ISO 15607:2019 PDF

Overview

ISO 15607:2019 - "Specification and qualification of welding procedures for metallic materials - General rules" is the general framework of the ISO series that governs how welding procedures are specified and qualified. It defines high‑level rules for preparing a preliminary welding procedure specification (pWPS), establishing welding procedure qualification records (WPQR), and converting a pWPS into a production WPS. The standard applies to manual, partly mechanized, fully mechanized and automated welding and is intended to be used alongside more specific ISO standards for detailed testing and limits.

Key topics and requirements

• Scope and purpose: Provides general rules for development and qualification of welding procedures for metallic materials; Annex A lists related standards, Annex B provides a usage table, Annex C contains a development/qualification flow diagram.
• pWPS and WPS: A welding procedure is initially documented as a pWPS and must be qualified before production use. The manufacturer is responsible for ensuring applicability to actual production.
• WPQR: Qualification is recorded in one or more WPQRs, which must list all essential and non‑essential variables and their qualified ranges as defined in the relevant part of the ISO 15609 series.
• Qualification timing: Qualification shall be performed prior to production welding.
• Qualified personnel: Procedures are assumed to be executed by competent welders (qualified per ISO 9606) or operators (qualified per ISO 14732).
• Methods of qualification: ISO 15607 defines five principal methods -
  • Welding procedure test (ISO 15614 series)
  • Tested welding consumables (ISO 15610) - limited to certain material groups and thicknesses (example limits: 3–40 mm, fillet throat ≥ 3 mm, pipe D > 25 mm)
  • Previous welding experience (ISO 15611)
  • Adoption of a standard welding procedure (SWPS) (ISO 15612) - limited to specified material groups and up to 50 mm thickness in ISO 15612 note
  • Pre‑production welding test (ISO 15613) - used when production conditions cannot be replicated by standard test pieces

Applications and users

• Who uses it: Welding engineers, quality managers, manufacturers, fabricators, inspection bodies and contractors who develop, qualify and control welding procedures for metallic components.
• Practical uses: Establishing compliant WPS/WPQR workflows, choosing appropriate qualification method required by application standards, ensuring traceability of welding variables, and integrating qualification into production planning and quality systems.
• Industries: Metal fabrication, pressure vessels, piping, shipbuilding, automotive, heavy equipment, energy and construction where reliable welded joints and documented procedure control are required.

Related standards

• ISO 15609 (WPS format), ISO 15610, ISO 15611, ISO 15612, ISO 15613, ISO 15614 (procedure tests), ISO/TR 25901 (vocabulary), plus process‑specific standards referenced within ISO 15607.

Keywords: ISO 15607, welding procedure qualification, WPS, WPQR, pWPS, welding standards, ISO 15614, ISO 15610, ISO 15611, ISO 15612, ISO 15613.