ASME Section IX + B31.1 + B31.3 piping endorsement: is it worth it?
Quick answer
Is the ASME Section IX and B31 piping endorsement worth it?
For inspectors in refineries, power plants, and process piping, the combined ASME Section IX plus B31.1 and B31.3 endorsement is usually worth it: it maps to the codes that pressure and process piping is inspected to. Its exam is a 60-question split across the three codes.
- Code covered
- ASME BPVC Section IX, ASME B31.1 Power Piping, ASME B31.3 Process Piping
- Industries unlocked
- refineries, power plants, process piping, pressure vessels
- Format
- open-book written
- Question split
- 16 B31.3 process piping + 18 BPVC Section IX + 26 B31.1 power piping = 60
- Satisfies 9-year recert
- Yes
This endorsement ties your Certified Welding Inspector certification to three ASME documents at once: Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code Section IX, B31.1 Power Piping, and B31.3 Process Piping. It is the endorsement for refinery, power-plant, and process-piping inspection.
The 60-question split
The endorsement exam is a combined 60 questions, split across the three codes: 16 on B31.3 process piping, 18 on Section IX, and 26 on B31.1 power piping. Knowing the split helps you weight your study, since B31.1 carries the most questions.
When it is worth adding
- You inspect pressure piping or process piping in refineries, chemical plants, or power generation.
- A contract or jurisdiction requires inspection to these ASME codes.
- You want it to double as recertification within the eleven-month pre-expiry window.
Confirm the current fee and the pinned code editions on the endorsement matrix before you register, and compare against the structural D1.1 and pipeline API 1104 endorsements if your work spans more than one lane.
Compare every endorsement on the endorsement matrix, or match one to your industry with the recommender.