Confirm AISC certification eligibility and scope using a practical AISC audit checklist. This lesson shows how to match your company to the right AISC Quality Certification Program (Fabricator, Erector, Bridge, Component), define scope boundaries, gather application documents, and prepare leadership and prerequisite systems so you can move confidently from how to become AISC certified to submitting a complete application.
Start by choosing the certification category that matches the majority of your work: AISC certified fabricator requirements apply if you manufacture structural members; AISC erector certification applies if you install structural steel; bridge fabricators and erectors use the Bridge program. Misalignment here is the #1 reason aisc auditors hold applications. Your scope statement should make it obvious which program you're pursuing and which activities are not included.
If you're unsure, review recent projects and document evidence (drawings, shop travelers, photos) that reflect the work you actually do. This is the groundwork for your aisc certification checklist and will later support the application's project description/drawings.
Your scope must align with real capabilities and the structural design documents you execute. Clearly list what is included (e.g., fabrication of beams/columns, shop application of connection materials) and excluded (e.g., erection if you don't erect, ornamental metals). Scope clarity helps aisc auditors evaluate readiness faster and prevents eligibility delays.
The Code of Standard Practice for Steel Buildings and Bridges (AISC 303) defines structural steel as the elements of the structural frame shown and sized in the design documents and essential to support design loads. Examples include anchor rods that will receive structural steel; base plates (if part of the frame); beams and columns (including built-ups); permanent bracing; bearing plates and bearings for girders/trusses; connection materials framing steel to steel; canopy framing; crane stops (from standard shapes/plates); edge angles attached to the frame or steel joists; embedded parts that will receive structural steel; expansion joints attached to the frame; permanent fasteners (shop and field bolts, nuts, washers, pins); floor-opening frames attached to the frame or joists; floor plates attached to the frame; girders and grillage; girts; hangers framing steel to steel; leveling hardware (nuts, plates, screws); lintels attached to the frame; machinery supports attached to the frame; marquee framing; monorail elements attached to the frame; posts, purlins, relieving angles attached to the frame; roof-opening frames attached to the frame or joists; roof-screen support frames (standard shapes); sag rods; shop-attached shear studs (if specified); permanent shims; steel plate shear walls/composite plate shear wall systems; permanent struts and tie rods; trusses; wall-opening frames attached to the frame; and permanent wedges.
Practically, if it is part of supporting design loads and shown/sized in the structural design documents, it belongs in your aisc certification requirements scope. This anchors the eligibility review and protects you from mixing in non-qualifying materials.
Section 2.2 identifies “Other Steel, Iron, or Metal Items” that are not structural steel—even if shown on drawings or attached to the frame. Common examples: base/bearing plates not part of the frame; non-steel bearings; suspension/bracing cables; castings/forgings; catwalks, chutes, hoppers; cold-formed products and cold-rolled products (except those explicitly covered by ANSI/AISC 360); corner/door guards; crane rails/splices/ clamps; embedded items that do not receive structural steel or are embedded in precast; expansion joints not attached to the frame; flagpole supports; floor plates not attached to the frame; grating; handrail, stairs, ornamental metal framing, and other miscellaneous metal; masonry anchors; pressure vessels; rebar; roof-screen frames made from non-structural shapes; safety cages; field-installed shear studs; stacks; steel deck, open-web joists, joist girders; steel piling and accessories; tanks; toe plates; trench/pit covers.
The commentary makes two key points for your aisc certification training team: (1) a fabricator may be contracted to supply some of these items, but that does not make them part of the AISC structural steel scope; coordination with other trades is typically required; (2) stainless steel is not covered by AISC 303 (see AISC 370, AISC 313, and Design Guide 27). For eligibility, exclude Section 2.2 items from your scope and from the documents you present as evidence. This single discipline prevents a large share of eligibility deferrals.
Eligibility requires more than technical scope. Buyers searching “aisc certification consultants” or “aisc certification cost” are really asking whether leadership will sustain a quality system. Show that you have: a working safety program; a draft quality manual that fits your scope; defined process ownership (management representative, quality manager); and management's signed commitment to resource the system (training, reviews, audits). This is where many teams move from “how to get AISC certified” to “we're ready to apply.”
Your eligibility packet must include the documents that prove scope fit. Two items carry the most weight with aisc auditors: project description and project drawings. The project description should identify building type, your role (fabricator/erector), and which structural frame elements you supplied or installed. The drawings you include must clearly show Section 2.1 items (e.g., beams, columns, permanent bracing, connection details) that match your declared scope. Do not pad the packet with Section 2.2 items (e.g., handrail, stairs, deck, joists)—that signals scope confusion and will slow the review.
Round out the packet with your organizational chart, signed quality policy, and a short list of procedures that demonstrate control (document control, receiving/traceability, welding/bolting inspection, aisc internal audit guide excerpts). Keep everything consistent with the program you selected in Step 1.
Teams often ask about aisc certification cost at eligibility time. Your fastest path to cost control is a clean first submission: correct program, tight scope, right documents. Rework (back-and-forth with eligibility) costs time and money. If you're unsure, use our module checklists as an aisc audit checklist and consider a brief review with aisc certification consultants to validate scope and packet completeness before you submit.
Before you submit, run a short internal check against this module and your aisc internal audit guide. Verify that every document points to Section 2.1 structural steel and that no Section 2.2 items slipped into the packet. If a gap remains—unclear scope, missing drawings—pause and correct it now. This is the least expensive moment to fix issues on your journey to how to become AISC certified.