-vision acuity test. Certification runs nine years, with an endorsement to be renewed at three-year intervals and a recertification requirement at nine.
- The CWI is issued by the American Welding Society under QC1 and examined under B5.1.
- Three parts: closed-book fundamentals, a hands-on practical with replica weldments, and an open-book code exam you nominate.
- Eligibility trades formal education against documented welding experience, and a near-vision test is mandatory.
- Certification runs nine years with renewal at three-year intervals and recertification at nine.
AWS CWI at a glance
| Cost | Set by AWS and its seminar partners and revised periodically, so check the current fee schedule published by AWS before applying |
| Duration | Full-day examination in three parts, usually preceded by an optional week-long AWS seminar |
| Issued by | American Welding Society (AWS) |
| Format | Part A closed-book fundamentals, Part B hands-on practical with replica weldments, Part C open-book code examination |
| Expiry | 9-year certification period; renewal required at 3-year intervals and recertification at 9 years |
| Who needs it | Welding inspectors, QA/QC staff, fabrication shop supervisors and third-party inspection agency personnel |
| Vision requirement | Near-vision acuity test required at application and at each renewal |
| Code book | You nominate the Part C code — D1.1, API 1104, ASME Section IX and others are offered |
Sources: AWS Certification, Certified Welding Inspector · American Welding Society. Reviewed August 2026 by the GlobalCybers team.
CWI Exam Format, The Three Parts Explained
Pass all three parts, or retake the ones you failed
The CWI examination is three separately scored parts sat in one testing event. Part A is closed-book fundamentals. Part B is the practical: you inspect replica weldments with gauges against a supplied specification written for the exam, not a real code. Part C is open-book on your nominated code. You must pass all three; candidates who pass some parts and fail others may retest only the failed parts within the window AWS allows, which is why most candidates prepare hardest for Part B.
What each part tests
What does the CWI do for a welder's earnings?
The CWI moves a welder off the torch and into inspection and QA/QC, which is a different occupation with a different wage curve rather than a bonus on the welding rate. BLS reports the welding occupation the credential is most often earned from.
GlobalCybers reimburses certification fees after a successful permanent placement through our network.
What the CWI Exam Covers, Core Knowledge
Visual Inspection Technique
The inspector's core skill: using fillet weld gauges, the Cambridge/HiLo gauge, undercut gauges and lighting to measure size, profile, undercut, reinforcement and misalignment against an acceptance criterion.
Metallurgy & Heat Input
How preheat, interpass temperature and cooling rate change the heat-affected zone, and why hydrogen, carbon equivalent and restraint drive cracking mechanisms.
Weld Symbols
Reading the AWS A2.4 symbol set on a drawing — arrow side and other side, size, length, pitch, contour, finish and the supplementary symbols that change what you must inspect.
NDE Methods
What visual, penetrant, magnetic particle, ultrasonic and radiographic testing each can detect, their limitations, and which discontinuities are missed by which method.
WPS, PQR & WPQ
The qualification chain: how a procedure is qualified, what an essential variable change invalidates, and how a welder's performance qualification is bounded by thickness, position and process.
Ethics & Documentation
AWS QC1 sets the inspector's conduct obligations. The exam and the credential both take seriously that a CWI's signature is relied on by parties who cannot see the weld.
How do you become an AWS Certified Welding Inspector?
Check yourself against the education and experience matrix
AWS trades formal education against documented welding-related experience: more education means fewer years required, and a candidate with only a secondary education needs substantially more experience. The application requires your work history to be documented and verifiable, so gather employer confirmation before you apply.
Pass the vision requirement
A near-vision acuity test, corrected or uncorrected, is required at application and again at renewal. It is not a formality — visual inspection is the job, and AWS treats the requirement as a genuine condition of certification.
Choose your Part C code book
You nominate the code your open-book examination will be built on. Structural fabricators typically choose AWS D1.1, pipeline inspectors API 1104, and pressure equipment inspectors ASME Section IX. Choose the code you actually work to — Part C rewards familiarity with the layout of the book, not general knowledge.
Sit the three-part exam, then keep it current
Most candidates take the AWS seminar week before the exam. After passing, the credential runs on a nine-year cycle: you renew the endorsement at three-year intervals with continuing education or a work-activity declaration, and at nine years you either recertify by examination or by the alternative route AWS specifies.
Where a CWI Signature Is Required
Structural welding to AWS D1.1, pipeline welding to API 1104 and pressure work to ASME rules all contemplate inspection by a qualified individual, and owner specifications routinely name AWS CWI as the way that qualification is satisfied. Many jurisdictions and building departments also require special inspection of structural welding by a certified welding inspector. The practical effect is that fabrication and erection contracts on significant structures cannot be signed off without a CWI in the chain.
AWS CWI, Frequently Asked Questions
CWI in hand? Inspection roles are open.
Fabricators, EPCs and third-party agencies hire CWIs directly. Set your intent and we will route the scopes that match your code.
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