1 May 2017

Welding terms and definitions

In this article, you can learn the definitions of some of the welding terms that are generally in used.


  • Baking :
It is the material support provided at the root side of a weld to aid in the control of penetration.

  • Base metal :
The metal to be joined or cut is called the base metals.

  • Bead or Weld bead :
Bead is the metal added during a single pass of welding. 
The weld bead appears as a separate material from the base metal.

  • Crater :
In arc welding, a crater is a depression in the weld-metal pool at the point where the arc strikes the base metal plate.

  • Deposition rate :
The rate at which weld metal is deposited per unit time is called deposition rate.
It is normally expressed as kg/h.

  • Fillet weld :
The metal fused into the corner of a joint made of two pieces placed at approximately 90 degrees to each other is called fillet weld.

  • Penetration :
It is a depth up to which the weld metal combines with the base metal as measured from the top surface of the joint.

  • Puddle :
The portion of the weld joint that is melted by the heat of welding is called puddle.

  • Root :
It is the point at which the two pieces to be joined by welding are nearest.

  • Tack weld :
A small weld, generally used to temporarily hold the two pieces together during actual welding, is the tack weld.

  • The toe of weld :
Toe of the world is the junction between the weld face and the base metal.

  • Torch :
In gas welding, the torch mixes the fuel and oxygen and controls its delivery to get the desired flame.

  • Weld's face :
It is the exposed surface of the weld.

  • Weld metal :
Weld metal is the metal that is solidified in the joint. 
It may be only a base metal or a mixture of base metal and filler metal.

  • Weld pass :
A single movement of the welding torch or electrode along the length of the joint which results in a bend is a weld pass.