AWS CW: AWS Certified Welder

The AWS Certified Welder (CW) credential shows you can make a sound weld in a specific process and position. There are no prerequisite courses, certifications or minimum experience: you book a test at an AWS Accredited Test Facility (ATF), weld a test piece to a Welding Procedure Specification, and an AWS Certified Welding Inspector inspects it. AWS charges a $70 application fee and a $105 yearly maintenance subscription, the same for members and non-members; the facility's own testing fee is separate and set by each ATF. To keep the credential active, AWS asks for maintenance documentation every six months confirming you still weld in that process (aws.org, as of 2026-10-21).

The Certified Welder program tests hands-on welding performance rather than classroom knowledge. Candidates select the process (e.g. SMAW, GMAW, GTAW, FCAW), position, and material/thickness they want certified, and the same ATF that administers the test can also re-certify on a periodic cycle.

• Issuer American Welding Society (AWS)
• Scope A performance-based credential: the candidate welds a qualification test coupon under a specific process/position/material combination and an AWS-accredited test facility (ATF) grades it against AWS QC7 acceptance criteria.
• Who needs it A working or trained welder who wants a portable, code-referenced proof of hands-on skill for a specific process and position. It is the entry credential most job postings mean when they ask for "certified welder."
• Prerequisites None. AWS states there are "no prerequisite courses or certifications required prior to testing" and no minimum education or experience requirement.
• Test format A hands-on performance test at an AWS Accredited Test Facility (ATF): the candidate welds a coupon to a specific Welding Procedure Specification, and the weld is inspected against the acceptance criteria of the applicable code.
• Cost AWS lists a $70 application fee (member and non-member) plus a $105 yearly maintenance subscription covering unlimited renewals. The ATF's own testing fee is separate and set by each facility; AWS directs candidates to contact their chosen ATF directly for that price (aws.org Program Price List, retrieved 2026-08-05).
• Renewal / recertification Not a fixed retest interval. AWS requires the welder to submit certification-maintenance documentation every six months confirming continued work in the certified process (aws.org, retrieved 2026-08-05).
• Where employers ask for it Structural fabrication, pipeline, sheet metal, and refinery job postings commonly ask for an AWS CW as the baseline hands-on credential, then layer a specific D-code (structural, pipe, or code-specific) qualification on top for the work at hand.