Inquiry Submittal Form

* Denotes required field

Before Submitting an Inquiry

1. Search Published Interpretations - has your question been answered before? Search the ASME Interpretation Database here by clicking on Search Interpretation or using our Quick Search:
2. Consultation - Consider contacting a subject matter expert. There are many organizations that can be contacted for advice on the topic such as Authorized Inspection Agencies, Notified Bodies and engineering consulting firms.
3. Consulting Policy - ASME will only issue interpretations of official ASME codes or standards. Translation, derivative works, or products not created in their entirety by ASME will not be addressed. ASME interpretations apply only to official ASME codes or standards. The scope of an inquiry must be limited to particular requirement in the Standard or Code Case. ASME does not "approve," "certify," "rate," or "endorse" any item, construction, proprietary device, or activity. Additionally, the committees cannot consider consulting type questions such as the following:

1) a review of calculations, design drawings, welding qualifications, or descriptions of equipment or parts to determine compliance with the Code or Standard requirements;

2) a request for assistance in performing any Code-prescribed functions related to, but not limited to, material selection, designs, calculations, fabrication, inspection, testing, or installation;

3) a request seeking the rationale for a requirement in the Standard since these are based upon consideration of technical data and the experience and expertise of the individual committee members.

4) a request seeking confirmation where the committee believes the existing words and intent are clear and explicit.

4. Inquiry Format - Please note that ASME has a required format for inquiries. You can review sample inquiry submittals here: Sample Inquiry Submittals
5. Explanation of the process - Inquiries are processed as follows:

1) Questions & replies for inquiry submittals that meet the requirements for submittal are processed by the associated committee.

2) Inquiries are reviewed by the committee and proceed to a series of ballots.

3) Once approved, the interpretation is issued.

4) Depending on committee workload and meeting schedule, the evaluation, approval and issuance of an interpretation may take in excess of 6 months.

5) Whether or not an interpretation is issued, ASME will respond to your request when the action is complete. Inquirers can check the status of their inquiry by contacting ASME Staff.

* Denotes required field

1. Inquirer Information
Sample Inquiry Submittals
2. Request for Interpretation
Standard Designation Selected:
*Interpretations are NOT issued for the following ASME Standards
Note: When entering an equation, place the cursor where you would like to add the formulas. When typing your formulas, they will be displayed as codes but will populate and display correctly when you click on the preview box on the right. Also note, when entering hard returns, you may see the line starting with "< br >". Proceed in adding text and formulas as this is part of the coding. All coding will convert and be displayed correctly in the preview box to the right.
Preview of Inquiry(ies)
(Click on the preview box below to display your text and formulas)
Note: When entering an equation, place the cursor where you would like to add the formulas. When typing your formulas, they will be displayed as codes but will populate and display correctly when you click on the preview box on the right. Also note, when entering hard returns, you may see the line starting with "< br >". Proceed in adding text and formulas as this is part of the coding. All coding will convert and be displayed correctly in the preview box to the right.
Preview of Proposed Reply(ies)
(Click on the preview box below to display your text and formulas)
Note: When entering an equation, place the cursor where you would like to add the formulas. When typing your formulas, they will be displayed as codes but will populate and display correctly when you click on the preview box on the right. Also note, when entering hard returns, you may see the line starting with "< br >". Proceed in adding text and formulas as this is part of the coding. All coding will convert and be displayed correctly in the preview box to the right.
Preview of Background Info
(Click on the preview box below to display your text and formulas)
Supported File Types are (.doc,.docx,.jpeg,.jpg,.pdf,.png,.tif,.tiff,.txt)

Note: If there are multiple questions in the inquiry or multiple diagrams related to a question, please be sure to associate the figures/diagrams in the attachment to its corresponding question number. Example: label the diagram "Question 1: Figure 1" if it corresponds to Question 1. If there are two figures pertaining to Question 1, label the second diagram "Question 1: Figure 2".