Welding electrode specs, symbols and settings

E7018

AWS A5.1/A5.1M · SMAW

E7018 is the low-hydrogen structural rod — 70 ksi tensile, tough at -20 °F, all positions, and the default electrode…

E6010

AWS A5.1/A5.1M · SMAW

E6010 is a DC-only cellulosic stick electrode with the deepest penetration of any common rod, used for open-root pipe…

E6011

AWS A5.1/A5.1M · SMAW

E6011 is the AC-capable version of E6010 — deep penetration and a fast-freeze puddle that works on small transformer…

E6013

AWS A5.1/A5.1M · SMAW

E6013 is the easy-starting rutile rod for thin steel and light fabrication — soft arc, shallow penetration and the…

ER70S-6

AWS A5.18/A5.18M · GMAW / GTAW

ER70S-6 is the default solid MIG wire for carbon steel — high silicon and manganese let it weld over mill scale and…

E71T-11

AWS A5.20/A5.20M · FCAW-S

E71T-11 is self-shielded flux-cored wire — no gas bottle, runs DCEN, and works in wind, which makes it the standard…

E308L

AWS A5.4/A5.4M · SMAW

E308L is the standard stick electrode for welding 304 and 304L stainless, with a low 0.04% maximum carbon that…

E316L

AWS A5.4/A5.4M · SMAW

E316L adds 2–3% molybdenum for pitting and chloride resistance, making it the electrode for 316/316L marine, chemical…

ER4043

AWS A5.10/A5.10M · GMAW / GTAW

ER4043 is the 5% silicon aluminum filler — fluid, crack-resistant and the default choice for welding 6061 and…

ER5356

AWS A5.10/A5.10M · GMAW / GTAW

ER5356 is the 5% magnesium aluminum filler — stronger than ER4043, stiffer to feed, and the choice when the joint…

E7014

AWS A5.1/A5.1M · SMAW

E7014 is an iron-powder rutile rod that runs like E6013 but deposits faster and stronger — a fast-fill, all-position…

E71T-1

AWS A5.20/A5.20M · FCAW-G

E71T-1 is gas-shielded flux-cored wire — the high-deposition, all-position production workhorse for structural steel…

Carbon & Mild Steel

Electrodes and wires for carbon and mild steel — the 60 and 70 series stick rods, solid MIG wire and flux-cored wire that cover most structural and fabrication work.

Stainless Steel

Austenitic and martensitic stainless fillers — 308L, 309L, 316L, 347 and 410, in both covered electrode and bare wire form.

Aluminum

Aluminium fillers — the 4043 silicon and 5356 magnesium alloys that cover almost all aluminium welding, plus the legacy covered electrode.

Flux-Cored

Tubular flux-cored wires, both gas-shielded and self-shielded, for high-deposition structural and outdoor welding.

MIG Welding (GMAW)

Continuously fed solid wire plus shielding gas.

TIG Welding (GTAW)

Non-consumable tungsten arc, filler added by hand.

Stick Welding (SMAW)

Flux-coated consumable electrode, no gas bottle.

Flux-Cored Welding (FCAW)

Tubular wire with flux inside, with or without gas.

Submerged Arc Welding (SAW)

Arc buried under granular flux, mechanised.

How to Read Welding Symbols

A welding symbol is read from the reference line outward: the arrow says which joint, the side of the reference line says which face, the shape says which weld, and the numbers around it say how big and how many.

What Welding Electrode Numbers Mean

In a stick electrode number like E7018, E means electrode, 70 means 70,000 psi tensile strength, 1 means all positions, and 8 means a low-hydrogen coating usable on AC or DCEP.

Welding Polarity: DCEP, DCEN and AC

DCEP puts the electrode positive and drives roughly two-thirds of the heat into the work for deep penetration; DCEN reverses that for shallower penetration and higher deposition; AC alternates and is required for aluminium TIG.

Welding Rod Storage and Rod Ovens

Low-hydrogen electrodes such as E7018 must be held in a rod oven at 250–300 °F once opened, while cellulosic rods like E6010 must never be baked because they need the moisture in their coating.

Welding Positions Explained: 1G to 6G and 1F to 4F

Welding positions are coded by a number for the orientation and a letter for the weld type — G for groove, F for fillet — so 3G is a vertical groove weld and 2F is a horizontal fillet.

Welding Defects: Causes and Fixes

Most weld defects trace back to four things — wrong heat, a contaminated joint, lost shielding, or bad technique — and each defect points at a specific one of them.

Shielding Gas Selection Guide

For carbon steel MIG the default is 75% argon / 25% CO2; for stainless and aluminium TIG it is pure argon; and the rest of the choices trade penetration, spatter and cost against each other.