Welder continuity log: free tracker and printable template.

Passing a qualification test gives a welder a WPQ(welder performance qualification) for a process, position and thickness range. Continuity is what keeps that WPQ alive afterwards. AWS D1.1:2025 6.2.3.1 (Period of Effectiveness) says a welder's or welding operator's qualification remains in effect indefinitely unless the welder is not engaged in a given process for a period exceeding six months, or there is a specific reason to question their ability.

So the question an auditor asks is not "when did this welder test?" but "when did this welder last use this process on production work, and can you show me?" A continuity log answers it for every welder and process at once. More background in the AWS D1.1 six month lapse and welder performance qualification.

AWS D1.1. The clock is per process. Using SMAW keeps SMAW current, not GMAW or FCAW. The lapse date is six months after the last production weld with that process. Once it passes, 6.25.1.3 requires a requalification test before the welder goes back to production in that process, and the Inspector is to verify the retest was passed before production welding resumes (8.4.1). Tack welders are the exception: 6.2.3.2 keeps a tack welder qualified indefinitely unless there is reason to question their ability.

ASME Section IX.The period of effectiveness is in QW-322. It also uses a six month window per process: a welder who has not welded with a process for six months loses qualification in that process, and qualification can also be revoked when there is specific reason to question the welder's ability. ASME treats some changes inside what AWS calls one process as separate essential variables, so check the QW-350 variables on your WPQs. See QW-322 explained. Refer to the Section IX edition your code of construction specifies.

Shops working to both codes track both. A lapse under one does not change the status under the other.

AWS D1.1:2025 6.2.2.2 makes each manufacturer or Contractor responsible for qualifying its welders, welding operators and tack welders, and 8.4.1 has the Inspector verify that production welding is done by qualified people. The code does not hand you a mandatory continuity form; what an auditor wants is a dated record that can be traced to real work.

In most shops the QC manager or CWI owns the log, updates it from weld maps, travelers or ID stamp records, and signs and dates it on a fixed schedule (monthly is common). Your quality manual or the contract may name who must sign. See welder ID stamps and traceability.

1. One row per welder instead of per process. A welder who runs FCAW every day can still have a lapsed SMAW qualification. Log each process on its own row.
2. Counting from the test date. The six months run from the last use of the process, not from the WPQ date. A welder who tested two years ago and welded last week is current.
3. Dates with nothing behind them. A date in a spreadsheet is a claim. Keep the traveler, weld map or stamp record that shows the welder used that process on that date.
4. Updating the log only before an audit. Back-filling months of dates is where errors and gaps show up. Update it as work is done and review it on a schedule.
5. Letting a lapsed welder keep welding. Once the lapse date passes, that welder needs a requalification test (6.25.1.3) before more production welds with that process.
6. Forgetting the other trigger.Continuity is not the only reason a qualification ends: 6.2.3.1 also covers a specific reason to question the welder's ability. See requalification after a lapse.

1. Add one row per welder per process, with the WPQ date and the last production weld date.
2. Check the status column. Lapsing means 30 days or fewer remain; schedule that welder on that process or plan a retest.
3. Update the last weld date in the table as work is done. Rows are saved in this browser.
4. Print the log or download the CSV for your quality records, then have your CWI or QC manager sign it.
5. Prefer paper on the floor? Print the blank template and fill it in by hand.

What is a welder continuity log?

A record, kept per welder and per process, of the most recent date the welder used that process in production. It is the evidence that a welder qualification is still in effect. Under AWS D1.1 and ASME Section IX a qualification lapses after six months without using the process, so the log shows when each one would lapse.

How long is a welder qualification good for under AWS D1.1?

Indefinitely, with two exceptions in AWS D1.1:2025 6.2.3.1: the welder is not engaged in that process for a period exceeding six months, or there is a specific reason to question the welder’s ability. A test date alone does not keep a qualification current; use of the process does.

Does welding with one process keep the others current?

No. The six month clock runs separately for each process. A welder who runs only FCAW for seven months keeps FCAW but loses SMAW, so the log needs one row per welder per process.

Who signs the continuity log?

The code makes the Contractor responsible for welder qualification (AWS D1.1:2025 6.2.2.2) and has the Inspector verify that production welding is done by qualified welders (8.4.1). In practice a QC manager or CWI reviews the log on a set schedule and signs and dates it. Check your quality manual and contract for who must sign.

What happens when a qualification lapses?

Under AWS D1.1:2025 6.25.1.3 a requalification test is required. The welder may use a 3/8 in test plate, which qualifies any production thickness of 1/8 in or more. If that requalification retest is failed, no immediate retest is allowed; further training or practice comes first (6.25.1.4).

Do tack welders need continuity?

Not under AWS D1.1. A qualified tack welder stays eligible indefinitely in the positions and process qualified, unless there is a specific reason to question their ability (6.2.3.2). Welders and welding operators are covered by the six month rule.