AISC Certification is essential to give your business the opportunity to BID on MORE projects. Owners and design professionals use AISC Certification to set the level of quality on a project, whereas general contractors have to execute that specified level of quality. Surveys of owners, designers and general contractors conducted by AISC identified three critical drivers in the selection of structural steel: cost (materials and labor), speed (meet the stated schedule and deadlines), and quality (confidence that the project’s specifications will be met). AISC certification helps you enhance all three critical drivers: cost, speed and quality.

Reduce the owner’s COST and increase your profitability by improving the consistency of your operations: AISC Certification helps you reduce the risk of rework by requiring you to have measurable goals. Goals lead to modifying your documented production as well as your quality procedures which in turn reduces waste.

SPEED up delivery by taking the inspection schedule into your hands: IBC Chapter 1704.2.5.2 does not require special inspections where the work is done in the facilities or shop of a fabricator registered and approved. Inspections are performed by the fabricator instead of a third-party inspector resulting in a faster schedule. AISC Certification is frequently used by fabricators to obtain such approval from the building official.

Meet the specified level of QUALITY by effective communication with your customer: AISC Certification requires you to have effective inspection record keeping. When these processes are part of your Quality Management System (QMS), you will have the information your customer needs.

• What if a piece of steel delivered to the jobsite last week suddenly turns up damaged? Do you have the documentation to show that it was delivered to the site unharmed?
• What if a coating system starts to peel? Do you have documentation regarding the surface preparation?

Demonstrate to customers your commitment to quality: AISC Certification shows a client your DEDICATION to quality—by confirming that your company does what it says it does. Our programs help highlight that your company has the personnel, knowledge, organization, equipment, experience, capability, procedures and commitment to produce quality work.

It builds-in quality from the start: AISC Certification goes far beyond product inspection requirements—it examines a company’s quality management systems as a whole. The program results in a quality management system embedded within your organization to INCREASE PRODUCTIVITY, which helps to reduce unnecessary costs and ensure quality processes. AISC-Certified companies are required to have a complete QMS that covers the entire fabrication process, from quality goals to employee training to product delivery.

It makes your shop better, every day: Every fabricator should have some type of QMS, but AISC Certification ensures that yours is successful and adhered to. A good QMS will identify errors early and address them in a way that benefits your BOTTOM LINE by eliminating their recurrence. Another key feature of our program is the requirement to set goals for improvement, since even the best and brightest company—regardless of size—benefits by reviewing its quality procedures on a regular basis.

Looking for a handy tool to help streamline your quality management system? Our Certification Resources webpage contains a range of resources to help you do just that. From a non-conformance worksheet to an entire guide of required, normative and beneficial, informative references, these tools will simplify your daily tasks and improve your overall quality. Check it out here!

Domestic Fabricators
International Fabricators

As of April 1, 2021, the certification fee schedules have been updated.

Submit Application Scope Change Documents: 
application@aisc.org 

Submit Payments: 
American Institute of Steel Construction
PO Box 8761
Carol Stream, IL 60197-8761

Credit Card Payments:
Please visit our online credit card payment portal.

Overnight Payments:
Attn: Lockbox Operations
PO Box 978761
2012 Corporate Lane, Suite 108
Naperville, IL 60563

Wire Transfers:
Please contact AISC for instructions.

Withholding Taxes:
The fee amounts shown in the AISC Certification Fee Schedule represent the net amounts due and do not include any applicable taxes or withholdings levied by jurisdictions inside or outside of the United States of America. Applicants and Participants are required to remit the full fee amount and are responsible for any applicable taxes or withholdings.

Certification Bulletins help to communicate program changes that may affect you. Their purpose is to explain the change and why it is occurring, plus they provide clarity and program transparency.

All of our bulletins can be found on our Bulletins page.

If you have any questions about these, please contact us at certification@aisc.org or 312.670.7520.

• Mock Exercise Instructions for Fabricators of Steel Buildings
• Mock Exercise Instructions for Fabricators of Simple Bridges
• Mock Exercise Instructions for Fabricators of Intermediate Bridges
• Mock Exercise Instructions for Fabricators of Hydraulic Steel Structures

International Participants: Please review Bulletin 2020-01.

International Travel Advisory:

• If your company is located in a country the U.S. Department of State has issued a Travel Advisory cautioning U.S. citizens regarding travel, your AISC certification audit could be at risk of not being conducted. Your certificate will not be issued or renewed until the advisory is cancelled, and the audit has been completed.

• A list of the affected countries can be found at: https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/alertswarnings.html

Additional Information for International Applicants:

• Applicants must submit all application documents in English.
• For ease of communication, we require that all correspondence between AISC and its participants be in English, both verbally and in writing.

The Special Agency Audit Program was established to meet the requirements defined by Building Bulletin 2011-009 from the Office of Technical Certification and Research (OTCR)’s New York City Approved Fabricator List. Being a part of the Approved List allows fabricators to perform inspections traditionally performed by outside, third-party inspectors saving both time and money.

In order to participate in the Program, AISC Certified Fabricators must submit an application and have two unannounced audits each calendar year in addition to their AISC Certification renewal audit. Bulletin 2019-04 (Special Agency Audit Program) provides additional information on the program.

If you have any questions, please contact us at certification@aisc.org or 312-670-7520.

• Bulletin 2019-04 (Special Agency Audit Program)
• Application for Special Agency Audit Program

NASCC: The Steel Conference is the premier educational and networking event for the structural steel industry, bringing together steel fabricators, erectors, structural engineers, and detailers from across the country. The Steel Conference offers more than 130 sessions, plus it offers a Quality Track aimed at fabricators and erectors. Topics range from management-buy to solutions for corrective-actions to AISC Certification updates. Below is a list of highlights, and there is a current list of past Quality Track sessions, too.

• What is the Real Value of a Quality Management System?
• How Do I Prepare for My Next AISC Audit?
• Audit Findings Aren't Just Non-Conformances
• How can Certified Fabricators get Building Code Officials to Waive 3rd Party Inspections?

Do you wonder how your Quality Management System (QMS) compares?  Did you know that we offer assessments to assist with the implementation, effectiveness and sustainability of your QMS?

• Additional Pre-Assessment/Gap Analysis Information
• Pre-Assessment/Gap Analysis Application for Fabricators
• Pre-Assessment/Gap Analysis Application for Erectors

AISC Certification’s “No More Waivers!” program is designed to ensure the competitive advantage of AISC Certified firms during the bidding process, when some contractors and owners seek to waive quality requirements to allow bids from non-certified fabricators and/or erectors. 

You have an important role to play: We can’t help you unless you ask for assistance. We rely on AISC Certified firms and specifiers to reach out to AISC when they need help countering a waiver. If you find yourself in a situation where a waiver might factor into a project bid, AISC Certification will have your back. Just let us know what’s going on by completing the “No More Waivers!” form online - an online and PDF version are below. 

As part of our constant effort to reduce quality waivers, AISC Certification is partnering with Dodge SpecShare to reach specifiers before the bidding process even starts. We’ll send you more details soon. For now, we can tell you that, this new strategy will have an impact on roughly 30% to 40% of job specifications in the U.S. 

How to reach out to AISC Certification for help:

Click here to complete the online form.
Click here to download a PDF version.

We need as much information as possible to help you act quickly. Please be sure to give us all the details, especially the information marked “required” on the form.

Additional Resources:

AISC Certification is always looking for new ways to promote the advantages of working with a Certified firm. 

Certified fabricators, erectors and specifiers are leading the charge to protect AISC Certification requirements. AISC has a variety of tools available to help you successfully make your case to project decision-makers, including:

• Sample form letter for Certification Program participants to use when a waiver situation occurs
• Sample form letter for project specifiers to use when a waiver situation occurs
• Materials to help people understand exactly what a Certified firm offers:
• What is AISC Certification?
• What You Should Know About AISC Certification
  
• Answers to your Certification Questions
• Higher Quality, Lower Costs
• 100% Inspection is not QA
• Certification Category Descriptions
• Sample Specification Language
• What Should Engineers Know about IBC Chapter 17? (NASCC Session)

The Governing Requirements for Certification Programs and the Standard for Certification Programs (AISC 207-20) have been updated and take effect on June 1, 2021, for all participants and applicants. Please see our Certification Updates Site for information.

Below are the Governing Requirements for Certification Programs that took effect on June 1, 2020, and will be superseded. 

• Governing Requirements for Certification Programs
  
  • Supplemental Requirements for Fabricators of Steel Bridges (SBR, IBR, ABR)
  • Supplemental Requirements for Fabricators of Steel Buildings (BU)
  • Supplemental Requirements for Manufacturers of Bridge and Highway Components (CPT)
  • Supplemental Requirements for Structural Steel Erectors (CSE)
  • Supplemental Requirements for Fracture Critical Endorsement (FC)
  • Supplemental Requirements for Fabricators of Hydraulic Steel Structures (HYD)
  • Supplemental Requirements for Applicators of Complex Coatings Endorsement (SPE)

• Certification Standard for Steel Fabrication and Erection, and Manufacturing of Metal Components (AISC 207-16)
• Certification Standard for Shop Application of Complex Protective Coating Systems (AISC 420-10)

• Certification Standard for Steel Fabrication and Erection, and Manufacturing of Metal Components (AISC 207-16)
• Certification Standard for Shop Application of Complex Protective Coating Systems (AISC 420-10)

• Internal Audit Sample Forms for AISC 207-16 — summarizes the changes and added provisions within the new Standard
  • For ALL certification programs and endorsements
  • For ONLY fabricators and manufacturers

• Domestic Fabricator Scope Change Application
• International Fabricator Scope Change Application
• Application Document Submittal for AISC Certification - Fabricators and Manufacturers
• Application Document Submittal for AISC Certification - Sophisticated Paint