What are the prerequisites for AWS D1.8?

Same structure as D1.1: a code an employer qualifies a welder against, not an individual AWS test. Applied on top of D1.1, not standalone.

How much does AWS D1.8 cost?

$183 member / $244 non-member (AWS Bookstore, retrieved 2026-08-05).

Certification codex

AWS D1.8: Structural Welding Code: Seismic Supplement

Close macro of a sailor welding aboard the USS Nimitz, rod and arc in tight focus — Sailor welds aboard USS Nimitz (CVN 68). Photo by Kenneth Blair, U.S. Navy, DVIDS 161029-N-JO162-050, public domain.

Applies alongside D1.1 in jurisdictions and structure types where seismic design provisions govern the connection welding.

Issuer American Welding Society (AWS)
Scope A supplement to D1.1 with additional requirements for welded connections in seismic force-resisting systems.
Who needs it A welder or fabricator working seismic force-resisting connections, in addition to base D1.1 qualification.
Prerequisites Same structure as D1.1: a code an employer qualifies a welder against, not an individual AWS test. Applied on top of D1.1, not standalone.
Test format Not applicable; employer-administered qualification against the code.
Cost $183 member / $244 non-member (AWS Bookstore, retrieved 2026-08-05).
Renewal / recertification Not applicable.
Where employers ask for it Named in structural steel postings in seismic design regions, on top of the base D1.1 requirement.

Co-located test facilities

Prep schools with an AWS-accredited test facility (ATF)

Schools that host their own AWS Accredited Test Facility are the closest match this directory has for training and testing for AWS D1.8 in one place, a bridge AWS's own certification pages don't provide.

Advanced Technology Institute

Virginia Beach, VA

Apex Technical School

Long Island City, NY

Apollo Career Center

Lima, OH

Arclabs

Piedmont, SC

Atlanta Technical College

Atlanta, GA

Bates Technical College

Tacoma, WA