Electrode comparison
E6010 vs ER70S-6
E6010 digs through open roots and dirty steel anywhere; ER70S-6 is faster and cleaner but needs shelter, clean metal and a gas bottle.
E6010 vs ER70S-6 at a glance
| E6010 | ER70S-6 | |
|---|---|---|
| AWS specification | AWS A5.1/A5.1M | AWS A5.18/A5.18M |
| Process | Stick (SMAW) | MIG (GMAW) |
| Form | Covered electrode | Solid wire |
| Tensile strength (min) | 60 ksi | 70 ksi |
| Yield strength (min) | 48 ksi | 58 ksi |
| Elongation (min) | 22% | 22% |
| Impact toughness | 20 ft·lb at -20 °F (27 J at -29 °C) | 20 ft·lb at -20 °F (27 J at -29 °C) |
| Polarity | DCEP | DCEP |
| Positions | Flat, Horizontal, Vertical, Overhead | Flat, Horizontal, Vertical, Overhead |
| Penetration | Deep | Medium, varies strongly with gas and transfer mode |
| Deposition rate | Low | High, continuous feed with no stub loss |
| Coating / core | High-cellulose sodium | None — bare solid wire, often copper coated for feedability and contact |
| Slag | Thin, light, easy to remove | None; silicon islands float to the surface and are brushed off |
| Shielding gas | None — self-shielding | 75% argon / 25% CO2 (C25) |
| Storage | Store at room temperature. Do not bake E6010 — the cellulose coating needs its moisture to work. | Keep spools dry and covered. Bare wire rusts, and rusty wire means porosity and feed problems. |
| Primary use | Open-root passes on pipe, both shop and field | General fabrication and shop welding on carbon steel |
Which should you use?
These rarely compete except on one question: what lays the root pass. E6010's digging cellulosic arc reaches through an open root and fuses the land even when the joint is rusty or poorly fitted, works in wind, and needs nothing but a stick machine. ER70S-6 is faster, cleaner and easier to learn, but short-circuit transfer on an open root risks lack of fusion, it needs clean metal, and any breeze ruins the shielding. For shop fabrication on prepared joints MIG is the better tool; for field roots E6010 still holds.
Choose E6010 when
- Open-root pipe and plate passes
- Field work, wind and weather
- Rusty, painted or contaminated steel
- Poor joint fit-up
Choose ER70S-6 when
- Indoor shop fabrication on clean steel
- High deposition and duty cycle
- Sheet and light plate
- Welds where no slag cleanup is wanted
Amperage compared
| Diameter | E6010 | ER70S-6 |
|---|---|---|
| 3/32 in (2.4 mm) | 40–80 A | — |
| 1/8 in (3.2 mm) | 70–130 A | — |
| 5/32 in (4.0 mm) | 110–165 A | — |
| 3/16 in (4.8 mm) | 140–215 A | — |
| 7/32 in (5.6 mm) | 170–250 A | — |
| 0.023 in (0.6 mm) | — | 30–90 A |
| 0.030 in (0.8 mm) | — | 50–180 A |
| 0.035 in (0.9 mm) | — | 70–220 A |
| 0.045 in (1.2 mm) | — | 120–320 A |
Ranges are typical starting points. Diameters listed for only one electrode are shown as — for the other.
E6010 vs ER70S-6 — common questions
Can you MIG an open root?
It is done, but short-circuit transfer is prone to lack of fusion on a root pass, which is why many procedures call for a TIG or E6010 root followed by MIG or flux-core fill.
Which is stronger?
ER70S-6 is a 70 ksi filler against E6010's 60 ksi. On most joints the root is not the strength-limiting pass, which is why the combination of an E6010 root and a 70 ksi fill is common.
Which handles rust better?
E6010, clearly. ER70S-6's high silicon and manganese help with mill scale and light surface rust, but heavy contamination still causes porosity.
Full specifications
E6010
AWS A5.1/A5.1M
E6010 is a DC-only cellulosic stick electrode with the deepest penetration of any common rod, used for open-root pipe passes and dirty or rusty steel.
ER70S-6
AWS A5.18/A5.18M
ER70S-6 is the default solid MIG wire for carbon steel — high silicon and manganese let it weld over mill scale and light rust with good wetting.