API Spec Q1 vs API Spec Q2 

The American Petroleum Institute publishes two quality management standards for the oil and gas industry: API Spec Q1 and API Spec Q2. Although both are QMS standards for the oil and gas sector and both share structural similarities with ISO 9001, they apply to very different types of organizations and very different types of work.

Understanding which standard applies to your organization, and whether you might need both, is essential before beginning a certification program.

API Spec Q1 applies to manufacturers of products used in the oil and natural gas industry. If your organization designs, fabricates, or produces physical equipment  (valves, wellheads, drilling tools, tubular goods, lifting equipment) and you want to supply that equipment to major operators, API Q1 is the standard that governs your quality management system.

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Achieving API Q1 certification also qualifies manufacturers to apply for the API Monogram license, which allows them to stamp the API mark on conforming products. Many operators and EPC contractors require the API Monogram as a condition of purchasing from a supplier.

API Spec Q2 applies to service suppliers, organizations that provide services rather than physical products to the oil and gas industry. This includes companies that provide:

• Well intervention and completion services
• Inspection, testing, and certification services
• Drilling and well services
• Coiled tubing and wireline services
• Equipment maintenance and repair services
• Consulting and engineering services to the upstream sector

API Q2 was developed to address a gap that existed when API Q1 was the only available standard: service companies were being asked to comply with a manufacturing standard that did not fully apply to their operations. API Q2 creates a purpose-built QMS framework for service delivery environments.

• Scope of application - API Q1 governs product manufacturing. API Q2 governs service delivery. The core distinction is whether your business delivers a physical product or a service outcome. Some organizations do both, a company that manufactures and then installs equipment may need both standards.​

• Traceability requirements - API Q1 places heavy emphasis on material traceability,  knowing exactly where every component in a finished product came from, what inspection it passed, and when. API Q2 focuses more on service quality planning, personnel competency, and the controlled execution of service operations.

• Design controls - API Q1 has detailed requirements for design and development controls because manufacturers must control how they develop and change product designs. API Q2 addresses service design through work planning and job risk assessment processes instead.

• Personnel competency - While both standards require that personnel are competent for their roles, API Q2 places significantly stronger emphasis on this requirement because service quality is directly dependent on the people performing the work. Competency frameworks, qualification records, and field crew training are central to Q2 compliance.

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• API Monogram - Only API Q1 certification qualifies an organization for the API Monogram licensing program. API Q2 does not include a product marking program because it applies to services, not products.​

Yes. An organization that manufactures equipment and also provides installation, commissioning, or maintenance services for that equipment may be required to hold both certifications. In this case, the two quality management systems must be integrated so that the requirements of both standards are met without creating duplicate or conflicting processes.

Accupoint supports both API Q1 and API Q2 configuration, and is designed so that organizations managing multiple standards can do so within a single unified system rather than maintaining separate tools.

Ask these three questions:

• Does your organization manufacture physical products for use in oil and gas operations? If yes, you likely need our API Q1 platform.

• Does your organization provide services, inspection, drilling, well intervention, maintenance, to oil and gas operators? If yes, you likely need our API Q2 platform.



• Do your customers or contracts explicitly require the API Monogram on the products you supply? If yes, you will need API Q1 certification and Monogram licensing.

If you are still unsure, Accupoint's compliance team works with oil and gas organizations regularly and can help you identify which standard or combination of standards applies to your specific scope of operations.