AWS D1.5: Bridge Welding Code

Bridge-welding work is typically qualified separately from general D1.1 structural work because of D1.5's bridge-specific fatigue and inspection provisions.

• Issuer American Welding Society (AWS), jointly with AASHTO
• Scope Governs welding of steel highway bridges: qualification, fabrication, and inspection requirements specific to bridge structures.
• Who needs it A welder or fabricator working steel highway bridge construction, where D1.5's fatigue and inspection provisions apply instead of D1.1's. Separately, an AWS CWI/SCWI who inspects bridge welds can sit AWS's own D1.5 Endorsement exam (see prereqs).
• Prerequisites For welder-performance qualification, same structure as D1.1: an employer qualifies a welder against the code, not an individual AWS test. On the inspection side, AWS does offer an individual, fee-based credential on this code: the CWI/SCWI Bridge Welding (D1.5) Endorsement, open to holders of an active CWI or SCWI credential.
• Test format Welder-performance qualification is not applicable; employer-administered against the code. The separate CWI/SCWI D1.5 Endorsement is a 50-question exam requiring a 72% passing score (aws.org, retrieved 2026-08-05).
• Cost Code book: $432 member / $576 non-member for the 2025 edition (pubs.aws.org, retrieved 2026-08-05). The CWI/SCWI D1.5 Endorsement exam is priced separately at $445 member / $540 non-member (aws.org Program Price List, retrieved 2026-08-05).
• Renewal / recertification The code itself does not expire. The CWI/SCWI D1.5 Endorsement stays active only while the underlying CWI or SCWI credential stays current.
• Where employers ask for it Named specifically in steel highway bridge fabrication and erection postings.