API Q1: Quality Certification for the Oil and Gas Industry
The quality standard required by Shell, BP, TotalEnergies and Saudi Aramco from wellhead, valve and tubing manufacturers. IgeraIndustria makes API Q1, Monogram requirements and product risk management instantly queryable.
9th Ed.
Current API Q1 edition. Published by the American Petroleum Institute with additional product risk management requirements.
Monogram
API Monogram licence: registered trademark certifying that the product meets the applicable API specification. Requires prior API Q1 certification.
10 years
Minimum record retention for safety-critical equipment under API Q1, stricter than the 3 years required by ISO 9001.
Frequently asked questions — API Q1
What is API Q1 and which sector requires it?
API Q1 (9th Edition) is the American Petroleum Institute specification for quality management systems in organisations manufacturing equipment for the oil and gas industry. It is based on ISO 9001 but with additional sector-specific requirements: product risk management, contingency management, design control, product verification and stricter traceability requirements. It is a mandatory or strongly required standard from major oil companies (Shell, BP, TotalEnergies, Saudi Aramco, Repsol) for their suppliers of wellhead equipment, valves, tubings, casings and other surface and subsurface equipment.
What is the difference between API Q1 and the API Monogram?
API Q1 is the quality management system specification: it establishes how the manufacturing company quality system must be structured and managed. The API Monogram is a separate licence programme that allows manufacturers to mark their products with the API monogram (a registered trademark), indicating that the product meets a specific API specification (API 6A for wellheads, API 6D for pipeline valves, API 5CT for casings and tubings, etc.). To obtain an API Monogram licence, the company must first be certified in API Q1. Not all API Q1 certified manufacturers have Monogram licences, but all Monogram licensees must be API Q1 certified.
What are the additional API Q1 requirements compared to ISO 9001?
API Q1 9th Edition adds specific requirements on: mandatory product Risk Assessment for all products, identifying failure risks and mitigations; contingency plans to manage supply chain disruptions; reinforced design control and verification (including Design FMEA where applicable); functional safety software management; complete material traceability requirements; critical supplier management with formal qualification; and stricter record retention requirements (minimum 10 years for safety-critical equipment). Additionally, API Q1 requires that product review personnel are competent and certified for sector-specific tests (NDT, hydrostatic tests, etc.).
How does an API Q1 audit work and who conducts it?
API Q1 certification audits are conducted by API-approved certification bodies: Bureau Veritas, Intertek, DNV GL, SGS, TUV SUD, among others. The process includes: documentation review, initial two-stage audit (document review + plant audit), and annual surveillance audits. API Q1 certificate validity is 3 years. Unlike ISO 9001, API can conduct unscheduled verification audits for Monogram licensees, especially following customer complaints or product withdrawals. Non-compliance can result in suspension or revocation of the Monogram licence and the API Q1 certificate.