ICC Structural Steel & Bolting Special Inspector

HoldPoint study map

Course outline

Unit and lesson titles below are HoldPoint original material. They are not an official exam bulletin.

1. Identification, mill certs and approved documents

   The piece in front of you has to be the piece on the drawing before bolting or welding even starts.

   • Approved erection drawings and the connection schedule
   • Material identification and mill-test reports
   • Bolt, nut and washer identification
   • Faying surfaces: coatings and condition
   • Substitution of bolt assemblies
   • Shop versus field work: who inspected what already
   • Damaged or unidentified material on the truck
   • Practice: match six assemblies to the connection schedule
   • Unit review: Identification, mill certs and approved documents

2. Fabrication and erection observations

   Fit-up, plumbing, and the structural observations that are not bolting and not welding.

   • Member piece marks and orientation
   • Fit-up, gaps and shims
   • Plumbing, alignment and temporary bracing you can see
   • Base plates, anchor rods and grout interface
   • Deck, headed studs and the steel inspector’s edge
   • Field modification of members
   • When erection sequencing creates an inspectable condition
   • Practice: six erection observations, six dispositions
   • Unit review: Fabrication and erection observations

3. High-strength bolting methods

   Snug-tight, pretensioned and slip-critical are different joints. The method is the inspection.

   • Joint type: the classification that decides everything else
   • Snug-tight joints: what inspection actually is
   • Pretensioned joints: methods you may see specified
   • Slip-critical joints: faying surface plus pretension
   • Turn-of-nut as a method, not a folklore twist
   • Calibrated wrench and twist-off assemblies
   • Direct-tension indicators: how they are read
   • Practice: name the method and the inspection for eight joints
   • Unit review: High-strength bolting methods

4. Pretension verification and inspection

   What you observe during pretensioning, what a verification tests, and what you write when it fails.

   • Pre-installation verification: whose bolts, whose wrench
   • Inspection during pretensioning versus after the fact
   • The washer that was supposed to be there
   • Short bolts, long bolts and engagement
   • Reused bolts and the project rule that governs them
   • Arbitration testing without becoming the lab
   • Partial connections left overnight
   • Practice: write four pretension inspection records
   • Unit review: Pretension verification and inspection

5. Connections, records and coordination

   The connection as a system, the daily report, and the edge between steel inspection and welding inspection.

   • Moment, brace and simple connections as inspection problems
   • Oversized and slotted holes
   • Combined bolting and welding on one joint
   • Daily reports that name joint type and method
   • Nonconforming bolts found after fireproofing starts
   • Coordination with the welding inspector
   • Closeout: what the steel package has to contain
   • Practice: route five steel discrepancies
   • Unit review: Connections, records and coordination

6. Mixed review and exam navigation

   Stems that hide joint type inside an erection story, and timed retrieval across RCSC and Chapter 17.

   • How a bolting stem hides the joint type
   • Identification items versus method items
   • The unused torque number
   • Mixed set: faying surface, DTI and snug-tight
   • Timed retrieval across RCSC
   • What you do not design
   • Final self-assessment
   • Handoff to structural welding
   • Unit review: Mixed review and exam navigation

Fit check

Who this roadmap is for

Special-inspection personnel preparing for the Steel & Bolting credential scope.

Always confirm the current ICC eligibility rules, exam outline, references, fees, and scheduling policies before purchasing materials or setting an exam date.

Study sequence

A controlled preparation roadmap

1. 01

   Verify the current program

   Start with the official source links below. Record the current outline, permitted references, eligibility rules, and any application steps that apply to your route.

2. 02

   Map the reference set

   Turn each published domain into a retrieval map. Practice where to look before trying to memorize isolated answers.

3. 03

   Build the Steel & Bolting core

   Study structural-steel identification and approved documents alongside fabrication, erection, and connection inspection, then connect both to field decisions and documentation.

4. 04

   Practice under controlled timing

   Use short lookup drills first, then mixed review. Track missed concepts and slow retrievals separately so each can be corrected.

5. 05

   Recheck before exam day

   Return to the credentialing body for last-minute policy or reference changes. Do not rely on a third-party summary for current exam administration.

Primary sources

Verify current program facts

Exam outlines, editions, eligibility, fees, and administration policies can change. These credentialing-body pages are the authority; HoldPoint is an independent preparation provider.

• ICC certification and testingInternational Code Council

Common questions

Before you build a study plan