ISO 15608 – A Welder's Guide to Material Grouping
Making Sense of ISO 15608 – A Welder's Guide to Material Grouping If you've ever been involved in welding qualifications , you’ve probably heard of ISO 15608 . But what does it really mean in day-to-day welding work? Let’s break it down in simple terms. What is ISO 15608? ISO 15608 is a guideline that helps welding engineers, inspectors, and fabricators group different types of metals based on how similar they are when it comes to welding. Why group materials? Because not every metal welds the same way — and qualifying a welding procedure or a welder for each metal separately would be a nightmare. This standard saves time, money, and effort by grouping similar materials together so one qualification can cover many. Why It Matters Think of it like this — if a welder is qualified to weld one type of stainless steel, they might also be good to weld another similar one. ISO 15608 helps us prove that without having to redo the whole testing process. It’s widely used i...