INTERNATIONAL ISO

STANDARD 3834-1

Third edition
2021-09

Quality requirements for fusion

welding of metallic materials —
Part 1:
Criteria for the selection of the
appropriate level of quality
requirements
Exigences de qualité en soudage par fusion des matériaux
métalliques —

Reference number
ISO 3834-1:2021(E)

© ISO 2021
ISO 3834-1:2021(E)


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Contents Page

Foreword......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... iv
Introduction...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................v
1 Scope.................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 1
2 Normative references....................................................................................................................................................................................... 1
3 Terms and definitions...................................................................................................................................................................................... 1
4 General outline of the ISO 3834 series........................................................................................................................................... 2
5 Selection of the appropriate level of quality requirements..................................................................................... 2
6 Elements to be considered for a quality management system to complement the
ISO 3834 series........................................................................................................................................................................................................ 3
Annex A (informative) Criteria which assist in the selection of ISO 3834-2, ISO 3834-3 or
ISO 3834-4.................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 4
Bibliography................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 6

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ISO 3834-1:2021(E)


Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards
bodies (ISO member bodies). The work of preparing International Standards is normally carried out
through ISO technical committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a technical
committee has been established has the right to be represented on that committee. International
organizations, governmental and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO, also take part in the work.
ISO collaborates closely with the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on all matters of
electrotechnical standardization.
The procedures used to develop this document and those intended for its further maintenance are
described in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1. In particular, the different approval criteria needed for the
different types of ISO documents should be noted. This document was drafted in accordance with the
editorial rules of the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2 (see www​.iso​.org/​directives).
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of
patent rights. ISO shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights. Details of
any patent rights identified during the development of the document will be in the Introduction and/or
on the ISO list of patent declarations received (see www​.iso​.org/​patents).
Any trade name used in this document is information given for the convenience of users and does not
constitute an endorsement.
For an explanation of the voluntary nature of standards, the meaning of ISO specific terms and
expressions related to conformity assessment, as well as information about ISO’s adherence to the
World Trade Organization (WTO) principles in the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT), see www​.iso​.org/​
iso/​foreword​.html.
This document was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 44, Welding and allied processes,
Subcommittee SC 10, Quality management in the field of 2021
welding, in collaboration with the European
Committee for Standardization (CEN) Technical Committee CEN/TC 121, Welding and allied processes,
in accordance with the Agreement on technical cooperation between ISO and CEN (Vienna Agreement).
This third edition cancels and replaces the second edition (ISO 3834-1:2005), which has been technically
revised. The main changes compared with the previous edition are as follows:
— this document has been editorially revised;
— references to subclauses in ISO 9001 have been updated.
A list of all parts in the ISO 3834 series can be found on the ISO website.
Any feedback or questions on this document should be directed to the user’s national standards body. A
complete listing of these bodies can be found at www​.iso​.org/​members​.html.
Official interpretations of ISO/TC 44 documents, where they exist, are available from this page: https://​
committee​.iso​.org/​sites/​tc44/​home/​interpretation​.html.

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 ISO 3834-1:2021(E)


Introduction
Processes such as fusion welding are widely used to manufacture many products. In some companies,
they are the key feature of production. Products can range from simple to complex. Examples include
pressure vessels, domestic and agricultural equipment, cranes, bridges, transport vehicles and other
items.
These processes exert a profound influence on the cost of manufacture and quality of the product.
Therefore, it is important to ensure that these processes are carried out in the most effective way and
that appropriate control is exercised over all aspects of the operation.
It is emphasized that the ISO 3834 series is not a quality management system (QMS) standard replacing
ISO 9001:2015. However, it can be a useful tool when ISO 9001:2015 is applied by manufacturers.
Specification of quality requirements for welding processes is important because the quality of these
processes cannot be readily or economically validated. Therefore, they are considered to be special
processes as noted by ISO 9000:2015.
Quality cannot be inspected into a product: quality needs to be built in. Even the most extensive and
sophisticated non-destructive testing does not improve the quality of the product.
For products to be free from serious problems in production and in service, it is necessary to provide
controls, from the design phase, through material selection, into manufacture and subsequent
inspection. For example, poor design can create serious and costly difficulties in the workshop, on site
or in service. Incorrect material selection can result in problems, such as cracking in welded joints.
To ensure sound and effective manufacturing, management needs to understand and appreciate the
sources of potential trouble and to implement appropriate procedures for their control.
The ISO 3834 series identifies measures ISO
that3834-1:2021
are applicable for different situations. Typically, they can
be applied in the following circumstances:
— in contractual situations: specification of welding quality requirements;
— by manufacturers: establishment and maintenance of welding quality requirements;
— by committees drafting manufacturing codes or application standards: specification of welding
quality requirements;
— by organizations assessing welding quality performance, e.g. third parties, customers or
manufacturers.
The ISO 3834 series can be used by internal and external organizations, including certification
bodies, to assess the manufacturer’s ability to meet customer, regulatory or the manufacturer’s own
requirements.
NOTE 1 ISO 3834-2, ISO 3834-3 and ISO 3834-4 provide complete sets of quality requirements for process
control related to all fusion welding processes (for each process separately or in combination as specified).
ISO 3834-5 specifies the documents with which it is necessary to conform to claim conformity to the quality
requirements of ISO 3834-2, ISO 3834-3 or ISO 3834-4.

NOTE 2 ISO 3834-2, ISO 3834-3 and ISO 3834-4 can be used on their own by a manufacturer or in conjunction
with ISO 9001:2015.

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INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO 3834-1:2021(E)

Quality requirements for fusion welding of metallic

materials —
Part 1:
Criteria for the selection of the appropriate level of quality
requirements

1 Scope
This document specifies a general outline of the ISO 3834 series and criteria to be taken into account for
the selection of the appropriate level of quality requirements for fusion welding of metallic materials,
among the three levels specified in ISO 3834-2, ISO 3834-3 and ISO 3834-4.
It is applicable to manufacturing, both in workshops and at field installation sites.
This document does not specify requirements for a total quality management system (QMS). However,
Clause 6 identifies QMS elements where their inclusion complements the ISO 3834 series.

2 Normative references
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content
constitutes requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For
ISOreferenced
undated references, the latest edition of the 3834-1:2021 document (including any amendments) applies.

ISO 9000:2015, Quality management systems — Fundamentals and vocabulary

ISO/TR 25901 (all parts), Welding and allied processes — Vocabulary

3 Terms and definitions

For the purposes of this document, the terms and definitions given in ISO 9000:2015, the
ISO/TR 25901 series and the following apply.
ISO and IEC maintain terminology databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at https://​w ww​.iso​.org/​obp
— IEC Electropedia: available at https://​w ww​.electropedia​.org/​
3.1
construction
product, structure or any other welded item
3.2
manufacturer
person or organization responsible for the welding production
3.3
sub-contractor
supplier of products, services and/or activities to the manufacturer in a contractual situation

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ISO 3834-1:2021(E)


4 General outline of the ISO 3834 series

The ISO 3834 series specifies quality requirements suitable for fusion welding processes of metallic
materials. The requirements contained within this document can be adopted for other welding
processes. These requirements relate only to those aspects of the quality of the products, which can be
influenced by fusion welding, without being assigned to any specific product group.
Therefore, the ISO 3834 series provides a method to demonstrate the capability of a manufacturer to
produce products of the specified quality.
It was prepared such that:
a) it is independent of the type of construction manufactured;
b) it defines quality requirements for welding in workshops and/or on site;
c) it provides guidance for describing a manufacturer’s capability to produce constructions to meet
specified requirements;
d) it provides a basis for assessing a manufacturer’s welding capability.
The ISO 3834 series is appropriate when demonstration of a manufacturer’s ability to produce welded
constructions fulfilling specified quality requirements, is specified in one or more of the following:
— a specification;
— a product standard;
— a regulatory requirement.
The requirements contained within this document may be adopted in full or may be selectively deleted
by the manufacturer if not applicable to the construction concerned. They provide a flexible framework
ISO 3834-1:2021
for the control of welding in the following applications.
— Case 1: To provide specific requirements in specifications which require the manufacturer to have
a QMS in accordance with ISO 9001:2015.
— Case 2: To provide specific requirements in specifications which require the manufacturer to have
a QMS other than ISO 9001:2015.
— Case 3: To provide specific guidance for a manufacturer developing a QMS for fusion welding.
— Case 4: To provide detailed requirements for specifications, regulations or product standards that
require control of fusion welding activities.

5 Selection of the appropriate level of quality requirements

The selection of the appropriate part of the ISO 3834 series, specifying the required level of quality
requirements, should be in accordance with the product standard, specification, regulation or contract.
Because the ISO 3834 series can be used in a variety of situations and for different applications,
definitive rules on the level of quality requirements to be adopted in individual circumstances cannot
be given in this clause.
The ISO 3834 series can be applied in a variety of situations. The manufacturer should select one of the
three parts specifying different levels of quality requirements, based on the following criteria related
to products:
— the extent and significance of safety-critical products;
— the complexity of manufacture;
— the range of products manufactured;

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 ISO 3834-1:2021(E)


— the range of different materials used;

— the extent to which metallurgical problems can occur;
— the extent to which manufacturing imperfections, e.g. misalignment, distortion or weld imperfection,
affect product performance.
A manufacturer that demonstrates compliance to a particular quality level is considered to have
established compliance to all lower levels without further demonstration, e.g. a manufacturer compliant
to comprehensive quality requirements (i.e. ISO 3834-2) demonstrates compliance with standard
quality requirements (i.e. ISO 3834-3) and elementary quality requirements (i.e. ISO 3834-4).
Annex A lists criteria which assist in the selection of the appropriate part of the ISO 3834 series.

6 Elements to be considered for a quality management system to complement

the ISO 3834 series
The ISO 3834 series contains many attributes that contribute to a QMS. This clause identifies those QMS
elements that the manufacturer should consider implementing to support the quality requirements of
the ISO 3834 series:
a) control of documents and records (see ISO 9001:2015, 7.5);
b) management responsibilities (see ISO 9001:2015, 5.3);
c) provision of resources (see ISO 9001:2015, 7.1);
d) competence, awareness and training of operational personnel (see ISO 9001:2015, 7.2, 7.3 and
Clause 10);
ISO 9001:2015,
e) planning of product realization (see ISO 3834-1:2021 8.2, 8.3, 8.4 and 8.5, and ISO 10005);

f) determination of requirements96dfb1fae83d/iso-3834-1-2021
related to the product (see ISO 9001:2015, 8.2.2 and 8.2.4);
g) review of requirements related to the product (see ISO 9001:2015, 8.2.3);
h) purchasing (see ISO 9001:2015, 8.4);
i) validation of processes (see ISO 9001:2015, 8.4 and 8.5.1);
j) customer property (see ISO 9001:2015, 8.5.3);
k) internal audit (see ISO 9001:2015, 9.2);
l) monitoring and measurement of product (see ISO 9001:2015, 9.1.3);
m) control of externally provided processes, products and services (see ISO 9001:2015, 8.4);
n) control of production and service provision (see ISO 9001:2015, 8.5.1).
ISO 9004 provides guidance on the development and implementation of a QMS.

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ISO 3834-1:2021(E)


Annex A
(informative)

Criteria which assist in the selection of ISO 3834-2, ISO 3834-3 or

ISO 3834-4

No. Element ISO 3834-2 ISO 3834-3 ISO 3834-4

Review of Review required
1
requirements Record is required Record can be required Record is not required
Review required
2 Technical review
Record is required Record can be required Record is not required
Treat like a manufacturer for the specific subcontracted product, services
Sub-contracting/
3 and/or activities. However, final responsibility for quality remains with the
sub-contractor
manufacturer.
Welders and welding
4 Qualification is required
operators
Welding coordination No specific
5 Required
personnel requirement
Inspection and testing
6 Qualification is required
personnel
Production and testing Suitable and available as required for preparation, process execution, testing,
7
equipment transport, lifting in combination with safety equipment and protective clothes.
ISO 3834-1:2021
Required to provide, maintain and
Equipment No specific
8
maintenance Documented plans and requirement
Records are recommended
records are required
Description of No specific
9 List is required
equipment requirement
Required
No specific
10 Production planning Documented plans and Documented plans and requirement
records are required records are recommended
Welding procedure No specific
11 Required
specifications requirement
Qualification of the No specific
12 Required
welding procedures requirement
Batch testing of
13 If required No specific requirement
consumables
In accordance
Storage and handling of A procedure is required in accordance
14 with supplier
welding consumables with supplier recommendations
recommendations
Storage of parent Protection required from influence by environment. No specific
15
material Identification shall be maintained through storage. requirement

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