About Us
The National Board of Boiler and Pressure Vessel Inspectors is the worldwide leader in pressure equipment safety.
It was established in 1919 to promote greater safety to life and property through uniformity in the construction, installation, repair, maintenance, and inspection of pressure equipment.
The National Board membership oversees adherence to laws, rules, and regulations relating to boilers and pressure vessels. The National Board members are the chief boiler inspectors representing most U.S. states and provinces/territories of Canada, as well as many major cities in the United States. Please click for our Member Directory.
Click HERE for our Products and Services Guide.
Training
National Board offers comprehensive classroom and online training programs for inspectors and pressure equipment professionals from around the world. National Board training is accredited by the International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET).
The National Board Inspection Code
A National Board flagship publication, the NBIC is an internationally recognized standard that governs and maintains rules for the installation, inspection, repair, and alteration of pressure equipment. The NBIC is adopted into law by most US and Canadian jurisdictions and is the basis for the National Board’s four accreditation programs, R, VR, NR and T/O. More than 5,000 repair organizations in over 60 countries use the NBIC to perform repairs to pressure-retaining items.
Registration
National Board maintains records of pressure-retaining items that are registered by individual manufacturers who meet a set of requirements. Registration with the National Board indicates that a pressure-retaining item is constructed in accordance with the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code and is inspected by a qualified National Board Commissioned Inspector. The NB Mark is used by manufacturers to identify items registered with the National Board.
Commissions and Certifications
NBBI offers three credentialing programs for industry professionals – Certified Individuals, Commissioned Inspectors and Pressure Equipment Inspectors. Individuals who obtain NBBI credentials have met a prescribed amount of training and education, passed a comprehensive exam, and documented the required amount of experience to perform assigned duties as described in the National Board Inspection Code (NBIC) and/or the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code (ASME Code). NBBI credentials directly support the activities of the NBIC and ASME Code.
Pressure Relief Laboratory
National Board establishes worldwide industry standards for pressure relief devices and other appurtenances through operation of an international pressure relief testing laboratory. The National Board Testing Laboratory is the world’s only independent ASME certified flow lab.
Accreditation
National Board administers three accreditation programs for organizations that perform repairs and alterations on pressure equipment (R, VR, NR) and one program for organizations that test pressure relief valves (T/O). Accreditation involves thorough evaluation of an organization’s quality system manual and requires a demonstration of its ability to implement the system. Authorized repair organizations are issued a National Board stamp that is applied to the equipment nameplate. The stamp signifies strict repair and/or alteration requirements have been met and verified by a National Board Commissioned Inspector.
Accreditation: Inspection Organizations
NBBI administers three accreditation programs for inspection organizations: Authorized Inspection Agencies (AIA), Federal Inspection Agencies (FIA), and Owner-User Inspection Organizations (OUIO). These organizations are authorized to employ National Board Commissioned Inspectors for inservice inspections and/or inspections of repairs and alterations that were performed by NBBI R and NR accredited companies. Accreditation of these inspection organizations involves a thorough evaluation of an organization’s quality system manual to ensure compliance with NBBI’s accreditation requirements.