How Do You Become a Certified Welding Inspector?
- AWS requires five years of welding-based work with a high school diploma, less with more education (one year with a bachelor's in welding engineering).
- Median pay: $48,570 a year for inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers (BLS, May 2025); highest in Alaska at $78,150.
- Typical entry education, per BLS: high school diploma or equivalent, plus moderate-term on-the-job training.
- Outlook: +2.5% projected employment change over 2025–35, with about 66,700 openings a year.
What Does a Welding Inspector Do?
Welding inspectors check that welds, procedures and welder qualifications meet the code and drawings: visual inspection, measurements, destructive and nondestructive test results and paperwork. BLS counts manufacturing inspectors with quality control inspectors, who typically receive up to a year of on-the-job training.
Welding inspectors decide whether welds and welders meet the code and the drawings. BLS groups manufacturing inspectors with quality control inspectors, who examine products and materials for defects, and construction inspectors with construction and building inspectors. Inspection work typically includes:
- Reading blueprints, specifications and the governing code
- Checking welder qualifications and welding procedures before work starts
- Visually inspecting welds and measuring them with gauges
- Reviewing destructive and nondestructive test results
- Accepting or rejecting finished work
- Reporting inspection data and documenting findings
BLS notes structural steel is one of the manufacturing industries where quality control inspectors work, and that inspectors increasingly use electronic tools such as coordinate-measuring machines and 3D scanners alongside hand gauges. When they find defects, they notify supervisors and help analyze and correct the production problem.
On construction projects, inspectors typically check work several times: early in the build, as it progresses and at completion, giving written or oral feedback each time. Coating inspectors, for example, examine the protective layers on bridges, pipelines and large tanks.
Where Welding Inspectors Work and What the Job Is Like
Most quality control inspectors work in manufacturing (64% in 2025). They may stand for long periods, lift heavy items, and work around loud noise, moving parts and airborne irritants, so eye and ear protection is routine. Some work evenings, overnight or weekend shifts, and overtime may be needed to meet production deadlines.
Construction-side inspectors split time between worksites and an office where they review plans and write reports. Local government employed 36% of construction and building inspectors in 2025 and engineering services 19%.
| Largest employers (BLS OOH) | Share of jobs, 2025 |
|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 64% |
| Professional, scientific and technical services | 10% |
| Administrative and support services | 7% |
| Wholesale trade | 6% |
How to Become a Welding Inspector (CWI): Step by Step
- 1Build welding experience
AWS requires five years of welding-based work with a high school diploma, less with more education (one year with a bachelor's in welding engineering).
- 2Prepare for the three CWI exams
Part A Fundamentals has 150 questions; Part B is a hands-on practical with 46 questions; Part C is a code book exam. Each needs a 72% score.
- 3Maintain the credential
CWI certification lasts nine years, with renewal applications at years three and six.
How to Become a Welding Inspector: Training and Education
Welding inspection is usually a second career in welding. Most inspectors spend years as welders or fabricators and then earn the AWS Certified Welding Inspector credential, which requires documented welding-based work experience before you can sit the exams.
For general quality control work, BLS says a high school diploma is typical and training on the job lasts from one month to a year, covering meters, gauges, quality techniques such as Six Sigma, blueprint reading and reporting. Some employers prefer an associate's or bachelor's degree in quality control management or engineering.
Welding school is widely available: 892 U.S. colleges and schools conferred 50,572 welding certificates and degrees in 2022–23 (IPEDS). Find welding schools by state and city or compare verified programs.
Licenses and Credentials
Most states and localities require construction and building inspectors to have a license or certification, BLS notes; requirements vary by state. For welding inspection, the AWS CWI is the credential employers ask for by name.
Welding Inspector Certification
To earn CWI certification you pass a vision test and meet an education-plus-experience requirement. With a high school diploma you need five years of welding-based work experience. More education shortens it: a bachelor's in welding engineering or welding technology needs one year; an associate or higher in engineering technology, engineering or a physical science needs two; engineering courses toward a welding bachelor's need three; trade or vocational courses need four. With an eighth-grade education AWS requires nine years, and with less, twelve.
The exam has three parts, and you need at least 72% on each. Part A covers fundamentals (150 questions); Part B is a practical exam using the Book of Specifications; Part C is a code-book exam of 50 to 65 open-book questions. The certification lasts nine years, with renewal at years three and six.
Skills That Matter in This Job
- Attention to detail
- Spotting flaws in welds and finished parts.
- Math skills
- Measuring, calibrating and calculating to specification.
- Technical knowledge
- Understanding blueprints, codes and technical documents.
- Physical stamina
- Standing for long periods on the shop floor or site.
Where the Career Leads
BLS notes construction inspectors may advance to plans examiner or building official. CWIs can add endorsements such as API 1104 for pipelines and ASME Section IX for pressure piping, and a current CWI is required for the Technician level of AWS robotic welding certification.
Welding Inspector Salary and Job Outlook
Half of inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers earned more than $48,570 in May 2025, about $23.35 an hour. The middle half earned between $39,890 and $61,440, across 597,370 jobs in the wage survey. BLS projects employment to change +2.5% from 2025 to 2035, about as fast as the 3.5% projected for all occupations, with about 66,700 openings a year as workers retire or change jobs.
| Employment, 2025 | 602,000 |
|---|---|
| Projected employment, 2035 | 617,200 |
| Projected change, 2025–35 | +2.5% (all occupations: +3.5%) |
| Openings per year | 66,700 |
| Related: Construction and Building Inspectors | Median $74,690, 0.0% projected |
National annual wages for inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers (SOC 51-9061). Sources: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025–35.
Welding Inspector Salary by State
Alaska pays inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers the most, a median of $78,150, and Puerto Rico the least, $29,870. The top 10% earn the most in Alaska (more than $142,430).
| State | Median pay | Top 10% earn more than | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | $78,150 | $142,430 | 300 |
| Washington | $64,420 | $115,240 | 12,010 |
| Maryland | $61,790 | $99,220 | 4,600 |
| Hawaii | $59,740 | $93,460 | 650 |
| District of Columbia | $59,730 | $91,510 | 70 |
| Colorado | $58,350 | $82,420 | 5,220 |
| Montana | $58,070 | $101,260 | 580 |
| Wyoming | $57,900 | $98,990 | 990 |
| Delaware | $57,190 | $80,650 | 1,020 |
| Minnesota | $57,170 | $76,510 | 9,710 |
| Connecticut | $57,090 | $94,270 | 7,460 |
| Rhode Island | $54,940 | $88,710 | 1,790 |
| New Hampshire | $54,800 | $77,520 | 3,050 |
| Missouri | $54,420 | $78,410 | 12,480 |
| California | $54,300 | $88,210 | 61,130 |
| Oregon | $54,120 | $82,270 | 5,690 |
| Kansas | $53,680 | $80,910 | 9,300 |
| Maine | $53,570 | $79,730 | 1,800 |
| Massachusetts | $52,270 | $76,330 | 10,650 |
| Arizona | $52,100 | $77,720 | 11,120 |
| Nebraska | $51,270 | $66,110 | 3,350 |
| North Dakota | $50,820 | $81,560 | 1,800 |
| Iowa | $50,740 | $71,240 | 7,230 |
| New York | $49,990 | $77,930 | 19,790 |
| Oklahoma | $49,630 | $75,980 | 7,430 |
| Wisconsin | $49,610 | $69,270 | 17,670 |
| Virginia | $49,590 | $76,390 | 9,830 |
| New Mexico | $49,500 | $81,340 | 1,550 |
| Louisiana | $49,490 | $94,450 | 8,110 |
| Nevada | $49,280 | $98,700 | 4,040 |
| New Jersey | $49,140 | $77,330 | 12,280 |
| Utah | $48,910 | $77,930 | 6,630 |
| Pennsylvania | $48,320 | $73,890 | 25,870 |
| Illinois | $47,920 | $75,030 | 31,700 |
| Indiana | $47,900 | $72,860 | 24,790 |
| Florida | $47,540 | $75,550 | 22,630 |
| Ohio | $47,360 | $73,840 | 32,060 |
| South Dakota | $47,240 | $64,070 | 1,090 |
| West Virginia | $47,010 | $80,930 | 2,720 |
| South Carolina | $46,890 | $70,430 | 13,360 |
| North Carolina | $46,430 | $71,770 | 19,700 |
| Kentucky | $46,280 | $66,330 | 12,880 |
| Texas | $46,210 | $78,560 | 56,390 |
| Vermont | $46,210 | $72,740 | 900 |
| Georgia | $46,130 | $71,450 | 19,980 |
| Tennessee | $45,760 | $66,340 | 17,140 |
| Idaho | $45,130 | $83,370 | 2,900 |
| Arkansas | $44,570 | $61,910 | 5,880 |
| Michigan | $44,490 | $64,010 | 27,980 |
| Mississippi | $40,670 | $65,480 | 6,970 |
| Alabama | $40,010 | $63,060 | 13,120 |
| Puerto Rico | $29,870 | $64,150 | 3,870 |
Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers, SOC 51-9061, May 2025. Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, state estimates. States where BLS suppressed the median are omitted; blank cells were suppressed.
Best-Paying Metro Areas: Lexington Park Leads
Among metro areas with at least 100 inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers jobs, Lexington Park (MD) has the highest median pay, $92,000 a year.
| Metro area | Median pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Lexington Park (MD) | $92,000 | 100 |
| Seattle–Tacoma–Bellevue (WA) | $76,800 | 8,190 |
| Savannah (GA) | $72,800 | 1,110 |
| Bremerton–Silverdale–Port Orchard (WA) | $71,950 | 200 |
| Mount Vernon–Anacortes (WA) | $68,060 | 180 |
| Flagstaff (AZ) | $65,840 | 270 |
| Lake Charles (LA) | $63,570 | 490 |
| Gulfport–Biloxi (MS) | $63,520 | 600 |
| Wichita (KS) | $63,030 | 3,590 |
| Kansas City (MO–KS) | $63,000 | 5,210 |
Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers, SOC 51-9061. Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, metropolitan area estimates, May 2025.
Is Welding Inspector a Good Career?
What Works in Its Favor
- It's a way to keep using welding knowledge with less time under the hood.
- The CWI is recognized by name and lasts nine years, with renewals at years three and six.
- Construction and building inspectors earn a median of $74,690.
What to Weigh First
- You need years of welding-based experience first (five with a high school diploma).
- Three exams, each needing at least 72%.
- Manufacturing inspection can mean long hours standing and evening or overnight shifts.
Welding Inspector vs. Related Welding Careers
| Career | Median pay | Growth 2025–35 | Typical entry education |
|---|---|---|---|
| Welding inspectorExperience first | $48,570 | +2.5% | High school diploma or equivalent |
| WelderTrain directly | $53,750 | +2.4% | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Welding supervisorExperience first | $74,450 | +1.8% | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Welding engineerDegree pathway | $122,930 | +3.7% | Bachelor's degree |
For comparison, welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers earn a median $53,750.
Welding Inspector FAQ
What Is the Average Welding Inspector Salary?
BLS estimates a median of $48,570 a year (about $23.35 an hour) for inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers (May 2025), with the lowest-paid 10% under $35,510 and the top 10% above $77,860.
Is Welding Inspector a Growing Career?
BLS projects employment of inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers to change +2.5% from 2025 to 2035, compared with 3.5% for all occupations, with about 66,700 openings a year from growth and replacement.
Can a Welding Inspector Make $100,000 a Year?
Some do. In Alaska, the top 10% of inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers earn more than $142,430 (BLS, May 2025); nationally the 90th percentile is $77,860.
Which State Pays Welding Inspectors the Most?
Alaska, where the median for inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers is $78,150 a year, against $29,870 in Puerto Rico (BLS, May 2025).
How Many Welding Inspectors Are There?
BLS counts about 602,000 jobs for inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers in 2025; the largest employer group is manufacturing (64% of jobs, BLS OOH).
How Long Does CWI Certification Take?
With a high school diploma, AWS requires five years of welding-based experience before the exams; a bachelor's in welding engineering cuts that to one year.
What Score Do You Need to Pass the Welding Inspector Certification Exams?
AWS requires at least 72% on each of the three parts: Fundamentals, Practical and Code Book.
Do Welding Inspectors Need to Know How to Weld?
AWS doesn't test welding skill for the CWI, but it requires years of welding-based work experience, and most inspectors come up through welding or fabrication.
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Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, national and state estimates, SOC 51-9061 and 47-4011.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–35.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, quality control inspectors.
- American Welding Society, AWS Certified Welding Inspector (CWI).
- U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS completions, 2022–23, CIP 48.0508.