AISC Certification
Certified Fabricators
Benefits
Meeting your Customer Requirements
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?
Differentiate your business
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.
Improve your shop everyday
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.
Resources
Fee Schedule
Submit Program Prerequisites:
application@aisc.org (preferred)
American Institute of Steel Construction
Attn: Certification Programs
130 E. Randolph Street, Suite 2000
Chicago, IL 60601-6219
Submit Payments:
American Institute of Steel Construction
PO Box 8761
Carol Stream, IL 60197-8761
Overnight Payments:
Attn: Lockbox Operations
PO Box 978761
2012 Corporate Lane, Suite 108
Naperville, IL 60563
Wire Transfers:
Please contact AISC for instructions.
Bulletins
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. If you have any questions about these, please contact us at certification@aisc.org or 312.670.7520.
2018
- Bulletin 2018-04 (Audit Confirmations)
- Bulletin 2018-03 (Audit Numbers)
- Bulletin 2018-02 (Program Conversion)
- Bulletin 2018-01 (Scheduling)
2017
- Bulletin 2017-04 (Erector Waiver)
- Bulletin 2017-03 (All Requirements)
- Bulletin 2017-02 (HYD Requirements)
- Bulletin 2017-01 (BU Requirements)
2016 & Earlier
Audit Resources
- Site Reference Document List
- Corrective Action Request Procedure
- Sample Management Review Form
- Internal Audit Sample Forms for AISC 207-16 — summarizes the changes and added provisions within the new Standard
- Internal Audit Sample Forms for AISC 201-06, 205-11, 204-08, 206-13, 420-10
- Non-Conformance Worksheet
NASCC Fabricator Sessions
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.
Waivers
The "No More Waivers!" program is an AISC Certification initiative implemented to help specifiers and AISC Certified companies respond to pressure from contractors and owners to waive quality requirements. Since its inception in 2004, the "No More Waivers!" program goal has been to promptly respond to all attempts to waive quality requirements that are reported to the program. The program currently relies largely on specifiers and AISC Certified firms to identify potential waiver cases and to engage AISC as a partner to counter efforts to waive requirements. Together, through timely action focused on key project decision makers and appropriate information about the value of Certification, we can reduce the number of waivers.
Looking ahead, the long-term goal of the program is to eliminate quality requirement waivers by making AISC Certification a pre-qualification to any bid list. As progress toward achieving this goal, Certified fabricators, Certified erectors, and specifiers are increasingly assuming lead roles in protecting Certification requirements. They are building cases for individual projects and working to educate members of the building industry in their local markets about the value of Certification.
Please use the tools provided above to help make your case to any and all key project decision makers. If your letter and follow up phone calls fail to gain consideration in your waiver situation, call or email AISC Certification for additional support. AISC can most effectively support your efforts when actions are based on the information you have collected.
Use the "No More Waivers!" form noted above as a tool to communicate your waiver response history and identified decision makers. Once completed, email the form to Todd Alwood, manager of certification business development and you will be contacted within a 24-hour period. Todd can be reached at either alwood@aisc.org or 312.670.7527.
Quality Management Systems (QMS) Programs and Endorsements
Building QMS Certification (BU)
This program's governing document is the Certification Standard for Steel Building Structures and describes certification requirements for building fabricators regardless of project size and complexity. Certification includes all functions of providing Structural Steel fabrication from receipt of contract through final delivery. AISC believes there is a basic level of quality all fabricators must maintain regardless of the facility’s size or capacity.The previous acronym (STD) has been superseded by BU. Please note, AISC Certification is address-specific, so each fabrication facility must apply separately.
- Application Document Submittal for the Building Fabricator Certification Program (valid for applications submitted through April 30, 2018)
- Application Document Submittal for AISC Certification - Fabricators and Manufacturers (effective May 1, 2018)
- Building Program Requirements
- Standard for Steel Building Structures (AISC 201-06)
Bridge QMS Certification
In 2014, this program completed the conversion to a standard-based bridge certification, which replaces the previous checklist criteria. This transition completes a two-year process of converting bridge participants and applicants to the AISC Certification Program Requirements for Steel Bridge Fabricators. In addition, the program requirements introduce the certification categories of Certified Bridge Fabricator: Simple (SBR), Intermediate (IBR), and Advanced (ABR). Certificates will temporarily continue to include either the “Intermediate/Major” or “Advanced/Major” designations to allow transportation departments additional time to update their standard specifications. Please note, AISC Certification is address-specific, so each fabrication facility must apply separately.
- Application Document Submittal for the Bridge Fabricator Certification Program (valid for applications submitted through April 30, 2018)
- Application Document Submittal for AISC Certification - Fabricators and Manufacturers (effective May 1, 2018)
- Bridge Program Requirements
- Standard for Steel Bridges - 2011 (AISC 205-11)
- Mock-Up Bridge Girder Instructions
Bridge Component QMS Certification (CPT)
This program's governing document is the Standard for Bridge and Highway Metal Component Manufacturers and describes certification requirements for facilities that manufacture and supply specific components, composed primarily of metal to bridge and highway construction projects. Certification is appropriate for manufacturers of components that include bracing not designed for primary loads (diaphragms, cross frames and lateral bracing); camera, light, sign and signal support structures; bridge rail; stairs; walkways; grid decks; drains; scuppers; expansion joints; bearings; ballast plates; and mechanical movable bridge equipment. Please note, AISC Certification is address-specific, so each fabrication facility must apply separately.
- Application Document Submittal for the Bridge and Highway Metal Component Manufacturers Certification Program (valid for applications submitted through April 30, 2018)
- Application Document Submittal for AISC Certification - Fabricators and Manufacturers (effective May 1, 2018)
- Component Program Requirements
- Standard for Bridge and Highway Metal Component (AISC 204-08)
Hydraulic QMS Certification (HYD)
This program's governing document is the AISC Certification Program Requirements for Fabricators of Hydraulic Steel Structures. It is applicable to the following types of hydraulic steel structures: Lock gates (miter gates, vertical-lift gates, sector gates, roller gates and submergible tainter gates), spillway gates, bulkheads, needle beams, lock culvert valves, and stop logs used in navigation, flood control or hydropower projects and similar structures. Please note, AISC Certification is address-specific, so each fabrication facility must apply separately.
- Application Document Submittal for the Hydraulic Fabricator Certification Program (valid for applications submitted through April 30, 2018)
- Application Document Submittal for AISC Certification - Fabricators and Manufacturers (effective May 1, 2018)
- Hydraulic Structures Program Requirements
- Standard for Steel Bridges - 2011 (AISC 205-11) and used by the Hydraulic Program
Fracture Critical Endorsement (FC)
This OPTIONAL endorsement is focused on the requirements of AWS D1.5, Clause 12, AASHTO/AWS Fracture Control Plan for Nonredundant Members. The provisions of Clause 12 apply to steel bridge members or components that are designated as “fracture critical.” Fracture critical members are basically tension members, or portions of members, of a bridge whose failure could cause a partial or complete collapse of the bridge. The program will evaluate the capability of the bridge fabricator to meet the more stringent fabrication demands of the D1.5 Fracture Control Plan. This endorsement is optional for only Certified Bridge Fabricators or Component Manufacturers.
- Application Document Submittal for the Fracture Critical Endorsement (valid for applications submitted through April 30, 2018)
- Application Document Submittal for AISC Certification - Fabricators and Manufacturers (effective May 1, 2018)
Sophisticated Paint Endorsement (SPE)
This OPTIONAL endorsement’s governing document is the Standard for Shop Application of Complex Protective Coating Systems, which was developed as a joint effort with Society for Protective Coatings: SSPC to streamline the criteria for both the marketplace and industry. The program evaluates the qualifications of structural steel fabricators and manufacturers of bridge and highway metal components who apply sophisticated or industrial protective coatings, such as zincs, expoxies, urethanes, or multi-coat systems in their paint shops following fabrication. There are three categories: P1-Sophisticated Paint Endorsement-Enclosed, P2-Sophisticated Paint Endorsement-Covered, and P3-Sophisticated Paint Endorsement-Outside. The program is optional for all AISC Certified fabricator participants.
- Application Document Submittal for the Sophisticated Paint Endorsement (valid for applications submitted through April 30, 2018)
- Application Document Submittal for AISC Certification - Sophisticated Paint (effective May 1, 2018)
- Complex Coating Systems Program Requirements
- Standard for Shop Application of Complex Protective Coating Systems (AISC 420-10)