If you are pursuing millwright certification in the US, your primary pathway is NCCER. The trade is the same as the Canadian Red Seal Industrial Mechanic (Millwright) 433A — see our Canadian Millwright exam breakdown — but there are meaningful differences in structure and emphasis.

NCCER vs Red Seal: Structure

Canadian Red Seal: single 135-question national exam. NCCER: modular system with level assessments and a comprehensive journeyman assessment.

Where the Exams Differ

Precision Measurement and Alignment: NCCER goes deeper on alignment calculation methodology (shim corrections from readings, thermal growth targets).

Power Transmission: AGMA/ABMA references (US) vs ISO/CMEA (Canada). Same technical content.

Fluid Power: ANSI/NFPA symbols (US) vs ISO symbols (Canada). Same underlying principles.

Welding: AWS D1.1/ASME Section IX (US) vs CSA W47.1 (Canada). Same processes.

Rigging: ASME B30/OSHA (US) vs CSA Z150 (Canada). Same calculations.

Predictive Maintenance: NCCER more practical (identify signature, take action). Red Seal more theoretical (frequency domain analysis).

Units: imperial throughout (thousandths of an inch for alignment, psi, in/s for vibration).

The Millwright NCCER Exam Prep book gives you 1,000 NCCER-style practice questions across 8 tests. Imperial units, US code references.

[Get the Millwright NCCER Exam Prep book on Amazon →]

[See the full Millwright NCCER trade page → /millwright-nccer/]

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the NCCER Millwright exam the same as the Red Seal?

Same core trade, different frameworks. Code references (AGMA vs ISO, ASME B30 vs CSA Z150, ANSI/NFPA vs ISO symbols) and units (imperial vs metric) differ.

What units does it use?

Imperial throughout: thousandths of an inch for alignment, psi for hydraulics, in/s for vibration.

What is the emphasis?

Heavy emphasis on precision alignment calculations and fabrication skills. Both exams test power transmission, fluid power, and rigging extensively.