Pipeline (API 1104) endorsement: is it worth it?
Quick answer
Is the API 1104 endorsement worth it for pipeline and oil-and-gas work?
If you inspect cross-country pipelines or oil-and-gas transmission welds, the API 1104 endorsement is usually worth it: it maps to API Standard 1104, the code that work is inspected to, and it can unlock higher-paying pipeline roles. If your work is structural or piping instead, a different endorsement fits better.
- Code covered
- API Standard 1104, Welding of Pipelines and Related Facilities
- Industries unlocked
- cross-country pipelines, oil and gas transmission
- Format
- open-book written
- Satisfies 9-year recert
- Yes
The API 1104 endorsement ties your Certified Welding Inspector certification to API Standard 1104, Welding of Pipelines and Related Facilities. It is the pipeline and oil-and-gas endorsement.
When it is worth adding
- You inspect cross-country pipelines or oil-and-gas transmission welds.
- A pipeline contractor or operator requires inspection to API 1104.
- You want it to double as recertification, since passing it within eleven months of expiry can satisfy the nine-year recert.
Honest caveat
Pipeline work is cyclical. If you are not currently in or moving toward pipeline inspection, adding API 1104 speculatively may not pay off before your recert cycle. Match the endorsement to the work you actually have or are pursuing. Confirm the current fee and code edition on the endorsement matrix, and compare against the structural D1.1 and ASME piping endorsements.
Compare every endorsement on the endorsement matrix, or match one to your industry with the recommender.