Welding procedure qualification records: Australian buyer acceptance

Accept a supplier’s procedure package when the proposed joints are traceable to relevant procedure evidence and the required project approvals; return specific unresolved gaps before releasing affected work. [5][6]

• Required by the project: check the nominated standard and edition, drawings, procedure evidence, personnel qualifications, inspection requirements and approval authority. [5][6]
• Additional assurance: audits, first-article checks and pre-shipment inspections are recommended for a first container order. [3]

1. Establish what the package must cover

Start with a review header linking the submission to the work: [5][6]

• Job identity: order reference, approved drawing revision and production weld or joint identifiers. [6]
• Technical basis: material specification, nominated welding standard and exact edition, proposed Welding Procedure Specification (WPS) and claimed qualification range. [5][6]
• Acceptance and approval: acceptance criteria, inspection and test plan, and the role authorised to approve deviations or repairs. [5][6]

Request missing entries against the project documents rather than guessing the standard, edition or approval authority. [5][6]

Keep the guidance in context. AMSA’s 2019 instructions concern aluminium domestic commercial vessels under AS/NZS 1665, not general structural-steel fabrication. [1] Bingfa’s international buyer guide and Guanglei’s China/Malaysia-based fabrication guidance provide background, not Australian qualification requirements. [5][6]

2. Separate personnel evidence from procedure evidence

A company certificate or qualified welder does not, by itself, establish coverage of the proposed welding procedure. Bingfa distinguishes these evidence types: [5]

• Company certification: check the named entity, factory, certified scope and relevant activities. A trading-services scope is not equivalent to structural-steel fabrication scope. [5]
• Welder qualification: compare the individual’s documented range with the assigned process, position, material, thickness and joint configuration. Check validity and continuity under project rules. [6]
• Procedure evidence: identify the WPS covering the joint and its supporting qualification record, or the prequalified route permitted by the governing standard. [6]

Ask: “Which approved WPS covers this joint, and what supports its use?” If the supplier claims prequalification, request the applicable governing-standard provision rather than rejecting the package solely because a test-based record is absent. [6]

Terminology also needs checking: AMSA uses WPQR, while Openex and the steel-buyer guides use PQR and/or WPQR. Ask the supplier to identify the record’s function under the nominated standard rather than treating the labels as universally interchangeable. [1][2][5][6]

3. Build the drawing-to-procedure document trail

Link each relevant joint or clearly defined joint group to its proposed WPS and supporting qualification record or documented prequalified basis. Guanglei recommends connecting joint identifiers with drawing revision, material identity, procedure, welder, inspection results and repair history. [6]

Use a working list for each joint group:

• Drawing: reference and revision being released.
• Joint: weld-map reference or defined group.
• Material: reference linking the joint to its material records.
• WPS: procedure number and revision proposed for production.
• Supporting basis: qualification-record reference or documented prequalification provision.
• Open item: mismatch, missing link and requested response.

Compare the WPS’s process, joint details, materials and relevant variables with its supporting record. Ask the fabricator to demonstrate coverage under the nominated standard and edition. [5][6]

Request underlying qualification-test records, not merely a WPS title page. AMSA’s aluminium-vessel guidance illustrates a completed-WPS-plus-required-test-records approach. [1] China-based Openex’s buyer checklist separately identifies WPS, PQR, welder qualification and post-weld heat-treatment documentation. [2]

Example request: “The weld map cites WPS-07 revision B, but the package contains revision A. Please reconcile the revision and confirm its supporting qualification or prequalified basis.” This identifies the documentary gap without deciding whether either revision is technically invalid.

4. Reconcile production material identity

Follow the drawing or order’s material reference through to the mill certificate and physical material identification. Overseas workshop CortenFactory’s checklist recommends tying the specified grade and steel batch to the mill and reconciling certificates with order and packing records. [3]

• Check particulars: reconcile grade, material standard, heat or cast number, dimensions and quantity against the order and delivery records. Swiss-based M7 Metals’ retained certificate guidance also describes matching physical material tags to certificate heat or cast numbers. [4]
• Separate production and test material: ask how the qualification evidence covers the proposed production material; matching material identity and demonstrating procedure coverage are different checks. [4][6]
• Refer differences: flag changes in grade, chemistry or thickness for technical comparison rather than inferring coverage from a similar material description. [6]

If material has not arrived, leave the certificate-to-marking check open and identify the project hold point controlling its completion. Agree material-control and traceability records before fabrication rather than reconstructing them at dispatch. [6]

5. Trace the qualification test piece to its report

Carry the check beyond the qualification record’s title page. In its aluminium-vessel context, AMSA identifies the completed WPS and records of tests required by the application standard as documentary evidence for prior-experience qualification. [1]

Use these proposed cross-reference checks when requesting the supporting report; they are not a prescribed Australian report format:

• References: place the qualification-record identifier, recorded test-piece or coupon identifier and supporting report reference together.
• Scope: reconcile the tested material and joint details with the qualification record being relied on.
• Results: request the complete results and stated acceptance basis rather than an isolated “pass” summary.
• Report status: check the issue or revision and the authorisation or signature required by the project.

If identifiers differ, request the documented connection between the test piece, qualification record and report. Record an unexplained difference as a traceability question, not automatically as evidence of a failed test. This applies the document-traceability approach described by Guanglei. [6]

Example request: “The qualification record names coupon Q-12; the report names T-08 without a cross-reference. Please provide the documented connection and identify which report supports this qualification record.”

The cited guidance does not establish a universal coupon-identification method, chain-of-custody method or signed-report format. [1][6] Take requirements for the test provider, report authorisation and specimen identification from the governing project documents; include those requirements in the closeout request.

Keep documentary and technical findings separate: an unexplained evidence link needs clarification, while a result outside the stated acceptance criteria needs technical resolution. [5][6]

6. Refer changed work for technical review

A difference between proposed work and supporting evidence calls for technical comparison, not an automatic conclusion that retesting is required. Guanglei identifies the following qualification- or weldability-sensitive matters. [6]

• Material and thickness: changed grade, chemistry or thickness. Ask for a comparison linking the production material to the WPS and qualification basis. [6]
• Joint and position: changed joint configuration or welding position. Request an assessment against the governing qualification provisions and revised documents where needed. [6]
• Process and consumables: changed process or consumable classification. Ask whether the change remains within supported coverage and whether the WPS needs revision. [6]
• Other controlled variables: changed polarity, preheat, interpass control, travel technique, restraint, heat input or service conditions. Request the applicable controls and any additional evidence or testing needed. [6]
• Fabrication location: workshop welding moves to site. Check procedure and inspection arrangements for position, access, weather protection, temporary stability and field records. [6]

For repairs, request the controlled repair method, required inspection and closeout records rather than assuming the original procedure covers every repair. [6]

Ask for a written technical disposition identifying the governing basis, revised documents and additional evidence needed. Route approval through the project’s nominated authority. [5][6]

7. Agree submission and release arrangements

Confirm Australian structural-steel submission deadlines, review fees, processing times and procedure-record renewal intervals against the project requirements. [5][6] Record the applicable arrangements in the project documents or supplier agreement:

• Documents: required WPSs, supporting qualification records, test reports and personnel evidence; distinguish contractual requirements from extra assurance requests. [5][6]
• Timing: submission date, fabrication hold point and agreed review turnaround. Openex reports a 30–45 day standard delivery window for welding fabrication; this is a manufacturing delivery commitment, not a qualification-review turnaround. [2]
• Approval: reviewer, approval authority, comment recipient and corrected-document resubmission route. [5][6]
• Charges: obtain written terms for any review, testing or resubmission charges.
• Ongoing duties: identify applicable certificate-validity checks, personnel continuity obligations and procedure reassessment requirements. [5][6]

Keep personnel continuity and certificate validity separate from whether the procedure covers the work. [5][6] Optional supplier audits and inspection checkpoints can supplement the package, but do not replace its procedure evidence. CortenFactory recommends completing the audit before the deposit, the sample check before the balance, and the pre-shipment inspection before final payment. [3]

8. Record the accept-or-return decision

Before release, record the status of these checks: [5][6]

• Controlling drawings, revisions, specifications and acceptance criteria identified.
• Personnel qualifications and procedure evidence checked separately.
• Production joints linked to the proposed WPS and supporting basis.
• Material identity reconciled to the extent required at this stage.
• Qualification-test records linked to supporting reports.
• Technical differences resolved and required approvals recorded.

Accept: identify the work being released within the assigned project authority. Handle exceptions through the authorised project process rather than assuming conditional release resolves missing evidence. [5][6]

Return: identify the affected welds and the evidence, correction or technical disposition needed. A targeted request can use this structure:

Production weld and drawing/revision: …
Affected WPS or qualification document: …
Observed gap: …
Requested evidence or technical response: …
Project approval role: …
Agreed response date: …

Retain responses, revised documents, approvals and the resulting decision in the agreed project dossier, with relevant nonconformance, repair and reinspection closeout records. [6]

References

1. Domestic Commercial Vessel INSTRUCTIONS TO SURVEYORS DCV-ITS-008 (05/2019) (amsa.gov.au)
2. Heavy Metal Fabrication Capability: What Buyers Verify (htnxt.com, 2026)
3. Corten Steel Manufacturer Audit: Workshop Checklist (cortenfactory.com)
4. Reading a Mill Test Certificate: EN 10204 Explained | M7 Metals (m7metals.com)
5. Steel Structure Company Certifications: Buyer’s Guide (bfsteelstructure.com)
6. Steel Structure Welding Quality Checklist (glsteel-structure.com)