AWS D1.5: Bridge Welding Code

AASHTO/AWS D1.5, the Bridge Welding Code, covers the welding requirements for bridges made from carbon and low-alloy constructional steels; AASHTO and AWS publish it jointly. For welders it is a code, not a personal credential: a welder qualifies to it by passing a weld test made to a Welding Procedure Specification (WPS) and judged against the code's acceptance criteria. Inspectors have an individual AWS option. A holder of a current AWS CWI or SCWI can sit AWS's Bridge Welding (D1.5) Endorsement exam: 50 open-book multiple-choice questions, 72% to pass, $445 for members and $540 for non-members (aws.org, as of 2026-10-21). The 2025 edition of the code lists at $432 for members and $576 for non-members (pubs.aws.org, as of 2026-10-21).

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 welders, same structure as D1.1: a code, not a personal credential; a welder qualifies to it by passing a weld test made to a Welding Procedure Specification (WPS) and judged against the code's acceptance criteria. On the inspection side, AWS offers an individual, fee-based credential on this code: the CWI/SCWI Bridge Welding (D1.5) Endorsement, open to holders of a current CWI or SCWI credential.
• Test format For welders, a weld test made to a WPS and judged against the code's acceptance criteria. The separate CWI/SCWI D1.5 Endorsement is a 50-question open-book exam requiring a 72% passing score (aws.org, as of 2026-10-21).
• 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.