AWS CWI Certification Review: Cost, Exams, Eligibility and Renewal
"AWS CWI" is the Certified Welding Inspector credential from the American Welding Society. It has nothing to do with 
Amazon Web Services, even though both use the letters AWS. This review covers what the credential requires, what the three exams test, what AWS charges and whether the cost makes sense for you. Every requirement and fee below comes from the American Welding Society's own CWI page and price list. Where we could not confirm something, we say so.
Our verdict in short: the AWS CWI certification is a well-documented credential with published fees and several ways to prepare. It is also expensive, it needs years of welding-related experience before you can apply and it asks for renewal fees at years three and six plus a nine-year recertification. We did not verify pay or job demand, so we cannot say whether the return justifies the cost for you. We explain how to test that below.
Quick facts
Item | What the AWS page says |
|---|---|
Issuer | American Welding Society (AWS) |
Exams | Three parts. You need at least 72% on each |
Part A (Fundamentals) | 150 questions, computer-based at Prometric |
Part B (Practical) | Hands-on activities plus 46 questions, held at AWS seminar locations |
Part C (Code Book) | Open book, 50 to 65 questions, computer-based at Prometric |
Initial exam fees | $1,185 member or $1,450 non-member on AWS's price list. The CWI page shows higher amounts |
Validity | Nine years |
Renewal | Applications at years three and six |
Recertification | At year nine, by exam, 80 PDHs or another route |
AWS CWI certification vs "AWS certified welding"
If you searched "AWS certified welding", you may be looking for the Certified Welder (CW) program, which tests your own welding. The CWI is different. It certifies that you can inspect welds and welding work, so the exams cover areas such as destructive and nondestructive testing, welding symbols, WPS and PQR documents and code books. Our AWS Certified Welder profile covers the welder credential. Our shorter AWS Certified Welding Inspector education review is the earlier write-up of the CWI.
AWS describes the CWI on its homepage as a credential that "advances careers and ensures quality with flexible training options". That is the company's own marketing line, not an independent finding.
Who can apply: eligibility and experience
Candidates must pass a vision test and meet an education and work experience combination. Each level of education replaces part of the required welding experience.
Minimum education | Education can replace up to | Welding-based work experience needed |
|---|---|---|
Bachelor's or higher in welding engineering or technology | 4 years | 1 year |
Associate or higher in welding or non-welding engineering technology, engineering or physical science | 3 years | 2 years |
Engineering or technical courses applicable to a welding bachelor's degree | 2 years | 3 years |
Trade or vocational courses | 1 year | 4 years |
High school diploma or equivalency | None | 5 years |
8th grade schooling | None | 9 years |
Less than 8th grade | None | 12 years |
This is the biggest barrier. Even with a bachelor's degree in welding, you need a year of welding-based work. With only a high school diploma, you need five.
The three exams
You must score at least 72% on each part.
Part A (Fundamentals): 150 questions on destructive testing, fabrication math, safety, metallurgy, nondestructive testing, welding symbols, WPS and PQR documents and welding fundamentals.
Part B (Practical): hands-on activities with equipment AWS provides, plus 46 questions on those activities. They include applying WPSs and PQRs, using inspection tools and executing required welds. It is held at AWS seminar locations on fixed dates, so you may need to travel.
Part C (Code Book): an open-book exam of 50 to 65 questions based on specified code book editions.
Score reports for Parts A and C arrive by email about two weeks after you finish. You cannot walk into a Prometric center and book. AWS emails a confirmation letter with an eligibility code after your application is approved. The name on your application must match your government-issued ID exactly.
One warning from the page itself: the code book editions listed for Part C differ between two sections of the page. Check AWS's Exam and Reference Guide for the editions you will actually be tested on.
How much does the AWS CWI certification cost?
AWS publishes a dedicated price list page and also prints fee tables on the CWI page itself. The figures do not match. The price list shows the lowest amounts and the CWI page shows higher ones, so treat the exact number as something to confirm when you apply. The tables below use the price list.
AWS lists member and non-member prices. Non-member prices include a three-year AWS individual membership unless noted. Student and early-career memberships do not qualify for member pricing.
Initial certification (AWS price list):
Item | Member | Non-member |
|---|---|---|
Initial CAWI and CWI exams | $1,185 | $1,450 |
Initial CAWI and CWI exams with Part B training | $1,880 | $2,145 |
CWI by reciprocity with CWB or INWC | $630 | $895 |
CWI by IIW waiver | $780 | $870 (includes a 1-year membership) |
Upgrade CAWI to CWI | $305 | $570 |
How the three sources compare for the initial exams line:
Source on aws.org | Member | Non-member |
|---|---|---|
Price list page | $1,185 | $1,450 |
CWI page, initial application table | $1,255 | $1,520 |
CWI page, IIW waiver section table | $1,220 | $1,485 |
We could not tell which is current. None of the pages shows an effective date.
Extras that are not in those numbers:
Prometric seat fees: the price list says a seat fee applies to the initial exams, $60 per part for Part A or Part C and $120 for all parts.
Part B ATF fees: additional ATF fees apply to the practical exam. AWS gives no amount and tells candidates to contact ATF for pricing. The pages we read do not define the term.
Endorsement processing: the CWI page says a $125 processing fee applies to endorsement applications submitted by email or mail.
Travel: Part B runs at AWS seminar locations, so travel is on you.
AWS says prices may change without notice.
Renewal at year three and year six (AWS price list):
Option | Member | Non-member |
|---|---|---|
By work experience | $605 | $870 |
By examination | $960 | $1,225 |
By Part B exam and Part B training | $2,015 | $2,280 |
CWB or INWC reciprocity renewal | $540 | $805 |
Nine-year recertification (AWS price list):
Option | Member | Non-member |
|---|---|---|
CWI Part B exam | $1,095 | $1,360 |
Part B exam with Part B training | $2,155 | $2,420 |
Non-exam route (80 PDHs) | $745 | $1,010 |
CWI and SCWI nine-year course | $1,995 | $2,260 |
The CWI page lists slightly higher amounts for the same renewal and recertification rows, for example $630 and $895 for renewal by work experience and $770 and $1,035 for the non-exam recertification.
What a full nine years could cost. As an illustration using the cheapest listed routes at price list member prices, the initial exams ($1,185), two renewals by work experience ($605 each) and a non-exam recertification ($745) add up to $3,140. Add $120 in Prometric seat fees and the figure is $3,260. At non-member prices the same routes add up to $4,200 before seat fees, although the non-member price includes only a three-year membership. None of these figures includes training, ATF fees, travel or membership dues, because we did not find the dues amount. Treat them as a floor, not a budget.
Training options
AWS offers several ways to prepare, all listed on its CWI page:
CWI one-week and two-week in-person seminars. The two-week version adds more instructor interaction and an in-class practice exam.
A CWI two-week online seminar with four-hour sessions.
A CWI eight-week online seminar with two-hour sessions.
A three-day in-person Part B seminar.
A self-paced pre-seminar bundle of ten courses, about 80 hours.
A nine-year recertification seminar for the 80-hour continuing education route.
Custom in-house training for companies.
Seminar prices are not on the page we read, so we do not quote them. The "with Part B training" line shows how much training can add: $695 more at member prices on the price list.
Renewal and keeping the credential
The CWI is valid for nine years. You file renewal applications at years three and six and need no breaks in practice or employment longer than two years within the prior three. You can apply up to 11 months before expiration. AWS recommends at least 60 days. A 60-day grace period exists, but your certification shows as expired during it. Applications after the grace period but within a year of expiration may still qualify, with late fees.
At year nine you recertify by Part B exam, 80 professional development hours or by earning the Certified Radiographic Interpreter credential.
Our review: what is good and what to weigh
What works:
Published fees. Initial, renewal and recertification prices are published with member and non-member columns.
Several routes. In-person, online instructor-led and self-paced options suit different schedules.
Clear eligibility. The experience table makes it easy to check whether you qualify before you pay.
A practical exam. Part B tests hands-on inspection and welding activities, not only recall.
What to weigh:
Cost. Initial exams alone start above $1,100. The full path with training, renewals and recertification costs several times that.
The experience wall. Between one and twelve years of welding-based work are required before you can apply.
Fixed practical dates. Part B runs on AWS seminar schedules, so you may travel and wait for a slot.
Conflicting information. Three different initial fee figures across two AWS pages and two sets of code book editions make it easy to budget or prepare for the wrong thing.
Ongoing fees. The credential is not a one-time purchase.
Our scorecard is our judgment based only on AWS's own page. It deliberately leaves out pay and job demand because we could not verify them:
Criterion | Score (out of 5) | Why |
|---|---|---|
Clarity of requirements | 4 | Eligibility table and exam parts are clear, but code book editions conflict |
Fee transparency | 3 | Prices are published, but three figures disagree and ATF fees have no amount |
Flexibility of preparation | 4 | Five-plus training formats |
Ease of entry | 2 | High experience requirement and high initial cost |
We are not giving an overall score. Without pay and demand data, a single number would pretend to know the value of the credential.
Is the AWS CWI worth it? How to test it yourself
We did not verify salary ranges, pass rates or how much employers in your area value the credential, so we do not quote any. Here is a way to check before you commit:
Search job postings in your region for welding inspector roles and note how many require or prefer the CWI.
Compare the pay in those postings with what you earn now.
Add the cost in this guide, including renewals. Then see how long the pay difference takes to cover it.
Ask an employer whether it reimburses certification costs.
If you already work in welding, fabrication or quality control and your employer asks for the credential, the cost is much easier to justify.
Related trade and inspection credentials
If you are comparing credentials, our guides to ASE certification costs and the ASE Certified Automotive Technician certification show how another trade credential prices out. For a different kind of inspection career, see the InterNACHI Certified Professional Inspector program and the creator profile for Cy Porter of CYFY Home Inspections.
If you plan to work for yourself
Some inspectors consult or freelance. These pages show how other independent trade and service businesses work: career services, the 
Handyman, the Cybersecurity Auditor, the Accounting Consulting and the mobile device repair side hustle. For start-up cost comparisons, read our window tint business guide and our laundromat startup cost guide.
Tools that independent trade businesses use include Workiz for field service management, DroneDesk for drone operations, PaintScout for contractor estimates, Bench for bookkeeping, Carrd for a simple one-page site, 
chatgpt for drafting and LinkedIn for job searching. None is required for the CWI.
For one more trade-business perspective, see Dustin Stelzer of Electrician U and Billy Kyle. We did not check what each covers beyond their page titles. You can also ask questions in our community.
Where to check the current numbers
AWS publishes the CWI page, a price list, an Exam and Reference Guide, a seminar and exam schedule and renewal and recertification pages on aws.org. Check them before you pay, because AWS says prices can change without notice.
How we checked this (methodology)
Verified from the American Welding Society's CWI page:
Eligibility and experience table, vision test and the three exam parts with question counts and the 72% threshold
Initial, renewal and recertification fee tables on the CWI page, member and non-member
Nine-year validity, renewal timing, grace period and recertification routes
Training formats and the Part B ATF fee note
Application and scheduling rules from the page's FAQ
Verified from AWS's program price list page: initial, renewal and recertification fees, the Prometric seat fees, the membership notes and the statement that Part B ATF fees have no listed amount.
Verified from the AWS homepage source we were given: the CWI promotional line and the navigation structure, which confirmed the existence of the CWI, renewal, recertification, price list and exam guide pages.
Unresolved:
Which initial fee figure is current. The price list shows $1,185 member and the CWI page shows $1,255 and $1,220 on the same line. None shows an effective date.
The amount of the ATF fee for Part B and the seminar prices
Which Part C code book editions apply, because the page lists different ones in different sections
Membership dues
Salary, job demand and pass rates. We did not verify any of them and do not quote them.
FAQ
What does AWS CWI stand for?
CWI stands for Certified Welding Inspector, a credential from the American Welding Society. It is not related to Amazon Web Services.
How much does the AWS CWI certification cost?
AWS lists initial exam fees separately for members and non-members. Its price list and CWI page do not fully agree. Confirm the current price with AWS. Prometric seat fees, training, ATF fees and travel are extra.
What are the AWS CWI requirements?
You must pass a vision test and have a combination of education and welding-based work experience, from one year with a welding bachelor's degree to five years with a high school diploma and up to twelve with less than eighth grade schooling.
How many exams are there for the AWS CWI?
Three. Part A is 150 questions on fundamentals, Part B is a hands-on practical with 46 related questions and Part C is an open-book code exam of 50 to 65 questions. You need at least 72% on each.
How long is the AWS CWI valid?
Nine years, with renewal applications at years three and six and recertification at year nine.
What is the difference between AWS certified welding and the CWI?
AWS has several programs. The Certified Welder program tests a person's own welding. The CWI certifies that someone can inspect welding work.
