Abstract Steel structures in Europe are generally designed and dimensioned according to EN 1993. The execution, in turn, is carried out according to EN 1090‐2, which for the evaluation of welded joints refers to the quality levels of EN ISO 5817. Here, significant incompatibilities between the design, execution and quality standards have been identified in recent years. The evaluation of weld imperfections according to EN ISO 5817 is based on quality levels with clear limits. However, it is questionable whether the tolerances for weld imperfections defined by the assessment limits represent a realistic limit under static load conditions. To better understand the impact of weld imperfection size on the load bearing capacity axial misalignment and its' influence on load‐bearing capacity is investigated in this article. At first, the characteristics of the axial misalignment are described statistically and an overview of the current state of the art is given. Afterwards the results of quasi static large‐scale tension tests on buttwelded joints with axial misalignment are presented. Finally, the quality levels of EN ISO 5817 are evaluated regarding the influence of imperfection size on the load‐bearing capacity of joints containing axial misalignment.