All standards (codes, specifications, recommended practices, methods, classifications, and guides) of the American
Welding Society (AWS) are voluntary consensus standards that have been developed in accordance with the rules of the
American National Standards Institute (ANSI). When AWS standards are either incorporated in, or made part of,
documents that are included in federal or state laws and regulations, or the regulations of other governmental bodies,
their provisions carry the full legal authority of the statute. In such cases, any changes in those AWS standards must be
approved by the governmental body having statutory jurisdiction before they can become a part of those laws and
regulations. In all cases, these standards carry the full legal authority of the contract or other document that invokes the
AWS standards. Where this contractual relationship exists, changes in or deviations from requirements of an AWS
standard must be by agreement between the contracting parties.