A welding procedure specification is only useful if it carries everything the standard asks for. This page sets out what ISO 15609-1:2019 requires in a WPS, clause by clause — and shows you the software that captures it, versions it, and prints it in two languages.
A welding procedure specification (WPS) is the document that tells a welder how to make a specific weld: which process, which consumable, which current, which preheat. ISO 15609-1 does not tell you how to weld. It tells you what has to be written down, because those are the variables that change the quality of the finished joint.
A preliminary WPS (pWPS) is the same document before it has been qualified. You weld a test piece to it, test the results, and the outcome is recorded in a welding procedure qualification record (WPQR) — under ISO 15614 for the ISO route, or a PQR under ASME IX. The qualified WPS then references that record. The general rules for that route live in ISO 15607, not in 15609-1.
ISO 15609 has five parts, one per process family. Part 1 covers arc welding and is the one that applies to MMA, MIG/MAG, TIG, SAW and plasma. Gas welding, electron beam, laser beam and resistance welding are covered by parts 2 to 5.
Clause 4 of the standard sets out the technical content. It is grouped below the way it is actually filled in, not the way it is numbered. Ranges and tolerances have to be stated wherever they are relevant — a WPS covers a range of conditions, not one point. For some jobs the list can be extended or reduced.
This is a summary written for orientation. The authoritative text is ISO 15609-1:2019, available from ISO.
| Group | What the WPS has to state | Clause |
|---|---|---|
| Identification | The manufacturer, the WPS reference, and a link to the WPQR or other qualifying document | 4.2 |
| Parent material | Material designation and its reference standard; the material group number (ISO/TR 20172, 20173 or 20174 — or ISO/TR 15608 if the material is not assigned in those). One WPS may cover a whole group | 4.3.1 |
| Dimensions | Thickness range of the material; outside diameter range for pipe | 4.3.2 |
| Process | The welding process, designated to ISO 4063 | 4.4.1 |
| Position | The welding positions, to ISO 6947 | 4.4.3 |
| Joint design | A sketch of the joint and its dimensions, or a reference to one; run sequence on the sketch where it matters to the properties of the weld | 4.4.2 |
| Joint preparation | Surface condition, cleaning and degreasing including method; jigging, fixtures and tack welding | 4.4.4 |
| Backing | Type — material, gas or flux backing | 4.4.7 |
| Back gouging | Method, depth and shape | 4.4.6 |
| Consumables | Designation and make (manufacturer and trade name), size, and handling such as drying or holding in a heated quiver | 4.4.8 |
| Shielding gas | Designation to ISO 14175, plus composition, manufacturer and trade name where applicable | 4.4.16 |
| Electrical | Current type (AC or DC) and polarity; pulse details where used; current range; voltage range where applicable; wire feed speed range for mechanized and automatic welding | 4.4.9 |
| Mechanized / automatic | Travel speed range and wire or strip feed speed range | 4.4.10 |
| Technique | Weaving — maximum run width for manual and partly mechanized work; amplitude, frequency and dwell time for fully mechanized and automatic. Torch, electrode or wire angle where it is required | 4.4.5 |
| Heat input / arc energy | The range, to ISO/TR 18491 | 4.4.17 |
| Preheat | The minimum temperature to be applied at the start of and during welding. Where no preheat is required, the lowest permitted workpiece temperature instead | 4.4.11 |
| Interpass | Maximum interpass temperature, and the minimum where that matters | 4.4.12 |
| Preheat maintenance | The minimum temperature to be held in the weld zone if welding is interrupted | 4.4.13 |
| Hydrogen release | Post-heating temperature range and minimum holding time | 4.4.14 |
| PWHT | Minimum time and temperature range for post-weld heat treatment or ageing, or a reference to the standard that specifies it | 4.4.15 |
| Process (ISO 4063) | Additional content required |
|---|---|
| 111 — manual metal arc | Run-out length of electrode consumed, or travel speed |
| 12 — submerged arc | For multi-electrode systems, the number and configuration of wire electrodes and polarity; contact tube-to-workpiece distance; flux designation, manufacturer and trade name; any additional filler; arc voltage range |
| 13 — gas-shielded metal arc | Shielding gas flow rate and nozzle diameter; number of wire electrodes; any additional filler; contact tip-to-workpiece distance; arc voltage range; mode of metal transfer |
| 14 — gas-shielded, non-consumable electrode | Tungsten electrode diameter and code to ISO 6848; shielding gas flow rate and nozzle diameter; any additional filler |
| 15 — plasma arc | Plasma gas composition, nozzle diameter and flow rate; shielding gas flow rate and nozzle diameter; torch type; nozzle-to-workpiece distance |
The second edition replaced ISO 15609-1:2004 and folded in its 2005 corrigendum. The technical changes are narrow but worth knowing:
The WPS builder is laid out in the same blocks the standard asks for: identification and WPQR reference, parent material and dimensions, joint sketches, a run-by-run parameter table, thermal treatment, consumables and gas, signatures.
Parent material carries its designation, its reference standard and its ISO/TR 15608 group and subgroup, so one procedure can properly cover a group of materials the way clause 4.3.1 allows.
Each run records process, filler and size, current, voltage, current type and polarity, travel speed, wire feed speed and heat input — the whole of 4.4.9, 4.4.10 and 4.4.17 in one table.
Joint design and welding sequence come from the built-in weld joint designer with their dimensions attached, so 4.4.2 is a drawing in the document rather than a photocopy stapled to it.
Each document prints with a primary language and an optional second language underneath — Polish, English or German. One WPS that the shop floor and the client inspector can both read.
Documents move draft to published to archived and carry a version number that steps up on each published revision, so the procedure a welder is holding can be traced to a specific issue.
WPQR records, welder qualifications to ISO 9606 with expiry warnings, equipment, materials and inspections sit in the same system, so the WPS reference points at something real rather than at a folder on someone's desktop.
A blank welding procedure specification laid out the way our own WPS builder prints it. Heat input calculates itself from the process number, and the sheet is set up to print on a single A4 page. No sign-up, no email address.
Download the WPS template (XLSX)Opens in Microsoft Excel, LibreOffice and Google Sheets. Spreadsheet formulas only — no macros. You get the file in the language this page is set to.
WeldStack gives you the WPS builder, WPQR records, welder qualifications and equipment in one system. Free trial, no credit card.