Welder continuity log template — and when welding certifications expire
A welder qualification stays in effect as long as the welder keeps using the process. Go more than six months without welding with it and the qualification for that process is no longer current. A continuity log is how you prove the gap never happened. Below: the rules in plain language, a printable six-month log you can use today, and the practices auditors look for.
How continuity and expiry actually work
Paraphrased from the structural welding code's welder qualification continuity provisions. Always read the edition and any project specification that governs your work — contracts and other codes can be stricter.
- Qualification does not expire on a date — it lapses from disuse
- Under the structural welding code's continuity provisions, a welder's qualification stays effective indefinitely as long as the welder keeps using the process. What ends it is a gap: if the welder has not worked with that welding process for more than six months, the qualification for that process is no longer considered current.
- Continuity is tracked per process, not per welder
- A welder qualified in FCAW and SMAW can stay current in one and lapse in the other. That is why a continuity log has a row per welder and per process, and why a single 'last weld date' on a personnel file is not enough evidence.
- Any qualified production or test weld resets the clock
- There is no minimum quantity or duration. One documented weld with that process inside the six-month window keeps the qualification current, which is exactly why the log matters: without dated entries you cannot prove the window was never broken.
- A lapse in one process needs only a limited retest
- Where continuity lapses, requalification is normally by a single test weld in the applicable position and process rather than a full requalification of everything the welder holds. Keep the retest record attached to the original qualification record.
- Performance can be revoked regardless of continuity
- If there is specific reason to question a welder's ability — repeated rejects, NDT failures, a repair trend — the qualification can be withdrawn even while the six-month clock is healthy. Tie that decision to the nonconformance record that triggered it.
The six-month continuity log
Quality record
Welder Continuity Log — 6 Month Period
Company: ______________________
Period: ________ to ________
| Welder | Stamp | Process | Month 1 | Month 2 | Month 3 | Month 4 | Month 5 | Month 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ____________________ | ____ | FCAW | ||||||
| ____________________ | ____ | SMAW | ||||||
| ____________________ | ____ | GMAW | ||||||
| ____________________ | ____ | SAW | ||||||
| ____________________ | ____ | ____ | ||||||
| ____________________ | ____ | ____ | ||||||
| ____________________ | ____ | ____ | ||||||
| ____________________ | ____ | ____ |
Enter the date of a qualified weld made with that process in the month it occurred. An empty run of six consecutive months means the qualification for that process has lapsed and a retest is required before further production welding.
Reviewed by: ____________________ Title: ____________________ Date: ____________
What auditors look for in the log
- Sign and date the log monthly; an unsigned grid is not objective evidence under AISC 207-25 §1.9.
- Keep the log with the welder qualification test record (WQTR) so an auditor can follow one welder from test to current status.
- Record the process, not the job — 'Bay 3' proves nothing about which process was used.
- Flag welders at five months, not six; a lapse discovered after the fact means rework of the traceability, not just a retest.
- Cross-reference weld logs so the continuity entry is backed by an actual production record with a WPS number.
- Retain lapsed and superseded logs for the retention period stated in your quality manual (§1.9).
The log only holds up if the procedure behind the weld is controlled too — see WPS vs PQR and the free WPS template, and the AISC 207-25 compliance guide for how personnel and process-control records fit the wider quality system.
Questions about welder continuity and expiry
- What is a welder continuity log?
- A welder continuity log is a dated record showing that each qualified welder has used each of their qualified welding processes within the last six months. It is normally a grid with one row per welder and process and one column per month, initialled or dated when a qualified weld was made with that process. Its purpose is to demonstrate, without hunting through job paperwork, that no qualification has lapsed.
- Do welding certifications expire?
- A welder performance qualification does not expire on a fixed calendar date the way a certificate might suggest. Under the structural welding code's continuity rules it remains in effect as long as the welder continues to use the process; it lapses if more than six months pass without welding with that process, or if there is specific reason to question the welder's ability. Some owners, contracts or other codes impose their own periodic requalification, so check the governing specification for the job.
- How often does a welder need to weld to stay qualified?
- At least once every six months with each process the welder is qualified in. There is no minimum number of welds or hours — one documented qualified weld inside the window is enough, provided you can produce the dated record.
- What happens if a welder's continuity lapses?
- The qualification for that process is no longer current, so the welder should not be assigned to that process until requalified. Requalification is normally a single test weld in the applicable process and position rather than a full retest of every qualification held. Document the retest and attach it to the original qualification record so the history stays intact.
- Who is responsible for maintaining the continuity log?
- Whoever your quality manual names — usually the quality manager or welding coordinator. What an auditor checks is that the manual assigns the responsibility, that the named person is actually the one signing, and that the log is current as of the audit date.
- Does an AISC audit look at welder continuity?
- Yes. Personnel qualification and process control expectations in AISC 207-25 (§1.18, §1.12.1) mean an auditor will sample welders, ask for their qualification records, and then ask how you know each one is still current. A signed continuity log with dated entries that agree with your weld records answers that in one document.
Or stop maintaining the grid by hand
In SteelQMS, continuity advances automatically as welds are logged on the shop floor: each weld records its welder, process and WPS, the welder's six-month window rolls forward on its own, and welders approaching a lapse are flagged before the qualification goes stale — with the qualification test records and weld history attached for the auditor.