Visual inspection report
A VT sheet to EN ISO 17637 with the acceptance table already worked out: give the quality level, weld type and thickness, and the generator fills in the ISO 5817 limit for every imperfection and leaves columns for the measured value and the assessment. It downloads as a table.
Short answer
Every weld goes through visual testing — the other methods are applied on a sample basis. ISO 17637 sets the conditions: at least 350 lx at the surface, the eye no further than 600 mm, the angle no less than 30°. The limits come from ISO 5817 at the level the documentation calls for. The generator below builds the report with the table of permitted values for your thickness.
What visual testing sees, and what it does not
The eye finds only what reaches the surface: undercut, excess weld metal, root concavity, linear misalignment, pores, cracks in the cap and in the root. Lack of fusion and lack of penetration inside the weld will not be seen — those need radiography, ultrasonics or another volumetric method. They still appear in the report table, and that is not a mistake: the table lists the acceptance criteria to ISO 5817, not the list of what the eye can make out. On a single-sided weld with access to the root, lack of penetration is in fact visible.
The quality level comes from the design documentation, not from the examiner’s judgement. Under EN 1090-2 it follows from the execution class: EXC1 — D, EXC2 — C, EXC3 — B. Where the documents name no class, EXC2 is what load-bearing steelwork usually implies, but confirming that is the job of the person responsible for welding, not of the person holding the magnifier.
What to record so the report is accepted
The empty rows in the sheet are not a formality. The weld number and the drawing reference tie the report to the item, the WPS reference ties it to the procedure, and the welder’s stamp ties it to a person. Without that chain an entry reading “acceptable” refers to nothing in particular and settles nothing later.
The test conditions are recorded too: illuminance, distance and angle are requirements of the standard, and if they were not met the result cannot be claimed as obtained to ISO 17637.
Frequently asked questions
Which quality level should I pick?
None — the level is not picked. It stands in the design documentation, and under EN 1090-2 it follows from the execution class: EXC1 gives D, EXC2 gives C, EXC3 gives B. The examiner applies the level rather than setting it.
Why are lack of fusion and lack of penetration in the table if VT cannot see them?
Because it is a list of acceptance criteria to ISO 5817, not a list of what the eye can see. Some of them genuinely need volumetric testing; some are visible — on a single-sided weld with access to the root, lack of penetration shows up in the root itself.
Does the examiner need a certificate?
ISO 17637 requires trained personnel, and a particular level to EN ISO 9712 is required by the client or by the standard being applied. For structures to EN 1090 the personnel requirements are set by that standard together with the order specification.
The measured value came out above the limit — what now?
Record the non-conformity and stop. The decision to repair or reject belongs to the person responsible for welding, under an approved repair procedure. The examiner measures and records but does not dispose of the weld.
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