How to be sure a welding rod is certified to A5.9

By L51174

Date 02-22-2011 16:35

The designations AWS and ASME should appear on the label.

By welderbrent (*****)

Date 02-22-2011 17:12

Now days you can also check them out online. Their website should have a section on product compliance certs and it should also be included in the general specs you can find when you look it up under their products list.

But as L51174 said, the can label should have all the various designations listed that is qualified under.

Have a Great Day, Brent

By bhjones Date 02-22-2011 20:06

There in lies the issue. The supplier does not put the AWS spec on any of the literature. When asked if the rod met any AWS spec, they produced a document stating that the rod would certify to A5.9 so I am a little skeptical. Is there a process the manf. has to go through to certify that their rods meet a certain spec?

By dbigkahunna (****)

Date 02-23-2011 00:21

If I was going to use electrodes that the customer requires to meed a specification I would buy a full can from a distributor. There should be a lot number on the can and the can will say what AWS specification the rod meets. There should be a data sheet in the can or available on line. I would never buy nor allow a welder to use rods bought loose. You have not idea how the rods were stored.
Now FC code allows you to use any rod you want to from any source, but I forgot what section rod classification is in

By Shane Feder (****)

Date 02-23-2011 01:09

Chemical Analysis is the only test requires as per SFA 5.9

AWS UNS Classification
ER312 S31380
C 0.15
Cr 28.0–32.0
Ni 8.0–10.5
Mo 0.75
Mn 1.0–2.5
Si 0.30–0.65
P 0.03
S 0.03
Cu 0.75

Regards,
Shane

By 803056

Date 02-23-2011 03:43

I haven't the time this evening to look up the requirements for testing. It appears Shane did. However, the chemical analysis is usually based on a welded pad of deposited weld metal, not on the bare wire.

Best regards - Al

By js55

Date 02-23-2011 13:49

The AWS Spec/class has to be on the container or it ain't AWS spec/class.
Was the salesman wearing a 70's leisure suit?

By Skaggydog (**)

Date 03-02-2011 17:25

"Was the salesman wearing a 70's leisure suit? "
That's how i invision most salesmen.

By MBSims

Date 02-23-2011 03:05

Save yourself some money and buy E312 (if that is what you need) from one of the major manufacturers instead of the "magic rod" vendors. Their "super missile weld" names or rainbow colored coatings are all for show to make you think you're getting something special. Also, as you can see from Shane's post, the carbon content is quite high for E312 compared to other SS alloys.