ICC Structural Welding Special Inspector

HoldPoint study map

Course outline

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

1. WPS, PQR and personnel qualification

   The paper that has to exist before the arc starts, and the inspector’s job of matching people and procedures to the joint.

   • WPS as the inspectable procedure, not a binder ornament
   • PQR: what it proves and what it does not
   • Welder qualification: process, position and thickness
   • Tack welders and who may tack
   • Expired, missing or mismatched qualifications
   • Prequalified versus qualified-by-test joints
   • Engineer-approved deviations
   • Practice: match six joints to a WPS stack
   • Unit review: WPS, PQR and personnel qualification

2. Materials, joint prep and fit-up

   Base metal, consumables, and the joint that has to match the WPS before welding.

   • Base-metal identification and weldability flags
   • Consumable identification and storage
   • Joint prep: angle, root face and cleanliness
   • Root opening, alignment and the WPS limits
   • Preheat: how you verify it, not how you guess it
   • Tack size, location and cracking at tacks
   • Fit-up that cannot be welded to the procedure
   • Practice: six fit-up calls before the arc starts
   • Unit review: Materials, joint prep and fit-up

3. Visual inspection sequence

   Before, during and after welding as three different inspections, not one walk-by at the end of the shift.

   • Before: the conditions that disappear once the pass starts
   • During: interpass, cleaning and the next pass
   • After: profile, size and the discontinuities you can actually see
   • Fillet size versus groove fill — different measurements
   • Undercut, overlap and reinforcement as visual calls
   • Cracks: the call that does not wait for NDT
   • Painting or fireproofing that arrived too early
   • Practice: sequence twelve visual observations
   • Unit review: Visual inspection sequence

4. Acceptance decisions and the NDT interface

   Visual acceptance is not NDT, and NDT is not a substitute for a missing visual. Hold points have to be real.

   • What visual inspection is allowed to accept
   • When the documents send you to NDT
   • Hold points for RT, UT, MT and PT
   • Who interprets NDT, and what you record while you wait
   • Rejected welds: removal, re-weld and re-inspection
   • Partial-length welds and missed joints on a long beam
   • Stud welding as a related but separate inspection
   • Practice: route six welds to visual, NDT or reject
   • Unit review: Acceptance decisions and the NDT interface

5. Reports, ethics and coordination

   The weld map, the daily report, and the edge between welding inspection and bolting inspection.

   • Weld maps that a third party can follow
   • Daily reports during production welding
   • Unsigned procedures and the inspector’s refusal
   • Coordination with the steel and bolting inspector
   • Field welding versus shop welding already stamped
   • Repair welds on existing structures
   • Closeout: NDT reports attached to the right joints
   • Practice: write four weld-map entries
   • Unit review: Reports, ethics and coordination

6. Mixed review and exam navigation

   Stems that mix qualification, fit-up and visual acceptance, and timed retrieval in D1.1.

   • How a welding stem hides the process or position
   • Qualification items versus visual items
   • The unused preheat number
   • Mixed set: root opening, WPS and undercut
   • Timed retrieval across D1.1 inspection clauses
   • What you do not redesign
   • Final self-assessment
   • Handoff to CWI Part B and steel bolting
   • Unit review: Mixed review and exam navigation

Fit check

Who this roadmap is for

Special-inspection personnel preparing for the Structural Welding 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 Structural Welding core

   Study welding procedures and personnel qualifications alongside materials, joint preparation, and fit-up, 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