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Coded welder: what a welder's code covers in South Africa, and what to check before welding starts

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In short

A coded welder has passed a qualification test, called coding in South Africa, to the standard the work calls for, such as ASME IX, AWS D1.1 or ISO 9606 (SANS 9606-1). Each code covers only a set range of process, position and material. Before work starts, match each welder's certificate to the joint, the procedure and the standard.

What is a coded welder?

In South Africa, a coded welder is a welder who has passed a welder qualification test to a named construction standard. SAIW, the Southern African Institute of Welding, includes "certification testing (Coding) to the desired Construction Standard most applicable to the work" in its practical welding course. The course outcome depends on passing a "Welder Performance Certification test as mandated by the various construction standards i.e. ASME IX, AWS D1.1-6 and ISO 9606".[1][3]

SAIW describes ISO 9606 as widely used in South Africa and similar to other standards relevant here, such as ASME IX and AWS D1.1.[2]

A code is a test with a defined scope, not a general licence to weld. SANS 9606-1, the South African adoption of the ISO 9606 part for steels, "specifies essential requirements, ranges of approval, test conditions, acceptance requirements and certification for the approval testing of welder performance for the welding of steels", in the words of the SABS catalogue.[10]

The SABS catalogue lists SANS 9606-1 as the 1994 edition, amended nationally in 2006 and reaffirmed in March 2019. It replaced parts 4 and 5 of SANS 10044, both from 1983. A certificate should name the standard and the edition it was tested to.[10]

Which certificates should a welding contractor have?

Besides each welder's code, the welding procedure, the fabricator, the NDT technician and, on pressure equipment, the inspector each have their own standard or certification scheme in South Africa.[10][11][12][4][7]

Which certificates should a welding contractor have?
Who or whatStandard or schemeWhat it coversWhat to ask for
The welder (steel)SANS 9606-1:1994 (ISO 9606-1), or ASME IX or AWS D1.1 where the work's construction code calls for themApproval testing of welders: essential requirements, ranges of approval, test conditions, acceptance requirements and certificationA certificate for each named welder, showing the standard and edition, process, position and material
The welder (thermoplastics)SANS 10269:2015Testing and certification of welders of thermoplastics, for hot-gas, hot-gas extrusion, heated-tool, electrofusion and solvent weldingA certificate for the process to be used
The welding procedureSANS 15614-1:2007 (ISO 15614-1)How a preliminary welding procedure specification is qualified by welding procedure tests, for arc and gas welding of steelsThe procedure specification for each joint type and the record of its procedure test
The fabricatorSANS 3834-2:2006 (ISO 3834-2) and the other parts; SAIW Certification runs the IIW company schemeQuality requirements for fusion welding in workshops and at field installation sites, certified at comprehensive, standard or elementary levelThe ISO 3834 certificate, its level and its scope
The NDT technicianSAQCC NDT certification, under schemes based on ISO 9712Certification of non-destructive testing personnel by SAIW Certification, accredited by SANAS to ISO 17024The technician's certificate for each NDT method used
The pressure-equipment inspectorSAQCC-IPE, which SAIW says SANS 10227 requires for inspection authority personnelInspectors of pressurised equipment; renewed every three years and re-certified after nineThe inspector's SAQCC-IPE certificate

Sources:[10][1][15][16][13][11][12][5][4][8][7]

Who may weld pressure vessels and boilers in South Africa?

The Pressure Equipment Regulations (PER) contain no welder qualification of their own; the welder's qualification comes with the construction code the item is built to. In the ASME codes, BPVC Section IX, "Welding, Brazing, and Fusing Qualifications", "contains rules relating to the qualification of welding, brazing, and fusing procedures as required by other BPVC sections", in ASME's words.[17][15]

Welding on pressure equipment with a design pressure of 50 kPa or more falls under the PER, which apply to its design, manufacture, repair and modification "in terms of the relevant health and safety standard incorporated into these Regulations" (regulation 2(1)).[17]

Those standards are the construction codes: the schedule the chief inspector gazetted in March 2017 lists, among others, ASME Section VIII for pressure vessels, ASME Section I for power boilers, ASME B31.3 for process piping, PD 5500 and EN 13445.[18]

Pressure equipment ordered after the PER were published must be categorised under SANS 347 and submitted to the conformity assessment that applies to its category (regulations 2(2), 3(3) and 4(1)). The Department's guidance notes say that no pressure vessel or steam generator may be manufactured, modified or repaired to the RSA/CI/OHSA certification requirements by a manufacturer whose quality management system is not accredited by an approved certification body in accordance with Annex C of SANS 347 (note (g) to regulation 4).[17]

A repair or modification must follow the relevant health and safety standard and the assessment procedure for the equipment's SANS 347 hazard category, and the repairer must issue a certificate describing the work, countersigned by the approved inspection authority (AIA) where applicable (regulation 13(1)(a) and (b)).[17]

How do I check a welder's code before work starts?

Check each certificate against the joint it will be used on: the standard, process, position and material on the certificate, and its ranges of approval, must cover the weld to be made.[10][1]

Ask for the welding procedure the welder will follow and the record of the test that qualified it: under SANS 15614-1, a preliminary welding procedure specification is qualified by welding procedure tests.[11]

For the fabricating company, the welding quality standard is ISO 3834. SAIW Certification certifies fabricators to it at three levels: comprehensive for technically demanding work such as pressure vessels and boilers, standard for steel supporting structures and similar, and elementary for simple products such as gates and tow bars.[5][12]

In a 2023 interview in the welding journal African Fusion, SAIW's ISO 3834 certification manager said ISO 3834 certification has become a requirement for fabrication contractors tendering for contracts in the power, chemical and petrochemical industries.[9]

For pressure equipment, SAIW states that SANS 347:2000, the edition it cites, requires a manufacturer of category D pressure equipment to operate a certified quality system, and that an item bearing the South African certification mark must comply with ISO 3834, supplemented by ASME Section VIII Division 1 Appendix 10. SAIW runs a fabricator certification scheme for both.[6]

SAIW Certification keeps a national register of the individuals and companies it has qualified and certified, which a buyer can check a certificate against.[4]

What does it cost to code a welder in South Africa?

On course pages last updated in November 2025, SAIW charges R3,609 including VAT for a welder qualification test, "per welding process, per position, per material". Both pages add a 25% surcharge if the material is stainless steel or aluminium.[1][2]

SAIW's practical welding course costs R8,141 a week including VAT, with coding to the construction standard in the price; how many weeks it takes depends on the welder's progress in practical assessments.[1]

For the full IIW International Welder route, the same November 2025 pages give a typical 28 weeks and R184,260 for manual metal arc welding (SMAW) from fillet to tube, theory and coding included.[2]

When a job needs a process, position or material that no welder on the crew is coded for, ask for the extra coding tests, and any new procedure test, as separate lines in the quote.[1][11]

What to put in your request

  1. The code the work is built to (for example ASME Section VIII for a pressure vessel, SANS 2001-CS1 for structural steelwork) and the standard the welders must be coded to.[18][14][1]
  2. The joints: material grade, wall thickness, pipe diameter and the welding positions on site, so each welder's ranges of approval can be matched.[10]
  3. A copy of each named welder's qualification certificate, showing the standard and edition, process, position and material, and proof that it is current under that standard.[10][1]
  4. The welding procedure specification for each joint type and the record of the welding procedure test that qualified it.[11]
  5. The fabricator's ISO 3834 certificate, with its level (comprehensive, standard or elementary) and scope.[5][12]
  6. For a pressure vessel or steam generator: the manufacturer's quality management system accreditation under Annex C of SANS 347, and the AIA that will countersign the repair or modification certificate where applicable.[17]
  7. The NDT methods and extent, and the SAQCC NDT certificates of the technicians who will do them.[4][8]
  8. Any extra coding tests or procedure tests the job needs, priced as separate lines.[1][11]
  9. Whether welding is in the workshop or on site; on a construction site, the fire precautions the contractor will take before welding, flame cutting and other hot work (Construction Regulations, 2014, regulation 29(f)).[19][12]

Questions buyers ask

How long does a coded welder certificate last?

That depends on the standard the welder was coded to. SANS 9606-1 includes the certification rules for steel welders, and ASME IX and AWS D1.1 carry their own. Those texts are sold, not published free, so ask the contractor which standard and clause each certificate relies on and for proof that it is current under that clause.[10][15][16][1]

Is a trade-tested welder the same as a coded welder?

No. Under section 26D of the Skills Development Act, inserted in 2008 and subject to regulations under it, no person may obtain an artisan qualification under the Act without passing a trade test administered by an accredited trade test centre. A code is a separate test to a construction standard such as ASME IX, AWS D1.1 or ISO 9606, for a given process, position and material.[20][1]

Does ISO 3834 certification cover the welders?

Not on its own. ISO 3834 sets quality requirements for fusion welding in workshops and on site, and SAIW Certification uses it to certify welding and fabrication companies; welders are coded individually, to a construction standard, for each process, position and material.[12][5][1]

Who checks the welding on a pressure vessel repair?

Under the Pressure Equipment Regulations the repairer certifies the work and an approved inspection authority countersigns the certificate where applicable (regulation 13(1)(b)). SAIW notes that SANS 10227 requires an inspection authority's inspection, testing and NDT verification personnel to hold certification meeting the SAQCC-IPE minimum requirements; SAIW renews that certification every three years.[17][7]

Describe the job.

Post a request and the suppliers who do this work can respond.

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Sources

  1. Southern African Institute of Welding (SAIW), Practical Welding Course, November 2025.
  2. Southern African Institute of Welding (SAIW), IIW International Welder (IIW): course information and pricing, November 2025.
  3. Southern African Institute of Welding (SAIW), About us, September 2025.
  4. SAIW Certification, Certification, November 2025.
  5. SAIW Certification, Certification to ISO 3834, November 2025.
  6. SAIW Certification, Certification of welding and fabrication companies in accordance with ASME Section VIII Division 1 Appendix 10 (pressure vessel fabricators), March 2025.
  7. SAIW Certification, SAQCC Inspector of Pressurised Equipment certification: overview, November 2025.
  8. SAIW Certification, Certification schemes (NDT personnel, ISO 9712), January 2026.
  9. African Fusion (Crown Publications), ISO 3834, the PER and the safety critical mining industry, 27 July 2023.
  10. SABS Standards Division, SANS 9606-1:1994 (Ed. 1.00), Approval testing of welders: Fusion welding, Part 1: Steels, 1994, amended 2006, reaffirmed 28 March 2019.
  11. SABS Standards Division, SANS 15614-1:2007 (Ed. 1.00), Specification and qualification of welding procedures for metallic materials: Welding procedure test, Part 1: Arc and gas welding of steels and arc welding of nickel and nickel alloys, 26 April 2007, reaffirmed 23 February 2018.
  12. SABS Standards Division, SANS 3834-2:2006 (Ed. 2.00), Quality requirements for fusion welding of metallic materials, Part 2: Comprehensive quality requirements, 29 September 2006, reaffirmed 27 October 2017.
  13. SABS Standards Division, SANS 10269:2015 (Ed. 1.04), Welding of thermoplastics: Testing and approval of welders, 27 March 2015.
  14. SABS Standards Division, SANS 2001-CS1:2017 (Ed. 1.02), Construction works, Part CS1: Structural steelwork, 20 December 2017.
  15. ASME, BPVC Section IX: Welding, Brazing, and Fusing Qualifications (2025 edition), 2025.
  16. American Welding Society (AWS), D1.1/D1.1M:2025-AMD1, Structural Welding Code: Steel, 2025.
  17. Department of Labour (Government Gazette 41256), Guidance Notes to the Pressure Equipment Regulations, Revision 2 (GN 1265), with the text of each regulation, 17 November 2017.
  18. Department of Labour (Government Gazette 40713), Incorporation of health and safety standards into the Pressure Equipment Regulations, 2009 (GN R.262, replacing the schedule), 24 March 2017.
  19. Department of Labour (Government Gazette 37305), Construction Regulations, 2014 (GN R.84), 7 February 2014.
  20. The Presidency (Government Gazette 31666), Skills Development Amendment Act 37 of 2008 (inserting sections 26A to 26M, artisan development, into Act 97 of 1998), 1 December 2008.