Confirm which edition of AWS D1.1/D1.1M the specification and general notes name, since AWS now sells the 2025 code with Amendment 1, then read every weld symbol on the details for type, size, length, side, field weld, and tail reference. Next check that groove weld details either cite a prequalified joint or are flagged for a qualified procedure, and that the testing and inspection the drawings call for match the steel specification and the inspection program. AI can flag conflicts; the structural engineer of record and the welding inspector decide compliance.
What does AWS D1.1 cover?
The AWS store page for D1.1/D1.1M:2025 states that the code covers the welding requirements for any type of welded structure made from the commonly used carbon and low-alloy constructional steels, that Clauses 1 through 11 form its body of rules, and that it has eight normative and eleven informative annexes plus a commentary. AWS’s D1.1 page describes it as the code that defines how structural steel is welded, qualified, and inspected, and says it is routinely referenced in project contracts. Sheet steel and bridges have their own AWS codes, D1.3 and the AASHTO/AWS D1.5.
AWS announced D1.1/D1.1M:2025 on April 17, 2025. The AWS store now lists both the 2025 code and D1.1/D1.1M:2025-AMD1, and AWS’s amendment notice says Amendment 1, which corrects the visual inspection acceptance criteria table, is incorporated in a second printing dated February 2026. AWS also posts errata sheets for the 2025 code and for the amended printing. Checked October 21, 2026. The building code, the AISC 360 edition it adopts, and the project specification may each reference an earlier D1.1 edition, so record the edition, printing, and amendment the contract actually names rather than assuming the newest one governs.
D1.1 governs how a weld is made, qualified, and inspected; the design strength of the connection comes from AISC 360 and, for seismic systems, AISC 341. Weld symbols on the drawings follow AWS A2.4, which the AWS store lists as A2.4:2020. See the AISC 360 guide for design and the structural steel specifications guide for the 05 12 00 comparison; this page covers the welding callouts between them.
Gather the welding callouts and the documents that govern them
Collect the structural general notes, the framing plans, the connection and typical details, the steel specification (often Section 05 12 00) and any welding or testing sections, the statement of special inspections, and, once available, the shop drawings and the fabricator’s and erector’s welding procedure specifications.
Add the delegated connection design calculations if connections are delegated, and the seismic force-resisting system designation if AISC 341 applies, because both change which welds carry extra requirements.
Trace each weld from symbol to inspection
| Review question | Sources to compare | Decision to record |
|---|---|---|
| Code edition and amendment | Structural general notes, steel specification, shop drawing notes | Record the D1.1 edition each document cites and resolve a note that names a different edition or printing than the specification. |
| Weld symbol completeness | Connection details, typical details, shop drawings | Check each symbol shows weld type, size, arrow or other side, length and pitch where intermittent, and field or all-around flags, and that the tail references resolve. |
| Prequalified joint or qualified procedure | Groove weld details, general notes, WPS submittals | Record which details cite a prequalified joint designation and which show geometry that will need a qualified welding procedure. |
| CJP and PJP intent | Details, connection schedule, delegated design calculations | Confirm the drawings state complete or partial joint penetration where the design needs it, and that the PJP size shown matches the calculations. |
| Backing, tabs, and access holes | Details, general notes, specification, shop drawings | Find details where backing, weld tabs, or weld access holes are drawn but the notes and specification say nothing about leaving or removing them. |
| Testing and inspection | General notes, steel specification, statement of special inspections | Match the NDT methods, extent, and acceptance basis named in each document, and flag welds the drawings require to be tested that the inspection program omits. |
Shop drawing weld callouts continue in the structural steel shop drawing checklist, connection loads in the structural calculations checklist, and the wider structural set in the structural drawing review checklist.
Example: a moment connection with three testing instructions
Hypothetical example. A three-story office building uses field-welded moment connections at the perimeter frames. The connection detail shows a complete joint penetration groove weld at the beam flanges with backing but no field weld flag, the general notes say every CJP weld is ultrasonically tested, the steel specification leaves the testing extent to the engineer, and the statement of special inspections lists only visual inspection for field welds.
The moment connection detail calls a CJP flange weld with backing but omits the field weld flag, and the general notes, steel specification, and statement of special inspections describe different testing for it. Confirm where the weld is made, whether the backing stays, and the testing extent, and coordinate the three documents.
The engineer of record clarifies the detail and aligns the notes, specification, and inspection program. The finding is a disagreement between documents, not a judgment on weld quality.
Review welding callouts with Groundbook
Upload the current drawings and specifications to Groundbook, and state the edition, amendments, and review scope in your instructions. Add the D1.1/D1.1M edition and amendment the specification names, AWS A2.4 if your team reads symbols against it, and the AISC standards the project uses, from copies you are licensed to upload. See how Groundbook works with local and licensed codes.
Compare the structural general notes, framing plans, connection and typical details, steel and testing specifications, statement of special inspections, delegated connection calculations, and shop drawings. Flag a D1.1 edition that differs between documents, incomplete weld symbols, groove weld details that neither cite a prequalified joint nor call for a qualified procedure, CJP or PJP intent that differs from the calculations, backing or tabs with no disposition, and testing that differs between the notes, specification, and inspection program. Use the supplied AWS D1.1 and cite both sources.
Groundbook links each potential finding to the sheets and documents involved. It does not size welds, qualify procedures, or calculate connection strength.
Document review does not certify welds, approve welding procedures, or replace the engineer of record, the fabricator’s quality program, or the special inspector.