AWS D1.1 visual inspection is the one examination every weld under the Structural Welding Code – Steel must pass: there is no sampling, and acceptance is judged against the eight items of Table 8.1, with no crack of any size accepted. Most of the work happens before the arc is struck, which is why this checklist has three stages.
A note on editions. AWS lists the current code as AWS D1.1/D1.1M:2025-AMD1, and its product page says the 2025 edition brings "refined acceptance criteria and inspection guidance". D1.1 is paywalled. The clause numbers and limits below come from the 2020 and 2025 numbering as reproduced in CWI study material and AWS forum quotations, cross-checked against each other, and they must be confirmed against the edition your contract names. Clause 6 and Table 6.1 are the pre-2020 numbers for the same material.
What does AWS D1.1 visual inspection cover?
AWS D1.1 visual inspection covers the whole job, not only the finished bead: the inspector confirms the procedure, the welder, the materials and the joint before welding, watches the parameters during welding, and then accepts or rejects the completed weld against Table 8.1. AWS describes the code's reach in one sentence on its D1.1 page:
"It establishes the requirements for welding structural steel, including procedure qualification, welder qualification, fabrication, inspection, and acceptance criteria." (AWS, D1.1/D1.1M:2025)
Study material for the 2025 edition puts the visual requirement in clause 8.9: all welds are visually inspected, and acceptance is by Table 8.1. That makes visual inspection different from ultrasonic or radiographic testing, which D1.1 applies only when the contract documents call for them (see our guide to AWS D1.1 acceptance criteria for how UT indications are rated).
D1.1 also splits inspection between two parties. Daryl Peterson's February 2023 Inspection Trends article places contractor's inspection (quality control, before, during and after welding) in clause 8.1.2.1 and verification inspection (the owner's quality assurance) in clause 8.1.2.2 of D1.1:2020. The checklist below is written for the contractor's inspector, who does most of the visual work. A verification inspector uses the same list as an audit.
| Stage | Purpose | What it prevents |
|---|---|---|
| Before welding | Confirm the weld can be made to the code at all | Welding to the wrong or no WPS, unqualified welders, bad fit-up, missing preheat |
| During welding | Confirm the weld is being made the way the WPS says | Interpass cracking, lack of fusion between passes, trapped slag |
| After welding | Accept or reject the finished weld against Table 8.1 | Shipping a weld with cracks, undercut, porosity or the wrong size |
Key takeaway: a visual inspector who appears only after the last pass can judge the surface, but can no longer show that the weld was made to its procedure.
Before welding: what does the inspector check?
Before welding, the inspector confirms five things: the WPS, the welder's qualification, the materials, the joint fit-up and the preheat. A weld made without any of them is a nonconformance before anyone looks at the bead.
1. The welding procedure specification (WPS)
Every D1.1 weld needs a written WPS, whether the procedure is prequalified under Clause 5 or qualified by test under Clause 6 with a procedure qualification record (PQR). The inspector checks that the WPS on the job:
- covers the process, joint type, base metal group, thickness range, position and filler metal actually in use
- is the current revision approved for the project
- if prequalified, stays inside every prequalified limit; one variable outside the limits sends the procedure to qualification testing
- if qualified by test, is supported by a PQR held by the organization doing the welding
Our WPS and PQR guide explains the two routes and how to read the documents.
2. Welder qualification
The inspector checks that each welder, welding operator or tack welder holds a current qualification for the process and position being used, and that the qualification record matches the person at the joint. A welder qualified in the flat position on plate isn't automatically qualified for overhead work on the same job.
3. Base metal and consumables
- Base metal identification matches the drawings and the mill test reports.
- Filler metal classification matches the WPS.
- Low-hydrogen electrodes and fluxes are stored and handled the way the WPS and the manufacturer require, because moisture pickup is a hydrogen source.
- The joint surfaces are free of scale, rust, oil, paint and moisture to the extent the code and WPS require.
4. Joint preparation and fit-up
Fit-up is where many rejections start. The inspector measures, against the WPS or the prequalified joint detail:
- root opening, groove angle and root face
- alignment and offset between parts
- backing fit, if backing is used
- tack welds, which must themselves be sound because many are incorporated into the final weld
Measurements are made with a fillet and groove gauge, a straightedge and a rule, and recorded, not estimated.
5. Preheat
The inspector reads the minimum preheat from the WPS and checks it on the steel, normally with temperature-indicating crayons or a contact thermometer, before the arc is struck. Preheat is measured on the base metal at the distance from the joint the code requires, not on the surface the torch has just touched. On a cold morning this is the step most often skipped: a steel temperature below freezing usually requires heating even where the table would otherwise ask for none (check the preheat table and its notes in your edition).
Key takeaway: the before-welding checks are document checks plus three measurements (fit-up, cleanliness and steel temperature), and each one belongs in the record.
During welding: what does the inspector check?
During welding, the inspector confirms that the weld is being made inside the WPS: temperature, electrical settings, technique and the condition of each pass. Visual inspection during welding is the only point at which some defects can be seen at all, because the next pass buries them.
| Check | How it is done | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Preheat and interpass temperature | Crayons or contact thermometer before each pass; the WPS minimum applies between passes, and any WPS maximum interpass limit too | Low interpass temperature raises cold-cracking risk; excess heat can damage some steels |
| Amperage, voltage, wire feed and travel speed | Calibrated meter or the machine readout checked against the WPS ranges | Out-of-range settings change penetration and fusion |
| Electrode or wire, and shielding gas | Classification and gas type against the WPS | A different consumable is a different procedure |
| Interpass cleaning | Slag removed and the surface checked before the next pass | Trapped slag is a buried inclusion that only UT or RT can find later |
| Root pass | Visual check of fusion and profile, and of back-gouging to sound metal on double-sided CJP welds | Root defects are the hardest to repair once covered |
| Craters and arc strikes | Craters filled before the arc moves away; arc strikes kept inside the joint | Unfilled craters crack; arc strikes leave hard spots |
| Sequence and distortion control | Welding sequence as planned | Distortion can push fit-up out of tolerance mid-weld |
An inspector can't watch every pass of every weld on a large job, so the inspection plan should say which welds get continuous observation and which get periodic checks. Whatever the frequency, a deviation found during welding is stopped and recorded at that moment.
Key takeaway: during-welding inspection is the only check on the passes that the finished surface hides.
After welding: how is a weld judged against Table 8.1?
After welding, AWS D1.1 visual inspection judges each completed weld against the eight items of Table 8.1, and the undercut and porosity limits depend on whether the connection is statically or cyclically loaded. The engineer's drawings or specifications state the loading; the inspector shouldn't guess it.
Study material for D1.1:2025 lists the eight items in this order: cracks, weld/base-metal fusion, crater cross section, weld profiles, time of inspection, undersized fillet welds, undercut and piping porosity. The table gives the nontubular values; tubular connections have their own column.
| Table 8.1 item | Statically loaded nontubular | Cyclically loaded nontubular |
|---|---|---|
| (1) Cracks | None accepted, regardless of size or location | Same |
| (2) Weld/base-metal fusion | Complete fusion between adjacent layers and between weld and base metal | Same |
| (3) Crater cross section | Craters filled to the full weld size, except the ends of intermittent fillet welds outside their effective length | Same |
| (4) Weld profiles | Per the Clause 7 profile rules (clause 7.23 in 2025 study material) | Same |
| (5) Time of inspection | After the weld cools to ambient; 48 hours after completion for ASTM A514, A517 and A709 Grade HPS 100W (690W) | Same |
| (6) Undersized fillet welds | Underrun allowed for no more than 10% of the weld length: 1/16 in. under for a 3/16 in. weld, 3/32 in. for 1/4 in., 1/8 in. for 5/16 in. and larger; none at the ends of girder web-to-flange welds for twice the flange width | Same |
| (7) Undercut | Under 1 in. material: 1/32 in., with up to 1/16 in. allowed for an accumulated 2 in. in any 12 in.; 1 in. and thicker: 1/16 in. for any length | Primary members, weld transverse to tensile stress: 0.01 in.; all other cases: 1/32 in. |
| (8) Piping porosity | None visible in CJP groove welds in butt joints transverse to tensile stress. Other groove and fillet welds: visible pores 1/32 in. and larger may total 3/8 in. in any linear inch and 3/4 in. in any 12 in. | None visible in CJP butt joints transverse to tensile stress. Other welds: at most one pore in each 4 in. of length, maximum diameter 3/32 in. |
Sources: Table 8.1 as summarized in 2025-edition CWI study material (open-exam-prep, clause5.io) and AWS forum quotations; the two study sources agree on every value above. Confirm each value against your edition and amendment before use.
Weld profile limits
Weld profile is where Table 8.1 points to Clause 7. Study material for the 2025 edition gives these limits:
| Profile item | Limit (2025 study material) |
|---|---|
| Fillet weld convexity, face width 5/16 in. or less | 1/16 in. |
| Fillet weld convexity, face width over 5/16 in. and under 1 in. | 1/8 in. |
| Fillet weld convexity, face width 1 in. or more | 3/16 in. |
| Groove weld reinforcement, plate 1 in. or thinner | 1/8 in. |
| Groove weld reinforcement, plate over 1 in. | 3/16 in. |
| Overlap | Not permitted |
Reinforcement should blend smoothly into the base metal. The same source says the 2025 edition applies the convexity limits to each bead face as well as the whole weld face; confirm that change in your copy.
Two 2025 changes still to confirm
One study guide reports two new rules for welds shorter than 12 in. in D1.1:2025: visible porosity of 1/32 in. and larger may total no more than 0.06 times the weld length, and undercut deeper than 1/16 in. may total no more than 0.16 times the weld length. No second source confirms either, so treat both as unverified until you read them in the code. Welds 12 in. and longer keep the per-12 in. limits.
Arc strikes and spatter
Arc strikes aren't one of the eight Table 8.1 items. The 2010 edition, as quoted in an NRC document, said cracks or blemishes caused by arc strikes "shall be ground to a smooth contour and checked to ensure soundness", and AISC guidance quoted on the AWS forum says statically loaded structures need not remove arc strikes unless the contract requires it. Check your edition's workmanship clause and the contract. Spatter removal is usually a coating or contract requirement rather than a Table 8.1 item.
Key takeaway: write the loading column on the inspection record before measuring, because the same undercut or pore count can pass one column and fail the other.
Worked example: one fillet weld through all three stages
Inputs. A 5/16 in. fillet weld, 40 in. long, joins a 3/4 in. stiffener plate to a 3/4 in. girder web. The drawings show the connection as statically loaded. The WPS is prequalified and lists a minimum preheat and interpass temperature of 50 °F. These are illustrative values; take yours from your own WPS and drawings.
Before welding.
- The WPS covers the process, the base metal and the 3/4 in. thickness. Welder qualification is current for the position.
- Fit-up: the stiffener sits tight to the web, within the WPS tolerance for a fillet joint.
- Preheat: the steel reads 38 °F at 7:00 a.m., which is below the WPS minimum of 50 °F by 12 °F. Hold. The joint is heated, and the steel reads 65 °F before the arc is struck. The reading and time are recorded.
During welding. The interpass temperature is checked before the second pass and reads 140 °F, above the 50 °F minimum. Slag is removed between passes. The welder fills the crater at the start, but the last stop at the far end is left unfilled.
After welding (statically loaded column).
| Item | Measured | Limit | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cracks | None seen | None accepted | Accept |
| Fusion | Complete at both toes | Complete | Accept |
| Crater | Far-end crater not filled to full size | Filled to full size | Reject: fill and re-inspect |
| Convexity | 3/32 in. on a 1/2 in. face | 1/8 in. (face over 5/16 in., under 1 in.) | Accept |
| Undersize | Leg 1/4 in. (1/16 in. under) over segments totaling 3.5 in. | 1/8 in. under, for at most 10% of 40 in. = 4.0 in. | Accept (3.5 in. ≤ 4.0 in.) |
| Undercut | 3/64 in. deep, accumulated 2.5 in. within one 12 in. length | Base 1/32 in.; up to 1/16 in. for 2 in. in any 12 in. | Reject: 3/64 in. is within 1/16 in., but 2.5 in. exceeds the 2 in. allowance |
| Porosity | Worst inch: three pores of 1/16, 1/16 and 3/32 in.; worst 12 in.: 15/32 in. total | 3/8 in. per inch; 3/4 in. per 12 in. | Accept |
The arithmetic. Undersize allowance: 10% of 40 in. = 4.0 in., and 3.5 in. is within it. Porosity in the worst inch: 1/16 + 1/16 + 3/32 = 2/32 + 2/32 + 3/32 = 7/32 in. (0.219 in.), under 3/8 in. (0.375 in.). Porosity in the worst 12 in.: 15/32 in. (0.469 in.), under 3/4 in. (0.750 in.). Undercut depth: 3/64 in. = 0.047 in., above the 1/32 in. (0.031 in.) base limit and below 1/16 in. (0.0625 in.), so the length rule decides, and 2.5 in. is more than 2 in.
Disposition. Two repairs: fill the far-end crater, and add weld metal along the undercut to the WPS. Both repaired areas are then visually re-inspected against the same items, and the record shows the original finding, the repair and the re-inspection.
The same weld if the connection were cyclically loaded. The porosity result changes: three pores in one inch break the one-pore-per-4 in. rule, so the weld is rejected for porosity too. The undercut result also changes: the 1/32 in. limit for "all other cases" (or 0.01 in. if the stiffener weld were in a primary member transverse to tensile stress) has no length allowance, so 3/64 in. is a reject at any length.
Key takeaway: the same measurements gave two rejects under the static column (crater, undercut) and three under the cyclic one (crater, undercut, porosity); the loading column is part of the measurement.
What goes in the visual inspection record?
A D1.1 visual inspection record should let a third party see which weld was inspected, against which edition and loading column, what was measured, what was rejected and how the repair was closed. D1.1 study material says the inspector keeps inspection records and marks rejected areas; the code leaves the format to the contract and the inspector's procedure. A workable set of fields:
| Field | Example entry |
|---|---|
| Project, drawing and weld identification | Girder G4, stiffener S12, weld W3 |
| Code edition and loading column | AWS D1.1/D1.1M:2025-AMD1, statically loaded nontubular |
| WPS number and revision; welder identification | WPS-07 Rev. 2; welder stamp |
| Pre-weld checks | Fit-up measured, cleanliness, preheat reading with time |
| In-process checks | Interpass readings, parameter checks, observation type (continuous or periodic) |
| Time of inspection | Date and time; 48 h hold release for A514, A517 or A709 HPS 100W |
| Table 8.1 results | Each item with the measured value and the limit applied |
| Gauges used | Fillet gauge, undercut gauge, thermometer, with calibration status where applicable |
| Rejects and repairs | Location, cause, repair WPS, re-inspection result |
| Inspector | Name, qualification (e.g. CWI number), signature and date |
Recording the measured value, not just "accept", is what makes the record useful when a verification inspector, a UT technician or an engineer later asks why a weld passed.
Who may perform and sign the visual inspection?
Under D1.1 the inspector is normally an AWS Certified Welding Inspector (CWI) or Senior CWI, or an equivalent the code recognizes; an assistant inspector may help but doesn't decide acceptance. Study material for D1.1:2025 places inspector qualification in clause 8.1.4 and lists the CWI or SCWI under AWS QC1, a CWB-certified inspector, or a person the engineer approves on training and experience. The same material says inspectors need a periodic eye examination (every 3 years in the 2025 study material; confirm).
AWS states the assistant's role on its CAWI page:
"A CAWI performs inspections alongside a SCWI or CWI, who determines final acceptance." (AWS, CAWI certification)
The AWS CWI page says candidates must pass a vision test and references QC1 and B5.1:2025.
Visual inspection and nondestructive testing are separate qualifications. A CWI card doesn't qualify its holder to perform UT, MT or PT; NDT personnel are certified by their employer under a written practice, usually to ASNT SNT-TC-1A (see our SNT-TC-1A guide). On jobs where one person holds both, the record should say which qualification each examination was performed under.
When does visual inspection hand over to UT, MT or PT?
Visual inspection comes first, and NDT follows only when the contract documents call for it or when the engineer or inspector needs to evaluate a suspect area. There is no point running UT on a weld that already fails visually for a crack or an unfilled crater; the weld is repaired first.
| Situation | Typical next step | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Visual accept, contract requires UT on CJP groove welds | UT after visual acceptance (after the 48 h hold on A514, A517, A709 HPS 100W) | Internal fusion, slag and cracks are invisible to VT |
| Visual accept, contract requires MT on fillet welds | MT over the weld and toes | MT finds surface and near-surface cracks VT can miss |
| Suspected crack too fine to confirm by eye | MT, or PT on non-magnetic material, if the contract or engineer allows | Confirms whether the line is a crack before it is excavated |
| Arc strike to be checked for soundness | Grind, then MT or PT where the contract requires | Arc strikes can leave cracks in the hard zone |
| Visual reject | Repair to a WPS, then re-inspect visually, and by the same NDT method if NDT was required | The repaired area must meet the same criteria |
Study material for D1.1:2025 says MT and PT indications on welds are evaluated against the visual acceptance criteria, which is one more reason to get the visual stage right (see magnetic particle examination and NDT methods for weld inspection).
What mistakes are common in D1.1 visual inspection?
Most visual-inspection errors are not measuring errors; they come from applying the wrong column, the wrong edition or the wrong document.
- Using the cyclic pore size for static welds. The 3/32 in. diameter belongs to the cyclic frequency rule. Static welds use the sum-of-diameters rule.
- Treating 0.01 in. as the general undercut limit. It applies to cyclically loaded primary members with the weld transverse to tensile stress, not to every weld.
- Inspecting quenched and tempered steels too early. A514, A517 and A709 HPS 100W need 48 hours; an earlier inspection doesn't count as acceptance and has to be repeated after the hold.
- Citing old clause numbers. Clause 6 and Table 6.1 are pre-2020 numbering; inspection is Clause 8 and Table 8.1 in the 2020 and 2025 editions.
- Quoting a lighting figure as a D1.1 requirement. No public source gives a D1.1 numeric light level; study material quotes D1.1 as recommending strong light and magnifiers. The 100 fc (1000 lx) minimum is ASME Section V Article 9, and ISO 17637 sets 350 lx with 500 lx recommended. See our visual testing guide for those documents.
- Applying D1.1 visual criteria to rail welds in track. D1.1 is the structural steel code. Thermite and flash-butt rail welds are inspected to owner specifications, supplier procedures, AREMA practice and, where adopted, AWS D15.2; see our rail weld inspection guide.
- Recording "accept" without the measurement. A record with no measured value can't be audited by the verification inspector or defended when a weld is questioned later.
What visual inspection can't do
Visual inspection sees only the surface that is cleaned, lit and reachable; it says nothing about what lies below it.
- Internal discontinuities. Lack of fusion inside a groove weld, slag between passes, incomplete root penetration on a closed joint and internal cracks need UT or RT. Our page on lack of fusion in welds covers where both methods struggle.
- Fine or closed cracks. Tight surface cracks can be missed by eye, especially at weld toes; MT is the usual follow-up on carbon steel.
- Delayed cracking. Hydrogen-assisted cracking can appear hours after the weld cools, which is why the high-strength steels carry the 48-hour hold.
- Access and surface condition. Slag, scale, paint and poor access hide indications. A weld inspected through paint or from an awkward angle should be recorded as such.
- Effective throat. A fillet gauge measures legs and convexity; it can't show root penetration or the true throat of a fillet on an irregular fit-up.
- Code reach. D1.1 Table 8.1 doesn't cover rail welds in track, pressure equipment under ASME, or pipelines under API 1104, each of which has its own acceptance document.
Key takeaway: visual acceptance is necessary for every D1.1 weld, but it is sufficient only where the contract asks for nothing more.
How EMA Industries applies this
EMA Industries provides weld examination, including AWS D1.1 structural weld UT, magnetic particle testing and liquid penetrant testing, with NDT Level III technical support. The company supports work in Southern California and mobilizes for projects throughout the United States. When EMA is asked to perform UT, MT or PT on structural welds, the visual inspection record described above is what the examination starts from: the edition, the loading column, the welds already accepted visually and the repairs still open. For weld UT and MT/PT scopes, see ultrasonic examination services or contact EMA Industries.
Frequently asked questions
What does AWS D1.1 visual inspection check?
It checks every completed weld against the eight Table 8.1 items: cracks, fusion, crater cross section, weld profile, time of inspection, undersized fillet welds, undercut and piping porosity. A full inspection also covers the WPS, welder qualification, materials, fit-up and preheat before welding, and temperature and parameters during welding.
Is visual inspection required on every weld under AWS D1.1?
Yes. Study material for the 2025 edition places the requirement in clause 8.9: all welds are visually inspected and accepted against Table 8.1, with no sampling. UT and RT, by contrast, apply only when the contract documents require them.
What is the maximum undercut allowed under AWS D1.1 visual inspection?
It depends on loading and thickness. For statically loaded nontubular welds in material under 1 in., the limit is 1/32 in., with up to 1/16 in. allowed for an accumulated 2 in. in any 12 in.; for 1 in. and thicker it is 1/16 in. For cyclically loaded primary members with the weld transverse to tensile stress it is 0.01 in., and 1/32 in. otherwise. Confirm the values in your edition.
When can visual inspection of a D1.1 weld start?
Once the weld has cooled to ambient temperature for most steels. For ASTM A514, A517 and A709 Grade HPS 100W (690W), acceptance must be based on inspection performed at least 48 hours after the weld is completed, because hydrogen-assisted cracking can appear late.
Can a CAWI accept welds under AWS D1.1?
A CAWI works alongside a CWI or SCWI, and AWS states that the CWI or SCWI "determines final acceptance". The CAWI can perform inspections under that supervision, but the acceptance decision and signature belong to the qualified inspector.
Sources
- American Welding Society, AWS D1.1/D1.1M:2025-AMD1 Structural Welding Code – Steel, product page (read 9 Nov 2026)
- American Welding Society, B1.11M/B1.11:2015 Guide for the Visual Examination of Welds, product page
- American Welding Society, Certified Welding Inspector (CWI) and Certified Associate Welding Inspector (CAWI)
- D. Peterson, Quality assurance and quality control under D1.1, Inspection Trends, AWS, February 2023
- TWI, Which standards stipulate a delay time before inspecting welds?
- open-exam-prep, D1.1 weld profiles, undercut and porosity and D1.1 Clause 8 inspection and acceptance (study guides, 2025 edition; secondary)
- clause5.io, AWS D1.1:2025 clause 8.9, Table 8.1, visual testing (study reference; secondary)