The Classification of Welding Electrodes

"What do all the numbers refer to that are printed on electrodes?"

The Layman might be puzzled by the array of letters and numbers that are printed on the end of
welding electrodes.
They are there to classify the type of electrode. Most of the welding rods will use the AWS
system which stands for
"American Welding Society".
There are around 4 different types of classification in use today but most manufacturers tend to
stick to the AWS
system.
It makes sense that if you are about to weld 2 pieces of metal together then you will need to
know that you are
using the correct welding rod for the job. The wrong one could end in the joint falling apart.
The classification system works like this:
A typical number printed on each rod might be "E7018"
The breakdown of these figures goes like this:
E indicates that it's an electrode
70 indicates the strength of the welded joint and this is measured in thousands of pounds per
square inch
1 indicates the welding position that the rod can be used in (see "Welding Position" below for
details)
8 indicates the type of flux coating,the amount of penetration and the type of current that can
be used
(see "Classification Table" below for details)
WELDING STRENGTH TABLE (The E70** bit)

Class
E 60**
E 70**
E 80**
E 90**
E100**
E110**
E120**

Minimum Tensile Strength

62,000 psi
70,000 psi
80,000 psi
90,000 psi
100,000 psi
110,000 psi
120,000 psi

Minimum Yield Strength

50,000 psi
57,000 psi
67,000 psi
77,000 psi
87,000 psi
95,000 psi
107,000 psi

It might not be obvious but it is vitally important to match the correct strength of electrode to the
type of metal

being welded together. If the rod is too weak the the joint could fail under load. Similary, too
strong and there is
a chance that the joint will fail. There are numerous welding table books available from each of
the manufacturers
giving all the data for each type of rod that they produce.

WELDING POSITION TABLE (The E**1* bit)

E**1*
E**2*
E**4*

suitable for use in flat, horizontal, vertical (up) and overhead

suitable only for use in the flat and horizontal
suitable for use in flat, horizontal,overhead and vertical (down)

The different welding positions are important as the weld pool behaves very differently in a
vertical (up) position
compared to a vertical (down) position. Similarly, the same applies to overhead welding.The
manufacturer will
have designed a very different rod to do the specific job so make sure you have the correct one.
CLASSIFICATION TABLE This is usually the last digit in the string. ( The E***8 bit)
Class
E***0
E***1
E***2
E***3
E***4
E***5
E***6
E***7
E***8
E***9

Electrode coating(FLUX)

Penetration

Current type (eg, AC, DC+, DC-)

Cellulose,Sodium
Deep
DC+
(It does not matter
Cellulose,Potassium
Deep
AC or DC+ which way around
Rutile,Sodium
Medium
AC or DCthe electrode is with
Rutile,Potassium
Light
AC or DC+ or DC- AC. With DC you can
Rutile,Iron Powder
Medium
AC or DC+ or DC- choose between DC+
Low Hydrogen,Sodium
Medium
DC+
and DC- by plugging
Low Hydrogen,Potassium
Medium
AC or DC+ in your leads on the
Iron Powder,Iron Oxide
Medium
AC or DCwelding set the opp
Low Hydrogen,Iron Powder
Medium
AC or DC+ way to how they are
Iron Oxide,Rutile,Potassium
Medium
AC or DC+ or DC- marked)

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS

Sometimes there is an extra bit on the end. Eg: E7018 (-1). These are laid out below.
Suffix

Additional Requirement

-1
Increased toughness (impact strength) for E7018 rods. Also increased ductility in E7024
rods
-M
Meets most Military requirements
-X
Indicates that electrode is a low alloy type (There is a whole table of these alloys which I
won't
go into now)

As with all my articles, I encourage you to do your own research into these subjects. These
articles are my own point of view and are not intended to be advice in any way