Welding tickets in Australia: what builders actually ask for
What a welder's 'ticket' usually means on Australian structural steel jobs: qualification to AS/NZS 1554, AS/NZS 2980 or AS/NZS ISO 9606-1, how CC3 changes things under AS/NZS 5131, and the records to keep.
Ask ten welders what a "welding ticket" is and you'll get ten answers. Some mean their trade certificate, some mean a test plate they did years ago, and some mean a current qualification certificate to a named Standard. On structural steel jobs, what the builder or engineer usually wants is the last one: evidence that each welder is qualified to the Standard the job calls for, for the process and positions they're welding.
This guide explains the landscape in plain English. It doesn't reproduce the Standards. They're copyright, and the details matter, so buy the current editions and read your job specification. Note that the Standards Australia store currently flags an update for AS/NZS 2980, so check you have the current version and amendments.
Trade certificate vs welder qualification
A trade qualification (for example a Certificate III in engineering) shows you've been trained. A welder qualification test to a Standard shows that you produced an acceptable test weld under defined conditions, such as process, material, joint type, thickness and position, and it covers a defined range. Structural steel specifications usually ask for the second, in addition to the first.
Which Standards are involved
- AS/NZS 1554.1 is the structural steel welding Standard used with AS/NZS 5131 (fabrication and erection) and AS 4100 (design). The Australian Steel Institute (ASI) notes that clause 4.12.2.2 of AS/NZS 1554.1 allows welders to be qualified to any of: AS/NZS 1554, AS 1796, AS/NZS 3992, AS/NZS 2980 or AS/NZS ISO 9606-1. The fabricator chooses, unless the contract or client specification says otherwise.
- AS/NZS ISO 9606-1 is the international qualification test for fusion welding of steels, adopted in Australia and New Zealand.
- AS/NZS 2980 isn't a standalone test. Standards Australia describes the 2018 edition as additional requirements for Australia and New Zealand, to be used together with AS/NZS ISO 9606-1.
Why CC3 work is different
AS/NZS 5131 uses construction categories CC1 to CC4. ASI notes that AS/NZS 5131-2016 requires welders on CC3 work to be qualified to AS/NZS 2980. So on CC3 jobs the fabricator doesn't get the free choice of qualification route that AS/NZS 1554.1 otherwise gives. Check the CC on the drawings or specification before you assume an older AS/NZS 1554 qualification will be accepted. See our fabrication ITP guide for how the CC drives inspection.
Validity and requalification
This is where the newer Standards changed things most. At ASI's 2019 welder qualification forum, fabricators raised the cost of requalification under the 2018 revision of AS/NZS 2980, and ASI noted that there are three options for the period of validity, each requiring confirmation every 6 months. One option needs the welder to work for a fabricator with a verified ISO 3834 quality system. The details sit in the Standards, so read them, or ask your testing body which option your certificates use. Then diarise the 6-monthly confirmations and the revalidation dates.
Fabricators at the forum also reported that the newer route needs a separate qualification test for fillet welds, where fillets were previously covered by a butt weld test. If most of your work is fillet welds, make sure your welders' qualifications actually cover fillets.
What the certificate should show
When you're checking a welder's qualification, or keeping your own, look for:
- the welder's name and identification
- the Standard it was tested to (and edition)
- the welding process, and the material and filler groups
- the joint type (butt or fillet, plate or pipe), thickness and diameter range
- the positions covered
- the test date, examiner or examining body, and the validity or revalidation details
- a record of the periodic confirmations, signed off.
Records builders commonly ask for
On AS/NZS 5131 jobs, the welder qualification records usually sit alongside the welding procedure specifications (WPS), weld inspection and NDT records, and the ITP. ASI's standard steelwork drawing notes list welding among the items that need an ITP. Keep a welder register showing each welder, what they're qualified for, and when each qualification needs confirming or renewing. An expired ticket found at the handover audit can hold up the whole job.
Practical steps
- Read the specification: which Standard, which CC, and any client-specific welder requirements.
- Match each welder's qualification range to the work they'll actually do (process, position, fillet or butt, thickness).
- Book tests with a competent examiner or testing body for any gaps, before the job starts.
- Track confirmation and revalidation dates, and keep the evidence with the job's quality records.
Sources
- Australian Steel Institute – Welder qualification: a forum on practice changes in Australia (2019)
- Standards Australia store – AS/NZS 2980:2018
- Australian Steel Institute – Structural steelwork standard drawing notes v1.0
Related guides
- What goes in a fabrication ITP (AS/NZS 5131 projects)
- Structural steel cut list basics: steel weight per metre formulas
- SWMS for high risk construction work, explained
General information only, summarised from the official sources above as at the review date. It isn't legal, tax, WHS or engineering advice. Rules change and your situation may differ, so check the source or ask a professional.