Welding charts and calculators
Free charts, calculators, a troubleshooter and a practice test for welders, built from published sources and Randy’s guides. More are on the way.
How they are made: every tool is built from the published sources listed on its page (OSHA, the American Welding Society, Miller, Lincoln, ESAB, Hobart, TWI, Norris Cylinder and an open welding textbook), and Randy Williams checks the numbers before it goes up. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
Stick welding
Essential
Stick Welding Amperage Chart by Rod Size
Amps for E6010, E6011, E6013, E7018 and more at every rod size from 1/16 to 5/16 in, with a side-by-side comparison.
Essential
Welding Polarity Chart: DCEP, DCEN or AC
Is the ground positive or negative? DCEP, DCEN or AC for every common stick rod, MIG wire, flux-core wire and TIG job, and which lead goes where.
Stick Welding Amperage by Metal Thickness
Enter your plate thickness and rod type to get the right rod diameter and amperage range, from 16 gauge sheet to 1 in plate.
Welding Rod Chart and Number Decoder
Type any stick rod number to see what each digit means, and compare 6010, 6011, 6013, 7018, 7024 and more: coating, positions, current and uses.
Welding Rod Oven Temperature Chart
Holding-oven and re-drying temperatures for 7018 and other stick rods in °F and °C, how long they can stay out, and which rods never need an oven.
MIG, gas and cables
Essential
MIG Welding Settings Chart
Starting MIG settings for steel: pick the thickness, wire and gas to get the wire speed, voltage and amps, with gas flow and polarity.
Welding Cable Size Chart
What size welding cable do you need? Enter your amps and the length of both leads to get the copper cable size in AWG and mm².
Welding Gas Cylinder Calculator: How Long a Tank Lasts
How long does a welding gas tank last? Pick your cylinder, gauge pressure and flow to see the hours of welding left and the cost per hour.
Safety and fixing problems
Essential
Welding Shade Chart: Lens Shade by Process and Amps
What shade for MIG, TIG or stick? Pick your process and amps to see OSHA’s minimum lens shade, the AWS recommended range and the ANSI Z49.1 comfort shade.
Welding Troubleshooting
Why does my weld look bad? Pick stick, MIG, flux core or TIG and what you see to get the likely causes in order and the fix for each.
Learning and pricing
Welding Practice Test with Answers
A free welding practice test: a question of the day and short quizzes on safety, polarity, stick, rods, MIG, flux core, TIG and weld defects, every answer explained.
Welding Cost Calculator
Price a welding job: enter the fillet size, length, process and your rates to get the rods or wire to buy, gas, arc time, your time and a job price.
