Welding Symbols Meaning: Diagrams & Types

Knowing how to interpret welding symbols is necessary to perfect your welding projects. Unfortunately, many welding professions are still not familiar with some welding symbols meaning. Now, with such experts, what can they advise the upcoming welders? It turns into a disaster when it comes to both practical and theory.

What do welding symbols mean? Welding symbols are played a vital role to communicate between the designer and the welder. It expressed in the drawing where welding is required. The arrow of the welding symbol points to the location on the drawing, where is welding requires. Moreover, the arrow is jointed to a leader line that intersects a horizontal reference line. At the opposite end of the reference line, a tail is forked off in two directions.

Some welders think that knowing how to weld appropriately is enough; NO. You need to understand these symbols to interpret your project supervisor during quotations. Therefore, this article is meant for amateurs and professional welders; they need to possess exact knowledge on welding symbol matters.

Sit back and have a look at these welding symbols with their diagrams and types if you want to be a pro and earn a big one of these days. We comprehensively break the article into various significant topics for you.

Common welding symbols meaning

Below are some of the commonly used welding symbols presented in the chart;

• The fillet: The fillet is the famous and mostly used weld
• Groove: Groove is the second most famous. It merely involves preparing your workpiece's edges to form various weld shapes.
• Plug/Slot: Plug/slot is mainly meant to create overlapping joints.
• Seam welds: Seam welds are achieved through high-temperature input
• Spot welding: Spot welding achieved through a particular spot.

The Structure Of The Welding Symbol

Weld symbols tend to have an arrow pointing where you should weld. This arrow line joins the leader line, intersecting with the horizontal reference line. On the opposite end, you are likely to find a tail that protrudes in two different ways.

References line, on the other hand, are straight-line drawn perpendicularly. The tail is an optional weld symbol, pulled at the reference line's far end against the arrow.

What Are The Different Welding Symbols?

Sometimes, a welding position comes with a primary welding symbol, mostly located in the middle of the reference line. It can also be found below or above the line since it relies on where it is on the joint side. Below are some of the common  types of welds and their symbols;

1. Fillet welds:

as described above, fillet welds are used mainly to make lap joints, T and corner joints. It's achieved when the weld fuses and penetrates with the deposited elements to develop a sturdy joint.

2. Groove Welds:

Groove remains one of the significant welds; a welder is likely to meet in his/her welding career. The art involves producing different joints like T, corner, curved joints, etc. A qualified welder should be in a position to read, interpret, and demonstrate this practically accurately.

Below are some various types of groove welds and their examples;

Square groove welds; you completely don't bevel the edges.

3. V-Groove Welds

Double V Groove (Not Equal Depth)

4. Bevel Groove Welds

Bevel Groove With A Specified Side

5. U-groove Weld

6. J-Groove Welds

7. Flare V-Groove Welds

Flare V-Groove Welds mainly used for joining rounded or curved pieces together.

8. Flare Bevel Groove Welds

Flare Bevel Groove Welds used to join a flat workpiece with the rounded one.

9. Edge welds

This type of weld is most used on gauge or sheet metals; it can be useful on two sheets, welded on edges or many sheet metals.

10. Stud welds

They are mainly achieved through a stud welder, either a standalone or handheld unit

11. Seam welds

There's a slight difference between spot and seam welds. It exists in a linear form but not concentrated in a single spot.

12. Spot welds

This another type of weld applied to the joint's surface to form a faying surface. It creates metal as a result of high-temperature input. Its symbol is a plain circle, as shown below;

13. Surfing welds

If you want to apply weld on an individual surface thoroughly, then surfing is what you need. It's mainly used to repair or reinforce a worn-out element.

14. Plug & slot weld

They are mainly used to join overlapping workpieces. One of the pieces tends to have holes that are filled while welding.

Other Common Weld Symbols

These are other symbols that provide extra information in the welding sector. They include;

Weld contour; this welding symbol indicates how your workpiece will look like once you're through with the task. It means if the artwork will be flush, convex, or concave.

01. Finishing symbols

They indicate how to achieve a specific weld contour. Have a look at the following letters with their meaning;

C = Chipping, M = Machining, G = Grinding, H = Hammering, P = Planishing, R = Rolling, U = Unspecified

02. Weld All-Around

This type of weld symbol explains that the fillet should be filled all-round the whole joint.

03. Flag pole

Once you see a flag pole as the welding symbol, you need to understand that the artwork should be made on a site and not a welding shop.

Projection Welding, Resistance Spot, Resistance Seam, Arc Seam, Arc Spot & Plug Welding Symbols

The resistance seam welding symbol doesn't have an arrow. The other side is also not significant to them; it gets meaning when used with other welding symbols. These symbols are placed in the middle of the reference line.

On the other hand, the resistance spot welding symbol may have an arrow or not. Its dimension appears on the equal side on the reference line.

The projection welding is combined with spot welding when the process reference is initiated at the welding symbol's tail.

The size of the arc seam should be designated like the weld width. On the other hand, the arc spot weld must be equated to the weld diameter.

Near Side Welding Symbol

This weld symbol is achieved when an arrow joins the welding symbol's reference line to one part of the joint to be welded.

The line's lower side is known as the arrow side, showing the joint's near side or same side.

Location of Weld With Respect to Joint

The joint's welds appear after stationing the welding symbol on one of the area's reference line sides based on the arrow side.

Furthermore, both sides' weld appears after placing your weld symbols on both the reference line, away and the reader.

Weld All-Around and Field Weld Symbols

The weld-all round symbol represents welds extending entirely around the joint. The weld-all round symbol also indicates more than one weld explicitly around a joint.

On the other hand, field welds aren't made at the initial construction or shop.

Extent of Welding Denoted by Symbols

Use one hatching type, either with or without significant lines, to determine how deep the fillet welding goes graphically. More so, fillet welding that extends beyond the welding directions' quick changes must be labelled by extra arrows.

Location of Weld Symbols

All welding symbols, except resistance seam and resistance spot, must only be shown on the weld symbol reference line. It should not be shown on the drawing lines. More so, resistance seam and resistance spot weld symbols can be directly placed at the desired welds.

Use of Inch, Degree and Pound Marks

Inch marks are mostly used to indicate the resistance spot's diameter, circular projection welds, and arc spot. More so, it shows the width of the resistance seam and arc seam welds when specified using decimal dimensions.

Generally, inch, pound, and degree marks can either be used on weld symbols, as desired.

Construction of Symbols

Fillet, J-groove and bevel, corner flange, and flare bevel groove symbols will always be indicated with a perpendicular led to the left.

When it comes to J-groove or bevel welding symbol, the arrow has definite breakpoints to the chamfering member; the break maybe not included if the member is prominent.

Details on the welding symbol will be placed to read right from left along the reference line.

For joints with more than a single weld, a weld symbol will represent each weld.

The CP letters at the tail represent a complete weld penetration regardless of joint preparation or type of weld.

In occasions where the basic weld symbols are insufficient to represent the desired weld, the weld will be presented by detail, cross-section, etc.

Conclusion

This article is wide enough to provide you with essential welding symbols and their meanings. This report is for you whether you are a pro or an amateur. Use the information to perfect your welding skills and earn big. We have presented this handy guide straightforwardly; don't hesitate to share it with your folks.

FAQ

What do the weld symbols mean?

This is a form of language used by a welder and a planner—the arrow and baseline points where the joint should be made.

How do you read welding symbols?

Reading weld symbols is easier when you know how to use the provided depth, width, length, and root opening of the weld.

What are the five basic types of welding joints?

Lap joint, butt joint, corner joint, T-joint, and Edge joint.

What does G mean by the welding symbol?

The letter G means grinding in welding symbols.