CWB certification: test cost, positions and 2-year renewal

What is a CWB ticket?

A CWB ticket is a welder qualification from the CWB, the Canadian Welding Bureau. You get it by passing practical welding tests, and a CWB representative watches and evaluates each test. The CWB says this is the only nationally recognized welding credential in Canada.

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Who needs a CWB ticket?

In Canada, welders on certain products, buildings and bridge structures must be qualified by the CWB. Their employer must also be certified by the CWB, and it pays the CWB too. In the CWB fee notice effective April 1, 2024, the yearly base fee for a W47.1 company with 3 to 8 welders was $1,740.

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How much does a CWB test cost?

All test-centre and training fees on this page were listed on October 30, 2026. Each test centre sets its own fees and test dates. The 6 centres that list a fee charged $160 to $275 for one plate or position. They charge by the plate, the position or the test, so ask what a full all-position test costs before you book. George Brown Polytechnic's 4-position exam cost $575, and the college lists 4 hours for it. You must first have passed flat, horizontal and vertical, which it offers in a separate 3-position exam. Niagara College books one test at a time, with a limit of two tests. North American Trade Schools lists its $180 test fee with its 40-hour workshops.

• Find a test centre near you

  The CWB's welder qualification page links to its directory of accredited welder testing centres.

  Open the CWB welder testing page

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Practice, training and retest costs

• At the B.C. Welder Test Centre, a retest costs $200, practice booth time before a test costs $80, and a week of booth rental costs $350[3]
• CLAC Training charges non-members $1,175, taxes included, for 3 full days of CWB FCAW and SMAW training[13]
• North American Trade Schools charges $1,200 plus $180 a test for a 40-hour workshop. It requires at least 1 year of welding experience, and the workshop does not lead to a CWB ticket[6]

What does a CWB ticket cover?

Each CWB test covers one welding process in one position. The four positions are flat (F), horizontal (H), vertical (V) and overhead (O). At North American Trade Schools and George Brown Polytechnic, you must pass flat, horizontal and vertical before the overhead test counts. Common processes include SMAW (electric arc), FCAW (flux-core), GMAW (MIG) and GTAW (TIG). The CWB's common transferable ticket classes include FW, S and T:

• FW: you can make fillet welds and tack welds.
• S: you can weld the full thickness of the metal from both sides, or from one side with backing. S also covers FW.
• T: you can weld the full thickness from one side without backing. T also covers S and FW.

The CWB's regular welder tickets follow CSA standards. CSA W47.1 covers companies that fusion weld steel, including welder performance testing. CSA W47.2 covers companies that weld aluminum structures. CSA W186 covers welding of reinforcing bars in concrete, and CSA W55.3 covers resistance welding of structural members in buildings. The CWB certifies companies to all four. CSA W59 is the code for welded steel construction, including stud welding. The CWB can also qualify you to other common welding codes. It says that, as the IIW Authorized National Body, it can give qualifications recognized around the world.

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What happens in the CWB test?

Saskatchewan Polytechnic publishes its rules for the SMAW all-position test. Each position is welded on a test plate made of two 3/8-inch plates, 6 inches long, on a backing strip. You weld with 1/8-inch E7018 electrodes and use stringer beads only, but you can weave the vertical cap. You get 45 minutes to weld each test plate, and you weld and clean in position. The rules say no grinding is permitted, and they list power buffers, chisels, picks, chipping hammers and wire brushes for cleaning. Each cap must pass a visual check. Then you round the plate edges with your grinder before the bend test. At Saskatchewan Polytechnic, a single defect of 1/8 inch or more fails the plate.

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How long does a CWB ticket last?

Most CWB tickets are valid for 2 years. A ticket stays valid only while you keep working for a CWB-certified or applicant company. An applicant company is one that is applying for CWB certification. Some tickets last for a shorter time, and some do not expire, so read your qualification documents. To renew, you do a check test from 90 days before to 90 days after the expiry date. After that window, you must take the full test again. At Saskatchewan Polytechnic, you can do a check test instead of the all-position test after 2 years. You need an SMAW all-position ticket and your current CWB card, and you weld the check test in the vertical and overhead positions.

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Can you get a CWB ticket on your own?

You can take the test on your own at an accredited test centre. But the CWB says a ticket from a test centre is valid only while you work for a CWB-certified or applicant company. All CWB tests are in person, at a test centre or at your workplace, so there is no online test. If no test centre is near you, you pay your own travel. To get a ticket:

1. 1

   Choose a route: a CWB-certified employer, a CWB accredited test centre, or a CWB accredited union hall. The CWB also runs its own test centre in Nisku, Alberta.

2. 2

   Ask which process, position and standard the job needs, for example SMAW in all positions to CSA W47.1.

3. 3

   Book a test date and pay the test centre's fee.

4. 4

   Weld your test plates while a CWB representative watches.

5. 5

   If you fail the first time, you can retest within 90 days.

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Welder trade certificate rules in every province and territory

A CWB ticket and a provincial trade certificate are different credentials. The Ellis Chart from the Red Seal Program lists the welder trade certificate as compulsory only in Québec and Alberta. Job Bank lists it as compulsory only in Alberta. The Ellis Chart also lists other certification or licensing rules for welders in Nova Scotia and Québec, so ask the apprenticeship authority in those provinces. All 13 provinces and territories offer the Red Seal endorsement for welders, and its exam has 125 multiple-choice questions. A trade qualifier has worked in the trade but did not finish an apprenticeship in Canada.

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Do you need a pressure ticket too?

If you do pressure welding, you may need a separate certificate. Job Bank lists pressure welding as a regulated job in 6 provinces, each with its own regulator. For a regulated job, you might need a certificate or licence from the regulator before you start work.

• Nova Scotia: Technical Safety Division, Labour, Skills, and Immigration.
• Ontario: Skilled Trades Ontario, for the Pressure Systems Welder trade. Its apprenticeship is 5,760 hours.
• Manitoba: Manitoba Office of the Fire Commissioner.
• Saskatchewan: Technical Safety Authority of Saskatchewan.
• Alberta: Alberta Boilers Safety Association (ABSA).
• British Columbia: Technical Safety BC. A Class A pressure welder certificate lasts 3 years, and you renew it with a performance test up to 6 months before it expires.

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Is a CWB ticket worth it?

Yes, if you want structural steel work in Canada, because the CWB says every structural welder must be qualified. If you have a job offer, ask whether the company tests welders in its own shop.

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Mistakes to avoid

Watch for these problems:

• Letting your ticket lapse past the check-test window. Then you need the full test again.
• Changing jobs without checking your card. With a transferable card, the CWB can cancel your ticket if no certified company hires you within 3 months. With a non-transferable card, it can cancel the ticket when you leave the company where you qualified.
• Booking late. George Brown Polytechnic asks you to register at least 20 days before the exam. CLAC Training needs at least 48 hours of notice, and a Thursday test must be booked by 4:00 p.m. on Monday.
• Missing a withdrawal deadline. At George Brown Polytechnic, withdraw at least 10 business days before the exam, or you lose the fee. Saskatchewan Polytechnic fees are non-refundable.
• Not reading your test centre's rules. Saskatchewan Polytechnic, for example, does not permit grinding during the weld test. You still round the plate edges with your own grinder before the bend test.
• Arriving without ID or gear. Saskatchewan Polytechnic asks for photo ID and, for a check test, a valid CWB card. You also bring leather gloves, non-flammable clothing, safety glasses, steel toe boots, a welding helmet, a grinder, a buffing wheel and bead brushes.

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Questions and answers

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