Tests for hydrogen cracking in welding have been used for many years in research and steel development and in recent years are playing an increasing role in material procurement.A multitude of different tests have been proposed, many being developed for a specific research program and not being used again.Very few tests have gained sufficiently broad acceptance to be standardized, particularly in North America, although the AWS B4 committee is currently developing standards for a limited number of tests that have previously been standardized elsewhere.Where tests are being used by several laboratories, lack of standardization frustrates the comparison of results among laboratories and is a serious limitation when the test is used for procurement purposes.