Calculate deposited weld metal per hour from weld cross-sectional area, travel speed and material density.
Weld deposition rate is the mass of weld metal deposited during a specified period. It is commonly expressed in kilograms per hour (kg/h), pounds per hour (lb/h), or grams per minute (g/min).
Deposition rate is an important welding-production metric because it helps estimate how quickly a welding process can build a weld.
The actual deposited amount depends on the weld cross-sectional area, travel speed, material density and deposition efficiency.
For a weld with a known deposited cross-sectional area, travel speed and material density, the theoretical deposited mass can be calculated from the volume of weld metal deposited per unit time.
The factor 0.00006 converts mm² × mm/min and material density in g/cm³ into kilograms per hour.
If deposition efficiency is included, the gross filler-metal consumption required to achieve the calculated deposited rate is higher than the actual deposited rate.
Suppose a weld has a deposited cross-sectional area of 10 mm², travel speed of 250 mm/min and steel density of 7.85 g/cm³.
The theoretical deposited weld-metal rate is therefore approximately 1.18 kg/h.
At 90% deposition efficiency, the approximate filler-metal consumption required would be:
Not all filler metal introduced into a welding process necessarily becomes part of the deposited weld. Some material can be lost through spatter, slag, electrode stubs or other process losses.
Deposition efficiency describes the relationship between the useful deposited weld metal and the amount of filler metal consumed.
| Process | Typical Efficiency Consideration |
|---|---|
| SMAW / Stick | Can be significantly below 100% because of electrode stubs and coating/slag losses. |
| GMAW / MIG | Often relatively high, with losses depending on transfer mode and operating conditions. |
| GTAW / TIG | Depends strongly on manual filler addition and application. |
| FCAW | Varies with wire type, slag system and operating conditions. |
| SAW | Can provide high deposition rates and high efficiency under suitable conditions. |
Wire feed speed and deposition rate are related but are not identical.
Wire feed speed describes the linear speed at which filler wire is fed into the welding arc. Deposition rate describes the mass of useful weld metal deposited over time.
For a given wire diameter and material, increasing wire feed speed generally increases the amount of filler metal entering the process.
The actual deposited rate is then affected by deposition efficiency.
For a fixed weld cross-sectional area, increasing travel speed increases the amount of weld metal deposited per unit time because more joint length is covered each minute.
However, the welding process must provide enough filler metal to maintain the required weld cross-section at the selected travel speed.
Travel speed should therefore be considered together with wire feed speed, current, voltage and weld geometry.
The deposited weld-metal cross-sectional area is a major factor in calculating mass deposition.
A larger weld area means more metal is deposited for every millimetre of joint length.
For example, increasing the deposited area from 5 mm² to 10 mm² doubles the mass of weld metal deposited per unit length, assuming the material density remains unchanged.
| Material | Approximate Density |
|---|---|
| Carbon steel | 7.85 g/cm³ |
| Stainless steel | Approximately 7.8–8.0 g/cm³ |
| Aluminum | Approximately 2.70 g/cm³ |
| Copper | Approximately 8.96 g/cm³ |
| Titanium | Approximately 4.51 g/cm³ |
| Nickel | Approximately 8.90 g/cm³ |
Use the density of the actual deposited filler metal when estimating deposition rate. The base-metal density may not be appropriate when the filler alloy is substantially different.
Deposition rate can be used to estimate welding productivity, filler-metal requirements and approximate welding time.
For example, if a welding process deposits 2 kg/h and a job requires 10 kg of deposited weld metal:
This is theoretical arc-on deposition time. Actual production time will usually be longer because of setup, positioning, cleaning, consumable changes, inspection and other non-welding activities.
This calculator estimates deposition rate from weld geometry and travel speed. Actual production deposition can differ because real welding conditions are not perfectly uniform.
The tool does not determine wire feed speed, welding current or complete welding parameters. Those values must be selected for the specific process, filler metal, joint and procedure.
What is weld deposition rate? Weld deposition rate is the amount of useful weld metal deposited per unit of time, commonly expressed in kg/h.
How do I calculate deposition rate? Multiply deposited weld cross-sectional area by travel speed and material density, then apply the appropriate unit conversion.
Does travel speed affect deposition rate? Yes. For a fixed deposited weld area, increasing travel speed increases the deposited mass per unit time.
Is deposition rate the same as filler consumption? No. Filler consumption includes material that does not become useful deposited weld metal. Deposition efficiency accounts for this difference.
What is deposition efficiency? It is the percentage of consumed filler metal that becomes deposited weld metal.
Can deposition rate be calculated from wire feed speed? Yes, when wire diameter, filler-metal density and deposition efficiency are known.
What is a good welding deposition rate? There is no universal value. It depends on welding process, electrode or wire size, current, position, material and application.
Does weld size affect deposition rate? Yes. A larger deposited cross-sectional area contains more metal per unit length, increasing the required deposition rate at a given travel speed.
Can this calculator estimate filler-metal requirements? Yes. The calculated deposited rate can be combined with deposition efficiency to estimate approximate filler-metal consumption.
Does deposition rate equal welding productivity? No. Deposition rate measures weld-metal production during welding. Overall productivity also includes setup, positioning, cleaning, inspection, consumable changes and other non-welding time.