What is a Welding Filler Metal, Types & Examples

Published on 24 July 2023

5 min

Welding Filler Metal: Its Types & Examples

Filler metals are crucial to any welding process. Welding filler metals refer to any material that is used to join two metal pieces. When heated, this material melts and flows in between two adjacent metal workpieces to create a weld joint.

The filler metal largely depends on what metals can be welded. Some of the common welding metal types are steel, stainless steel, aluminum, copper, cast iron, nickel alloys, and magnesium.

Some of the things that you need to keep in mind while choosing welding filler metals are:

The filler metal and the base/parent material must be compatible with each other.
Pair the filler metal with the welding process as also need to match with each other.
Use the correct welding parameters for the filler metal.
Determine the welding position.
Check if the filler metal meets the joint design requirements.
Find out if the filler metal is compatible with the shielding gas to be used.
Follow the manufacturer’s instructions properly to store the filler metals and get the desired output.

A question that may arise is ‘are welded always as strong as the welded materials’? The general presumption is that welds are usually stronger than parent welded materials if the welds are done correctly as per the specified procedure. Welds are typically designed to be stronger than the parent material.

Here are some types and examples of welding filler metal:

ER70S-6

This filler metal is used for mild steel. Thenumber 6 depicts shows that it has a higher amount of oxidizers which are useful in providing a flatter and quicker bead.

Since ER70S-6 is an alloy, its composition includes other metals such as copper and chromium, albeit in small quantities. It is due to the presence of these metals that it gets a shiny copper color. Usually, ER70S-6 has applications in automotive shops. It is ideal for sheet metal, chassis, and suspension components.

308L

If you are wondering what material is used to weld stainless steel with stainless steel, then 308L is your answer. 304 and 308 are the most common stainless steel types in automotive shops. It is an alloy that is made up mostly of iron and has 10% nickel and 20% chromium.

309L

To weld stainless steel to mild steel, the ideal filler metal will be 309L. It is ideal for welding both similar and dissimilar steels. It has 13% nickel and 24% chromium and also includes other additives. 309L can also be used to weld similar alloys such as 304 stainless steel and 409 stainless steel.

Some welders also use aluminum, brass, and silicon bronze along with other combinations. However, they don’t provide weld as strong as a regular steel weld.

D&H Sécheron Electrodes Pvt. Ltd India’s leading welding consumables manufacturer, offers high-quality welding filler metals. Get in touch to know more.

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