Welding Rod and Wire Usage
Deposit weight, consumable weight, time, and shielding gas by process.
Example
You enter
- Process GMAW
- Weld cross-section (in²) 0.05
- Weld length (in) 120
- Deposition rate (lb per MINUTE; blank: 0.12 GMAW, 0.06 SMAW, 0.20 FCAW, 0.03 GTAW) 0.12
You get
- Deposit (lb) 1.70
- Consumable (lb) 1.89
- Time (min) 14.2
- Shielding gas (ft³) 8.3
- Efficiency 0.9
Checked against published worked examples from: AWS / Lincoln / Miller welding-engineering bulletins (project bundled).
Details, formula, and sources
Formula or tableDeposit weight = section_area × length × 0.283 lb/in³ (steel). Consumable weight = deposit / efficiency. Efficiency by process: SMAW 60%, GMAW 90%, FCAW 80%, GTAW 100%.
Source and editionAWS Welding Handbook by name; AWS A5 series filler-metal specifications by name.
Free accessAWS A5 specs licensed; AWS outreach materials free at aws.org.
What governsEstimate. AHJ and licensed structural engineer govern.
API field namesprocess, weld_cross_section_in2, weld_length_in, deposition_rate_lb_per_min, deposit_lb, consumable_lb, minutes, gas_ft3, efficiency
- Deposition-efficiency table data/construction/aws-deposition.jsonAWS Welding Handbook