Can the same document serve as a WPS and a PQR?

No. A WPS is the prescription; a PQR is the test record. They reference each other but serve different roles. Some software prints both side-by-side, but each is a distinct, separately signed document.

Does every WPS need a PQR?

No. A WPS that falls inside the AWS D1.1 Clause 5 prequalified limits does not need a project-specific PQR. WPSs that fall outside prequalified limits — or that follow ASME Section IX or API 1104 — must be qualified with a PQR.

A Welder Performance Qualification (WPQ) is a test that proves an individual welder can produce a sound weld while following a given WPS. The welder, not the procedure, is being qualified. Required by AWS D1.1 Clause 6.

How long does a WPQ stay valid?

Under AWS D1.1, a welder's qualification remains valid as long as they continue to weld with the qualified process. After 6 months without using a process, they must requalify in that process. Severe defects in production work can also require immediate requalification.

WPS vs PQR vs WPQ: what's the difference?

WPS prescribes how to weld. PQR proves a procedure produces sound welds. WPQ proves a welder can follow it. Three documents, three roles — explained in one read.

Three documents do three different jobs, and confusing them is the most common cause of failed code audits.

WPS — the recipe

A Welding Procedure Specification (WPS) is a written set of instructions. It tells the welder which process, filler, base metal, joint, position, preheat, parameters, and PWHT to use. It is signed by a Certified Welding Inspector or welding engineer. Every weld made in production should be traceable to a WPS.

A WPS is forward-looking — "weld it like this."

PQR — the proof

A Procedure Qualification Record (PQR) is what you generate when you actually weld a test coupon following a draft WPS and submit that coupon for mechanical testing. The PQR records:

The actual welding variables used (not ranges — actual numbers)
Tensile test results
Bend test results
Macroetch results, if required
CVN (impact) test results, if required by Table 6.8
The lab certification

A PQR is backward-looking — "we welded it like this, and the coupon passed."

One PQR can support multiple WPSs, as long as each WPS stays inside the essential-variable ranges qualified by that PQR.

WPQ — the welder's qualification

A Welder Performance Qualification (WPQ), sometimes called a Welder Qualification Test Record (WQTR), is the document proving that a specific welder, by name and stamp number, can successfully follow a given WPS. It records:

The welder's name, ID, and stamp
The WPS used
Position(s) qualified
Thickness range qualified
Process(es) qualified
Date of test and date of expiration

The welder, not the procedure, is being qualified.

Which one do you need on the wall?

For any production weld, you should be able to point to:

A signed WPS that covers this weld's process, base metal, position, and thickness
A PQR that supports the WPS (or evidence the WPS is prequalified under Clause 5)
A current WPQ for the welder making the weld, covering this position, thickness, and process

Missing any of the three is a deficiency.

Common mix-ups

Calling a PQR a "qualified WPS" — they are linked but not the same
Treating one welder's WPQ as a shop-wide qualification — WPQs are per-welder
Using a PQR from 2018 to support a 2025-edition WPS without checking that essential variables didn't renumber (in AWS D1.1 they did — Tables 4.5 → 6.6, etc.)
Filing a WPS without a backing PQR reference and no prequalified-clause citation

A good WPS tool links to the supporting PQR by number and warns when essential variables fall outside its qualified range.