Side by side X2 · CWI vs SCWI
CWI or SCWI: what changes at the senior level?
The single SCWI exam was retired on April 1, 2025. To become a Senior Certified Welding Inspector now, you pass four AWS endorsement exams, hold the CWI for at least six of the past eight years and show 15 years of work in the field. The SCWI does everything a CWI does and adds supervision, written procedures and vendor audits.
- Exam
- CWI
- Updated
- October 2026
X2.1What the senior level adds
QC1 lists the functions for each level (AWS QC1:2016-AMD1, clause 4, checked October 2026). A CWI performs inspections, verifies that work and records meet the standard, and certifies welder qualifications. An SCWI does all of that and also supervises CWIs, CAWIs and NDE personnel, prepares inspection procedures, reviews and interprets joining procedures, and audits vendors who supply materials or services to the job.
Put plainly: the CWI checks the weld against the paperwork. The SCWI writes some of that paperwork, runs the people doing the checking, and goes out to the supplier's shop to see whether their system holds up.
If you're still a CAWI, the ladder starts one rung lower. CWI vs CAWI covers that step.
X2.2CWI and SCWI side by side
| Point | CWI | SCWI |
|---|---|---|
| How you earn it | Pass Parts A, B and C at 72% each | Pass four CWI endorsements, then apply |
| Exams | Part B practical, Parts A and C at Prometric | Four endorsement exams on screen at Prometric |
| Experience | By education, e.g. 5 years after high school | CWI for 6 of the past 8 years, plus 15 years in at least 3 listed areas |
| Inspects and certifies welders | Yes | Yes |
| Supervises inspectors | Not a listed function | Yes, CWIs, CAWIs and NDE personnel |
| Writes inspection procedures, audits vendors | Not listed functions | Yes |
| Fees, member / non-member | Initial exams $1,255 / $1,520 | Endorsement exams $445 / $540 each, SCWI application $185 |
| Renewal | Every 3 years, 9-year recertification | Same cycle |
≠ marks a row where the two differ.
Sources: AWS SCWI page, the price table on the AWS CWI page and AWS QC1:2016-AMD1, clause 4, all checked October 2026. Four endorsement exams at the member price come to $1,780 before the application fee; that sum is our arithmetic.
X2.3How the SCWI route changed
Before April 1, 2025
One SCWI exam
A single senior exam was the way in. It's retired, so older guides that describe it are out of date.
April 1, 2025
Endorsement path takes effect
AWS replaced the exam with four stackable endorsements: Welder Performance Qualifier, Welding Procedure Qualifier, Welding Coordination and QA, and Nondestructive Examination Coordination.
Checked October 2026
Still the current route
The AWS SCWI page lists the four endorsements, the six-of-eight-years rule and the 15-year experience rule.
X2.4The four endorsements in plain words
- Welder Performance Qualifier
- Overseeing and certifying welder qualification tests.
- Welding Procedure Qualifier
- Reviewing and qualifying WPSs, their variables and the PQRs behind them. The WPS vs PQR page is the groundwork.
- Welding Coordination and QA
- Welding quality programs, coordination duties and auditing.
- NDE Coordination
- NDE qualification programs and methods such as RT, UT and MT. Start with the NDE methods clause.
X2.5Who each fits
The CWI fits the inspector on the job: fit-up, preheat, interpass, finished size and profile, the report. It's the base credential the rest of the AWS inspector ladder builds on.
The SCWI fits the CWI who already runs other inspectors, writes the inspection plan, or travels to audit suppliers, and has the years to prove it. The endorsements are useful one at a time, too: each one counts toward the 9-year recertification, and the SCWI keeps the same rhythm laid out on the CWI renewal page.
AWS also runs separate Certified Welding Supervisor and Certified Welding Engineer programs. Those sit outside the inspector ladder, and this site doesn't cover them.
X2.6Sources
- AWS SCWI page — April 1, 2025 change, four endorsements, experience (checked October 2026)
- AWS CWI page — price table, endorsement exam fee (checked October 2026)
- AWS QC1:2016-AMD1 — functions of SCWI, CWI and CAWI, clause 4 (checked October 2026)
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