Common weld symbols and their meanings

When welds are specified on engineering and fabrication drawings, a cryptic set of
symbols is used as a sort of shorthand for describing the type of weld, its size and other
processing and finishing information. Here we will introduce you to the common symbols and
their meaning. The complete set of symbols is given in a standard published by the American
National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the American Welding Society (AWS): ANSI/AWS A2.4,
Symbols for Welding and Nondestructive Testing.

The structure of the welding symbol

The horizontal line — called the reference line — is the anchor to which all the other
welding symbols are tied. The instructions for making the weld are strung along the reference
line. An arrow connects the reference line to the joint that is to be welded. In the example above,
the arrow is shown growing out of the right end of the reference line and heading down and to
the right, but many other combinations are allowed.

Quite often, there are two sides to the joint to which the arrow points, and therefore two
potential places for a weld. For example, when two steel plates are joined together into a T shape,
welding may be done on either side of the stem of the T.
 The weld symbol distinguishes between the two sides of a joint by using the arrow and
the spaces above and below the reference line. The side of the joint to which the arrow points is
known (rather prosaically) as the arrow side, and its weld is made according to the instructions
given below the reference line. The other side of the joint is known (even more prosaically) as
the other side, and its weld is made according to the instructions given above the reference
line. The rule that below the line equals the arrow side and above the line equals the other side
applies regardless of the arrow’s direction. The flag growing out of the junction of the reference
line and the arrow is present if the weld is to be made in the field during erection of the structure.
A weld symbol without a flag indicates that the weld is to be made in the shop. In older drawings,
a field weld may be denoted by a filled black circle at the junction between the arrow and the
reference line.
The open circle at the arrow/reference line junction is present if the weld is to go all around the
joint, as in the example below.

The tail of the weld symbol is the place for supplementary information on the weld. It may
contain a reference to the welding process, the electrode, a detail drawing or any information
that aids in the making of the weld that does not have its own special place on the symbol.

Types of welds and their symbols

Each welding position has its own basic symbol, which is typically placed near the center
of the reference line (and above or below it, depending on which side of the joint it's on). The
symbol is a small drawing that can usually be interpreted as a simplified cross-section of the weld.
In the descriptions below, the symbol is shown in both its arrow-side and other-side positions.

Fillet Weld Groove Welds Plug Welds and Slot Welds

Fillet welds

The fillet weld (pronounced "fill-it") is used to make lap joints, corner joints and T joints. As its
symbol suggests, the fillet weld is roughly triangular in cross-section, although its shape is not
always a right triangle or an isosceles triangle. Weld metal is deposited in a corner formed by the
fit-up of the two members and penetrates and fuses with the base metal to form the joint. (Note:
for the sake of graphical clarity, the drawings below do not show the penetration of the weld
metal. Recognize, however, that the degree of penetration is important in determining the
quality of the weld.)

The perpendicular leg of the triangle is always drawn on the left side of the symbol, regardless of
the orientation of the weld itself. The leg size is written to the left of the weld symbol. If the two
legs of the weld are to be the same size, only one dimension is given; if the weld is to have
unequal legs (much less common than the equal-legged weld), both dimensions are given and
there is an indication on the drawing as to which leg is longer.
The length of the weld is given to the right of the symbol.

If no length is given, then the weld is to be placed between specified dimension lines (if
given) or between those points where an abrupt change in the weld direction would occur (like
at the end of the plates in the example above).
For intermittent welds, the length of each portion of the weld and the spacing of the
welds are separated by a dash (length first, spacing second) and placed to the right of the fillet
weld symbol

Notice that the spacing, or pitch, is not the clear space between the welds, but the center-to-
center (or end-to-end) distance.
Groove welds

The groove weld is commonly used to make edge-to-edge joints, although it is also often used in
corner joints, T joints, and joints between curved and flat pieces. As suggested by the variety of
groove weld symbols, there are many ways to make a groove weld, the differences depending
primarily on the geometry of the parts to be joined and the preparation of their edges. Weld
metal is deposited within the groove and penetrates and fuses with the base metal to form the
joint. (Note: for the sake of graphical clarity, the drawings below generally do not show the
penetration of the weld metal. Recognize, however, that the degree of penetration is important
in determining the quality of the weld.)
The various types of groove weld are:

Square groove welds

The groove is created by either a tight fit or a slight separation of the edges. The
amount of separation, if any, is given on the weld symbol.

V-groove welds
The edges of both pieces are chamfered, either singly or doubly, to create the
groove. The angle of the V is given on the weld symbol, as is the separation at the root
(if any).
If the depth of the V is not the full thickness — or half the thickness in the case of a double V —
the depth is given to the left of the weld symbol.

If the penetration of the weld is to be greater than the depth of the groove, the depth of
the effective throat is given in parentheses after the depth of the V.

Bevel groove welds

The edge of one of the pieces is chamfered and the other is left square. The bevel symbol's
perpendicular line is always drawn on the left side, regardless of the orientation of the weld itself.
The arrow points toward the piece that is to be chamfered. This extra significance is emphasized
by a break in the arrow line. (The break is not necessary if the designer has no preference as to
which piece gets the edge treatment or if the piece to receive the treatment should be obvious
to a qualified welder.) Angle and depth of edge treatment, effective throat and separation at the
root are described using the methods discussed in the V-groove section.
U-groove welds
The edges of both pieces are given a concave treatment. Depth of edge treatment,
effective throat and separation at the root are described using the methods discussed in the V-
groove section.

J-groove welds
The edge of one of the pieces is given a concave treatment and the other is left square. It
is to the U-groove weld what the bevel groove weld is to the V-groove weld. As with the bevel,
the perpendicular line is always drawn on the left side and the arrow (with a break, if necessary)
points to the piece that receives the edge treatment. Depth of edge treatment, effective throat
and separation at the root are described using the methods discussed in the V-groove section.

Flare-V groove welds

Commonly used to join two rounded or curved parts. The intended depth of the weld
itself is given to the left of the symbol, with the weld depth shown in parentheses .
Flare bevel groove weld
Commonly used to join a round or curved piece to a flat piece. As with the flare-V, the
depth of the groove formed by the two curved surfaces and the intended depth of the weld itself
are given to the left of the symbol, with the weld depth shown in parentheses. The symbol's
perpendicular line is always drawn on the left side, regardless of the orientation of the weld itself.

Common supplementary symbols used with groove welds are the melt-thru and backing
bar symbols. Both symbols indicate that complete joint penetration is to be made with a single-
sided groove weld. In the case of melt-thru, the root is to be reinforced with weld metal on the
back side of the joint. The height of the reinforcement, if critical, is indicated to the left of the
melt-thru symbol, which is placed across the reference line from the basic weld symbol.
 When a backing bar is used to achieve complete joint penetration, its symbol is placed
across the reference line from the basic weld symbol. If the bar is to be removed after the weld
is complete, an "R" is placed within the backing bar symbol. The backing bar symbol has the same
shape as the plug or slot weld symbol, but context should always make the symbol's intention
clear.

Plug and slot welds

Plug welds and slot welds are used to join overlapping members, one of which has holes
(round for plug welds, elongated for slot welds) in it. Weld metal is deposited in the holes and
penetrates and fuses with the base metal of the two members to form the joint. (Note: for the
sake of graphical clarity, the drawings below do not show the penetration of the weld metal.
Recognize, however, that the degree of penetration is important in determining the quality of
the weld.) For plug welds, the diameter of each plug is given to the left of the symbol and the
plug-to-plug spacing (pitch) is given to the right. For slot welds, the width of each slot is given to
the left of the symbol, the length and pitch (separated by a dash) are given to the right of the
symbol, and a detail drawing is referenced in the tail. The number of plugs or slots is given in
parentheses above or below the weld symbol. The arrow-side and other-side designations
indicate which piece contains the hole(s). If the hole is not to be completely filled with weld
metal, the depth to which it is to be filled is given within the weld symbol.