Nuclear & Critical Infrastructure Manufacturing calculator
Critical Weld Inspection Plan Calculator
Size the inspection desk for critical welds before the hold point arrives. Enter the inspections required, the completion rate, the setup and re-inspection allowance and the hours available, and the page shows the hours and the window fit.
What this calculator does
- Weld inspection hours from the required count and completion rate, with the setup and re-inspection allowance and the window explicit.
Formula used
- Base weld inspection hours = inspections required ÷ inspections completed per hour
- Required weld inspection hours = base hours × (1 + allowance ÷ 100)
- Setup and re-inspection hours = base hours × allowance ÷ 100
- Hours over the window = required hours − available inspection hours
- Window use = required hours ÷ available inspection hours × 100
Inputs explained
- Critical Weld Inspections Required: Mandatory examinations listed on the inspection and test plan.
- Weld Inspections Completed per Hour: Average completion rate for the dominant examination method.
- Setup, Indication, and Re-Inspection Allowance: Uplift for fixture setup, indication review and repaired weld re-examination.
- Available Inspection Hours: Inspection hours the build schedule can give before the hold point.
How to use the result
- Best suited to scheduling weld inspections before a hold point, quoting inspection labor on a nuclear weldment.
- A cluster of rejectable indications can exceed any average based estimate. Elapsed schedule time can exceed these labor hours when access or crews wait.
Common questions
- How are weld inspection hours calculated? Base hours divide the inspections required by the completion rate. Required hours apply the setup and re-inspection allowance. At 60 inspections and 4 per hour the base is 15 hours; a 20% allowance takes the total to 18.
- What counts as a critical weld inspection? A required examination on a safety-related or code weld that must be accepted before the joint is released. The inspection and test plan and the weld procedure define which joints and which method.
- Why allow time for re-inspection? Welds with rejectable indications are repaired and examined again. The allowance also covers fixture setup and the time spent resolving borderline indications, which a raw inspection rate leaves out.
- Does the window change the inspection work? No. The window only judges the schedule fit. Required hours above it mean the desk cannot clear the inspections in time at this rate and allowance, and the overrun is shown.
Last reviewed 2026-10-01.