4.3.7 Electrode Wires for Gas Metal Arc Welding
The requirements for filler metals for carbon steels are covered in CSA Standard W48-01, and those for
higher strength steels (ultimate tensile strength greater than 490 MPa) in AWS Specification A5.28.
Gas metal arc welding wires are classified based on their composition and the expected weld metal
tensile strength. A typical gas metal arc welding electrode designation can be written as:
ER XX S-xxx
where E designates an electrode
R designates a rod or wire suitable for processes such as GMAW, GTAW, etc.
XX represent the minimum weld metal tensile strength (in increments of MPa) in the aswelded
condition when deposited in accordance with a specified procedure (W48-
01). In AWS specifications, only two digits indicate the tensile strength in ksi
S indicates a solid electrode
xxx are a one to three digit/alphabet-digit combination indicating the composition of
the wire