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Welder continuity log template

A welder continuity log is the record that shows each welder's qualifications are still in force. It lists every welder and every process they are qualified for, with the last date they welded with it, so nobody keeps welding on a qualification that has lapsed. The two codes most shops work to, ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code Section IX for pressure work and AWS D1.1 for structural steel, both keep a welder's performance qualification in force only while the welder keeps using the process: if six months go by without welding with a process, the qualifications for that process lapse, and the welder has to requalify or renew as the code sets out. Read the clause in the edition of the code you work to, and your customer's rules, which can be stricter. This template has the log, with columns for the welder, stamp, WPS, process, positions, thickness and diameter range, test date, last use, who verified it and the next lapse date. It also has 20 checks on the qualification records, the log and each job, and a worked example. The Excel version works out each lapse date six months after the last use, shows the days left from the review date, and flags anything due within 30 days or already lapsed.

Free to use: print it, copy it and edit it for your team. Enter your name and work email once to download.

Page 1 of the welder continuity logHeader fields for the shop, the code and the review date, and a table with columns for welder, stamp, WPS, process, positions, ranges, test date, last use, job or weld ID, verified by and next lapse date.
Welder, stamp, WPS, processPositions and rangesTest date and last useVerified byNext lapse dateDue and lapsed flags20 checksWorked example
Filled-in Welder continuity log template: a monthly review of three welders
The same sheet filled in with the worked example (page 3 of the PDF, illustrative numbers). Open full size (opens the picture in a new tab)

When to use it

When to use a welder continuity log

  • In any shop that welds to ASME Section IX or AWS D1.1, from the day the first welder qualifies.
  • At the monthly review, to see who is close to a lapse and give them work with that process in time.
  • Before a code weld is assigned, to check the welder is qualified and current for its process, position and thickness.
  • In a customer, authorized inspector or certification audit, to show continuity for every welder in one place.

How to fill it in

  1. 1

    List every qualification

    One row per welder per process, from the welder performance qualification record: stamp, WPS, process, positions, and the thickness and diameter ranges the test qualified.

  2. 2

    Record last use from real welds

    Each time a welder uses a process on a job, enter the date and the job or weld ID. A supervisor or inspector verifies the entry.

  3. 3

    Let the log work out the lapse date

    The next lapse date is six months after the last use. The Excel version works it out with EDATE and shows the days left from the review date.

  4. 4

    Review it monthly

    Sort by days left. Anyone within 30 days gets work with that process before the date; anyone past it is marked lapsed.

  5. 5

    Stop lapsed welders on that process

    Take the welder off jobs with that process and update the skills matrix or job cover matrix the same day. Requalify or renew as the code sets out.

  6. 6

    Keep the records

    File the qualification records with the log, and keep both for as long as the code, the customer and the contract require.

The rule in each code

ASME Section IX and AWS D1.1 continuity, side by side

Both codes tie continuity to the process, not to the position or the WPS. The rules are paraphrased here, not quoted: read the clause in your edition before you rely on them.

  • Used for

    ASME Section IX
    Boilers, pressure vessels and piping built to the ASME code
    AWS D1.1
    Structural steel welding
  • The rule, paraphrased

    ASME Section IX
    A qualification for a process lapses when the welder has not welded with that process for six months or more (QW-322)
    AWS D1.1
    A qualification stays in force unless the welder has not used the process for more than six months
  • Kept current by

    ASME Section IX
    Welding with that process within the six months
    AWS D1.1
    Using that process within the six months
  • Also ended by

    ASME Section IX
    A specific reason to question the welder's ability
    AWS D1.1
    A specific reason to question the welder's ability
  • Check

    ASME Section IX
    The edition you build to, and your authorized inspector
    AWS D1.1
    The edition named in your contract documents

What to check

The 20 checks on the records, the log and each job

Seven checks on each welder's qualification record, eight on keeping the continuity log, and five the supervisor makes before giving a welder a job. The codes set the rules; these checks keep the log honest.

The qualification record

One record per test, kept with the log

  1. 1The record names the welder, the stamp or ID, the code and its edition, and the WPS the test was welded to
  2. 2The process is recorded, and whether it was manual, semi-automatic, machine or automatic
  3. 3Positions qualified are written as the range the code allows from the test, not only the test position
  4. 4Thickness and diameter ranges qualified are worked out from the test coupon using the code's tables and written on the record
  5. 5The filler metal group or classification, backing and the other variables the code lists are recorded
  6. 6Test results (visual, bend, radiography or other) are recorded with who examined them and when, and the employer has certified the record
  7. 7The record can be found from the log in under a minute

The continuity log

Kept current every month

  1. 8Every qualified welder has a row for every process they hold
  2. 9Last use is taken from a real weld (a job, a weld ID or a work order), never from memory
  3. 10Each entry is verified by a supervisor, an inspector or the welding coordinator, with the date
  4. 11The next lapse date is worked out from the last use, for each process
  5. 12The log is reviewed on a set day at least once a month, and the review is signed
  6. 13A welder due to lapse within 30 days is given work with that process, under the code's rules, before the date
  7. 14A lapsed qualification is marked lapsed on the day it lapses, and the welder stops using that process until requalified
  8. 15A welder whose work gives a specific reason to question their skill, such as repeated rejects, is reviewed whatever the log says

Before a weld is assigned

The supervisor's check

  1. 16The job's WPS, process, position and thickness are inside the welder's qualified ranges
  2. 17The welder's continuity for that process is current on the day of welding
  3. 18Customer or contract rules stricter than the code, such as extra tests or a shorter period, are known and applied
  4. 19The skills matrix or job cover matrix shows the same status as the log
  5. 20Records are kept for as long as the code, the customer or the contract requires

A filled-in example

Illustrative, not a benchmark

An example: a fabrication shop's monthly review on 31 October 2026, with three welders and four qualifications (illustrative, the same as page 3 of the PDF and the Excel example sheet).

Days left on each example qualification at the 31 October review

  1. J. Ortiz, W-12, GMAW173 dayscurrent
  2. J. Ortiz, W-12, FCAW123 dayscurrent
  3. R. Patel, W-17, GTAW14 daysdue
  4. D. Kim, W-23, FCAWlapsed 11 days agolapsed

J. Ortiz GMAW 173 days left, J. Ortiz FCAW 123 days, R. Patel GTAW 14 days (due within 30 days), D. Kim FCAW lapsed 11 days before the review.

The next lapse date is six months after the last use. Anything inside 30 days gets work with that process before the date; anything past it is lapsed.
  • J. Ortiz, stamp W-12, GMAW: last used on 22 October 2026 on job 5520. Lapses on 22 April 2027, 173 days away. Current.
  • J. Ortiz, W-12, FCAW: last used on 3 September 2026. Lapses on 3 March 2027, 123 days away. Current.
  • R. Patel, W-17, GTAW to ASME Section IX: last used on 14 May 2026. Lapses on 14 November 2026, 14 days away. Due within 30 days.
  • D. Kim, W-23, FCAW: last used on 20 April 2026. Lapsed on 20 October 2026, 11 days before the review.

R. Patel was given the GTAW welds on the next job that week, verified by the inspector, which moved the lapse date six months on. D. Kim was taken off FCAW work on the job cover matrix the same day and booked for a requalification test, and the review asked why the lapse was not caught in September.

Common mistakes

  • Filling in the log from memory

    A last-use date has to come from a real weld: a job, a weld ID or a work order. A date nobody can trace will not stand up in an audit.

  • One row per welder

    Continuity runs per process. A welder busy on GMAW every day can still lapse on GTAW.

  • Reviewing only before an audit

    A lapse found at the audit means code welds were made on a lapsed qualification. Review every month.

  • Letting the log and the skills matrix disagree

    Supervisors assign work from the matrix they see. Update both on the same day.

  • Ignoring stricter customer rules

    A contract can ask for more than the code, such as extra tests or a shorter period. Note it on the log.

Download the template

Free to use: print it, copy it and edit it for your team. Enter your name and work email once to download.

Run this template in LeanSuite

A job cover matrix shows who is qualified to cover each job. LeanSuite builds it from skill levels and signed-off procedures, so you can cover an absence fast and spot single points of failure.

See it in a 45-minute demo

FAQ

Welder continuity log template: common questions

  1. A record showing that each welder has used each process they are qualified for recently enough to keep the qualification in force. It lists the last date of use for each process and the date each qualification would lapse.

  2. Under ASME Section IX and AWS D1.1 it stays in force as long as the welder keeps welding with the process: six months without it and the qualification for that process lapses. A specific reason to question the welder's ability ends it too. Customers and contracts can set shorter periods.

  3. The WPS is the written procedure for making a weld. The PQR records the test weld that proved the procedure. The WPQ records the test a welder passed, and the continuity log keeps that qualification current.

  4. As your code sets out, usually with a new test, which some codes allow in a shorter form for renewal. Read the clause in your edition, and keep the welder off code work with that process until it is done.

  5. Whoever your quality manual names, usually a welding supervisor, an inspector or the welding coordinator, who can see the job or weld record each entry comes from.

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