If your shop qualifies welders to ASME Section IX (or ISO 9606-1), you must be able to show that every welder has used every qualified process within the last six months — otherwise the qualification has expired (QW-322.1, explained here). The continuity log is the document auditors ask for to prove it. Here is a template that contains everything a defensible log needs, plus a printable version for the weld-shop binder. (Wondering whether a spreadsheet is the right tool at all? See the honest Excel vs. software comparison.)
What a compliant continuity log must contain
There is no code-mandated form — ASME IX requires the record, not a specific layout. But a log that survives an audit needs these columns:
- Welder name — as it appears on the WPQ (Form QW-484).
- Stamp / ID number — the identifier used on weld maps and travelers.
- Welding process — one row per welder per process (SMAW, GTAW, GMAW, FCAW, SAW…). Continuity runs per process: a welder can be current on GTAW and expired on SMAW at the same time.
- Date of last weld with that process — the date that starts the 6-month clock.
- Continuity expiry date — last weld + 6 months. Put the formula in the sheet (
=EDATE(D2,6)in Excel/Sheets) so nobody computes it by hand. - Evidence / job reference — job number, weld number, or WPS used. Auditors like entries they can trace to a production record.
- Verified by — initials of the QC person or supervisor confirming the entry.
- Notes — requalification dates, revocations, extensions.
Download the CSV template
Opens directly in Excel or Google Sheets. Includes the columns above and two example rows you can overwrite. Add the =EDATE(<last weld cell>,6) formula to the expiry column after opening it.
Printable version
For shops that keep the log on a clipboard: print this blank sheet and fill it in by hand.