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All-in cost calculator for the welding inspector exam
How much does the AWS Certified Welding Inspector certification cost all in?
The base examination is $1,255 for American Welding Society members or $1,520 for non-members (which includes a 3-year membership). What you add on top depends entirely on your choices: application delivery, seat fees, the Part B facility fee, and whether you self-study or buy the seminar. This worksheet itemizes only the lines that apply to you.
Reviewed 2026-07-22 by Urban Algorithm editorial · against the AWS price list · provider-set fees are never invented
Itemized estimate
The Part B practical fee is set by your Authorized Training Facility and has no single official number, so it is shown as TBD rather than a made-up figure. Endorsement fees are confirmed against the current price list. This estimate is for planning only; the AWS price list is the final authority and resets each January. Confirm the current figures on the dated cost table before you pay.
What the worksheet includes, and what it can't
How the estimate is built
- Only the lines that apply. Choose the online portal and the $125 application fee drops out. Choose self-study and the prep line is $0. The worksheet never pads the total with a fee your path avoids.
- The seminar is shown as a difference, not a default. Because the seminar is the line every course-seller pushes, the tool holds it separate and shows the added cost plainly, so a $2,000 upsell can't hide inside a bundled price.
- Part B is honest about being unknown. The hands-on practical fee is set by the Authorized Training Facility, not the American Welding Society, so it is marked TBD with a prompt to ask the facility. We never display a fabricated number.
- Endorsements are add-ons. Each code endorsement carries its own fee on the price list; choose how many you need and the worksheet folds them into the estimate.
- Everything is dated. Every official figure carries the date it was last checked against the price list, which changes each January. Confirm current numbers before you pay.
Why the Part B fee is not a number here
The Part B hands-on practical is scheduled through an Authorized Training Facility, and each facility sets its own fee. There is no single official figure, so this tool refuses to invent one: it flags Part B as an additional ATF-set cost and points you to contact the facility. Every other line is a dated, sourced figure.
Common questions
Do I have to take the seminar to sit the exam?
No. You can register for the exam and self-study without buying the eight-week seminar, which runs roughly $2,245 to $2,510 and is optional. Whether it is worth it depends on your fundamentals and study discipline, not on any requirement. The calculator defaults to the self-study path for exactly this reason.
Is this cost calculator free?
Yes. It runs entirely in your browser with no signup, no email, and no paywall. Your selections stay on your device; when you calculate we receive only an anonymous, banded summary such as which prep path you compared, with no identifier and none of the figures you entered.
Why is the Part B fee shown as TBD instead of a dollar amount?
The Part B hands-on practical is administered by an Authorized Training Facility that sets its own fee, so there is no single official number to publish. Rather than invent one, the worksheet marks it TBD and prompts you to ask the facility directly. It is a real cost you should budget for.
How current are these fees?
Every official figure carries the date it was last verified against the AWS Certification and Education Price List, most recently 2026-07-22. That list resets each January, so we re-check the numbers against it and show the verification date rather than promising a fixed refresh schedule.