Guides
NDT certification, explained without the jargon.
Plain-English guides to the nondestructive testing personnel standards — NAS410, SNT-TC-1A, CP-189 and the rest — and to running a program where every certification stays current and every record is ready for the auditor.
The standards
What each personnel qualification scheme asks of you, in plain English, with the clause to check in your own copy.
Nuclear NDT personnel qualification: Appendix B, ASME XI and CP-189
How nuclear quality rules reach nondestructive testing (NDT) personnel: 10 CFR 50 Appendix B and 50.55a, ASME XI, CP-189, N45.2.6, NQA-1 and the records.
10 min readRead the guideASME Section V and Section XI: what they ask of NDT personnel
How the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code qualifies nondestructive testing (NDT) personnel: Section V Article 1, the construction codes and Section XI.
7 min readRead the guideNAVSEA T9074-AS-GIB-010/271: NDT requirements for Navy work
What NAVSEA T9074-AS-GIB-010/271 covers for nondestructive testing (NDT) on Navy ships, how it relates to MIL-STD-271, and what it asks of personnel.
7 min readRead the guidePreparing for a Nadcap NDT audit
How Nadcap accreditation for nondestructive testing (NDT) works: the audit cycle, findings and corrective action, merit, and the records auditors ask for.
8 min readRead the guideNAS410, SNT-TC-1A, CP-189 and ISO 9712 compared
The difference between ISO 9712, SNT-TC-1A, CP-189 and NAS410 for nondestructive testing (NDT): who certifies, levels, exams, vision, how long certs last.
8 min readRead the guideSNT-TC-1A explained: the written practice, the levels and the hours
SNT-TC-1A, 2024 edition, for nondestructive testing (NDT): the employer's written practice, Levels I, II and III, training hours, exams and vision.
9 min readRead the guideANSI/ASNT CP-189: the standard, not the recommended practice
Which CP-189 edition applies (ASME cites 2024), how it differs from SNT-TC-1A for nondestructive testing (NDT) personnel, and what a program keeps on file.
5 min readRead the guideNAS410 explained: aerospace NDT certification, Levels 1 to 3
NAS410 Revision 6 for aerospace nondestructive testing (NDT): the Responsible Level 3, Levels 1-Limited to 3, training and experience hours, exams, vision.
10 min readRead the guideRunning your program
The day-to-day of running a certification program: tracking, exams, the written practice and the records around them.
Industrial radiography safety records: training, dosimetry, leak tests and audits
The records a radiography licensee keeps in nondestructive testing (NDT): radiographer training, dosimetry, leak tests, inventories and field audits.
8 min readRead the guideA QMS for an NDT company: audits, CAPA, NCRs and management review
The parts of a quality management system for a nondestructive testing (NDT) company: audits, corrective action, nonconformances, documents and review.
7 min readRead the guideNDT vision exams: near vision, color and the annual clock
The near-vision and color tests each nondestructive testing (NDT) scheme asks for, how often they fall due, who may give them, and how to stay current.
7 min readRead the guideCalibration tracking for NDT equipment and process controls
What needs calibrating in a nondestructive testing (NDT) shop, the checks beside it, custody, send-outs, and which jobs an out-of-tolerance item touched.
9 min readRead the guideHow to track NDT certifications without a spreadsheet
What "current" means for a nondestructive testing (NDT) technician, why spreadsheets miss it, and how to track every date so nothing lapses before audit.
6 min readRead the guideRunning NDT certification exams: written, practical and proctored
How nondestructive testing (NDT) certification exams work under SNT-TC-1A and NAS410: general, specific and practical exams, grading, retakes and records.
6 min readRead the guideWriting and maintaining an NDT written practice
What a nondestructive testing (NDT) written practice must cover under SNT-TC-1A and NAS410, how to approve and revise it, and keep your records in step.
6 min readRead the guideThe guides summarise published standards in our own words and quote none of them; check every figure against your own licensed copy. Standards bodies are named for reference only — TRACE is not affiliated with, endorsed by or accredited by ASNT, the Aerospace Industries Association, ISO, ASME, ABS, NAVSEA, PRI and the Nadcap program, the NRC, the FAA or any other organization whose documents they describe.
Put it into practice.
TRACE keeps every technician's certifications, vision exams and recertification dates in one place, and tells you before anything lapses.