The standard divides qualification into two categories:

Step 1: Gap Analysis Compare your existing jointing procedures against the requirements of EN 10311. Pay attention to sections 5 (Qualification of jointing procedures) and 6 (Test pieces).

Step 2: Draft a Jointing Procedure Specification (JPS) Your JPS must list all essential variables. Use the template provided in Annex A of the standard.

Step 3: Conduct Procedure Qualification Fabricate test pieces using the proposed JPS. Perform destructive and NDT as per the referenced test standards.

Step 4: Document Everything The standard requires a Procedure Qualification Record (PQR) . This must include:

Step 5: Approve and Distribute Once the PQR is approved, you can issue a Welding Procedure Specification (WPS) (or equivalent for non-welded joints) for production.

Imagine you are designing a 24-inch diameter steel water pipeline for a hydropower plant in a seismic zone. Using the Bs En 10311 Pdf, you would:

The standard’s qualitative tables help you justify these decisions to a notified body or client.

Imagine a sprawling water treatment plant in the 1990s. Steel tubes, some over a meter wide, carry millions of liters of drinking water every day. These tubes need to be joined—by welding, flanges, mechanical couplings, or compression fittings. But in those days, every manufacturer used their own method. A flange from Company A might not seal properly with a tube from Company B. The result? Leaks. Corrosion. Burst pipes. Costly repairs.

Engineers realized: without a unified way to test and classify joints, you couldn't guarantee a safe, leak-free pipeline.