Does our existing SMAW PQR cover FCAW-G if we switch to wire process?

No. Welding process is an essential variable under AWS D1.1:2025 Table 6.6. A change from one process to another requires a new PQR supporting the new process. Your existing SMAW PQR records document only SMAW procedure qualification — they cannot be used to support a FCAW-G WPS.

Can we write a prequalified FCAW-G WPS without a PQR?

Yes, if the WPS meets all of AWS D1.1:2025 Clause 5's prequalified conditions — including the electrode being Clause 5-listed, the joint being a Clause 5 prequalified joint design, the base metal being a prequalified base metal, and all parameters within Clause 5 limits. If any condition falls outside Clause 5, you need a PQR.

What can we reuse from existing WPS documents when adding a new process?

You can reuse the WPS format, numbering scheme, preheat tables, and joint geometry sections. The process-specific essential variables — electrode classification, shielding gas, wire diameter, polarity, current type — must reflect the new process. The supporting PQR must be from the new process. Everything else is administrative reuse.

How many PQRs do we need to add FCAW-G across all joint types and positions?

Minimum practical approach: one PQR on a groove joint (3G position covers the most positions per Table 6.6) gives you broad coverage. Add a second PQR for flat/horizontal (1G/2F/2G) if you want to run SAW or higher heat input parameters not covered by the first. Essential variable scope determines how many WPS documents one PQR can support.

Adding a New Process to Your AWS D1.1 WPS Program: What Must Be Requalified

When a fab shop adds FCAW-G, GMAW, or SAW to an SMAW-only WPS library, AWS D1.1 requires new PQRs. Learn exactly what carries over, what requalifies, and how to structure the expansion efficiently.

A common inflection point in a fab shop's growth: the SMAW-only shop has good documentation, a clean WPS/PQR file, and has been running E7018 on structural steel without complaints. Then a new contract arrives for a large floor plate package, and the project engineer says the production rate on SMAW isn't going to work. Time to add FCAW-G.

What most shop owners don't know upfront is that adding FCAW-G to their program isn't just buying wire and a new welder head. It requires a new PQR, new WPS documents, and new welder performance qualifications. AWS D1.1:2025 Table 6.6 treats welding process as an essential variable — meaning a change in process invalidates the existing procedure qualification.

This article walks through exactly what changes, what carries over, and how to structure the expansion efficiently.

Why Process Is an Essential Variable

AWS D1.1:2025 defines essential variables as those that, when changed, require requalification — meaning the WPS can no longer be used until supported by a new PQR. Table 6.6 lists the essential variables for SMAW, SAW, GMAW, FCAW, and GTAW separately, and near the top of every column is the welding process itself.

The logic is straightforward: SMAW, FCAW-G, and SAW deposit weld metal through fundamentally different arc physics, shielding mechanisms, heat transfer profiles, and deposition rates. A PQR that proves the metallurgical adequacy of an SMAW procedure says nothing about whether FCAW-G at the same nominal joint geometry will produce equivalent tensile strength, bend ductility, and toughness in the HAZ. They're different processes. Separate PQRs are required.

Rule library based on AWS D1.1:2025; verify against your governing edition.

Step 1: Decide Which Path — Prequalified or Tested

Before commissioning a PQR, evaluate whether your new FCAW-G WPS can be written as a prequalified WPS under AWS D1.1:2025 Clause 5. Prequalified WPS documents don't need a PQR. If all of the following conditions are met, you can proceed with a prequalified WPS:

The FCAW-G electrode is listed in Clause 5 (e.g., E71T-1C, E71T-9C within the Clause 5 electrode list)
The joint design matches a Clause 5 prequalified joint detail
The base metal is a Clause 5 prequalified base metal (most A36, A572 Grade 50, A992 qualify)
The welding position is covered by Clause 5 for FCAW-G
You're not using backing materials or consumable inserts that push outside Clause 5

For a shop adding FCAW-G to do standard structural connections (fillet welds, CJP groove welds in W-shape beam-column joints, stiffener fillet welds), the prequalified path is often available. You write the WPS documenting the Clause 5 parameters, sign it, and you're qualified — no PQR needed.

Where shops run into trouble with prequalified FCAW-G:

High heat input outside Clause 5 limits. Clause 5 has maximum heat input guidance; exceeding it for thick plate requires a tested WPS.
Unlisted electrode classifications. A metal-cored wire (GMAW-C) or a specialty E71T-1M blend not in the Clause 5 table needs a tested WPS.
Non-standard joint geometries. Skewed T-joints, tapered groove angles, or joint details designed outside Clause 5 require qualification by test.
CVN impact testing specified by the contract. If the contract requires Charpy V-notch qualification, the WPS must be supported by a PQR that includes CVN tests — prequalified provisions don't produce CVN data.

If any of these applies, plan for a Clause 6 tested WPS.

Step 2: Structure the PQR Testing Program

If you need a tested WPS, design the PQR test program to maximize coverage from minimum testing. Key decisions:

Choose the right test position. AWS D1.1:2025 Table 6.6 (position essential variable) controls what positions a PQR qualifies. Testing in the 3G position (vertical) typically qualifies 3G and below (1G, 2G, 2F, 3G, 3F). Testing 4G (overhead) qualifies overhead and flat. A 3G test plate is the most economical single-test option for most structural fab shops because it covers the critical vertical position plus all easier positions.

Choose appropriate base metal thickness. The PQR test plate thickness determines the qualified production thickness range. A test plate at 3/4 in (19 mm) generally qualifies base metal from 3/16 in (5 mm) to 1-1/2 in (38 mm) per AWS D1.1:2025. If you have contracts with thick plate (2+ inches), consider a heavier test plate.

Set the test WPS parameters to represent production. The essential variable ranges on the final WPS must fall within the parameters tested on the PQR. Don't test at parameters you'd never use in production — and don't test at parameters so narrow that production welders can't hold them. Set amperage, voltage, and travel speed ranges that reflect real shop practice.

Include CVN testing if needed now. If you anticipate contracts requiring CVN qualification (demand-critical welds under AISC 341, cold-service structures, fracture-critical designations), add CVN specimens to this PQR now. Adding them later means a new PQR test program. CVN testing requirements and essential variables are listed in AWS D1.1:2025 Table 6.8 — supplementary essential variables apply whenever CVN tests are specified. See CVN supplementary essential variables under AWS D1.1 for the full list of what triggers retesting.

Step 3: Mechanical Tests Required

A Clause 6 groove weld PQR requires the following mechanical tests per AWS D1.1:2025:

Two tensile specimens (reduced-section or full-section, depending on plate thickness) — must fracture outside the weld metal with UTS at or above the base metal minimum, or fracture in the weld metal but still meet the base metal specification UTS.
Four guided bend specimens (two root bends and two face bends for plate up to 3/8 in; or four side bends for plate over 3/8 in) — no open discontinuities over 1/8 in (3 mm) after bending.
Macro specimen if required by the applicable clause for fillet or PJP groove welds.

Results must be reported on the PQR form with laboratory identification, specimen dimensions, fracture location, and the test engineer's or CWI's signature. The PQR is a legal document of record — it must be retained for the life of the WPS it supports. See what belongs in a PQR record under AWS D1.1 for the complete documentation checklist.

Step 4: Write the New WPS Documents

Once the PQR is signed and test results meet the code requirements, you can write WPS documents referencing that PQR. A single PQR can support multiple WPS documents as long as each WPS falls within the essential variable ranges the PQR establishes.

For example, one 3G FCAW-G PQR on A572 Grade 50 base metal could support:

WPS-101: FCAW-G groove weld, A572-50, flat/horizontal
WPS-102: FCAW-G groove weld, A572-50, vertical-up
WPS-103: FCAW-G fillet weld, A572-50, all positions (groove PQR qualifies fillet under AWS D1.1)

What you cannot do with that same PQR:

Support a GMAW (solid wire) WPS — different process
Support an SAW WPS — different process
Support a WPS with CVN requirements unless CVN tests were part of the PQR test program

See using multiple WPS from a single PQR under AWS D1.1 for the full scope of what one PQR covers.

Step 5: Requalify Welders

Adding a new process also means welder performance qualifications (WPQ) must reflect the new process. Your welders' existing SMAW WPQs do not cover FCAW-G production work. AWS D1.1:2025 requires welders to be qualified for the process, electrode F-number, and position they'll use in production.

For FCAW-G, typical qualification testing:

Groove test in the 3G position with the actual FCAW-G electrode class (E71T-1 or E71T-9 suffix matches the production classification)
Visual inspection + bend tests from the test coupon
WPQ record signed by the CWI or authorized inspector

Welders who are productive SMAW welders will still need qualification test runs with the wire process — the coordination skills are different, and the WPQ is process-specific.

If you're adding multiple welders to a new process at once, set up a qualification day with enough test coupons for all candidates. Failing one candidate doesn't invalidate others' tests. See welder performance qualification under AWS D1.1 for the complete process.

What Actually Carries Over from the Old SMAW Program

Not everything changes. When you add FCAW-G:

Reuse as-is:

WPS document format and numbering scheme
Preheat and interpass temperature tables (preheat is determined by base metal chemistry and thickness, not welding process — an A572 Grade 50 joint needs the same minimum preheat regardless of whether you run SMAW or FCAW-G)
Base metal identification and CMTR review procedures
NDE procedures and acceptance criteria (AWS D1.1 weld acceptance criteria are independent of welding process)
Corrective action and nonconformance procedures
CWI inspection plan and hold points

Must be updated or created new:

WPS documents for the new process (new document, referencing new PQR)
PQR supporting the new process
WPQ records for all welders who will use the new process
Electrode procurement and storage procedures (FCAW-G wire has different storage requirements than SMAW electrodes — no oven required, but wire must stay sealed and dry)
Shielding gas supply and flow rate documentation on the WPS

Practical Timeline

For a small-to-mid fab shop adding FCAW-G to an existing SMAW program:

Week 1: Evaluate which WPS can be prequalified (no PQR needed) vs. which requires a tested WPS. Write prequalified WPS documents for standard joints.
Week 2–3: Set up and weld PQR test coupon(s). Send to testing lab. Allow 5–7 business days for test results.
Week 3–4: Receive PQR test results. If passing, write the tested WPS documents referencing the PQR.
Week 4–5: Conduct welder qualification tests. Review and approve WPQs.
Week 5: Begin production with documented, compliant FCAW-G WPS program.

For shops working toward AISC Certification or responding to a contract submittal requirement, software-managed WPS libraries make the new-process expansion cleaner — every document references the correct PQR, essential variable coverage is tracked automatically, and requalification triggers are flagged when production parameters change. See WPS software vs. spreadsheet management for fab shops and compare options at /pricing.

Adding a new welding process to an AWS D1.1 program is a routine expansion that every growing fab shop eventually faces. The documentation path is clear: new process means new PQR (or prequalified WPS where Clause 5 allows), new WPS documents, and new WPQs for production welders. The SMAW foundation carries forward in structure, preheat requirements, and inspection protocols — but the process-specific qualification chain must be built from scratch for the new process.