Welding Settings and Amperage

These tools give starting values for a weld. Enter the metal thickness and wire or rod size to get amperage, wire feed speed and voltage, work out travel speed and heat input, and pick a welding helmet shade.

Tools in this group

• Heat Input Calculator for Welding — Enter voltage, current and travel speed (or bead length and arc time) to get the arc energy and heat input in kJ/in and kJ/mm.
• MIG Welding Settings Chart — Enter the metal thickness and wire size to get a starting amperage, wire feed speed and voltage for MIG welding steel.
• Stick Welding Amperage Chart — Pick an electrode class and rod diameter to see the maker's amperage range and polarity for stick (SMAW) welding.
• TIG Amperage Chart — Choose the metal and enter its thickness to get a starting TIG amp range with tungsten, filler, cup and argon settings.
• Welding Shade Chart — Pick the process and enter the current or plate thickness to get the minimum and suggested shade number for your welding lens.
• Welding Travel Speed Calculator — Find the travel speed that deposits your target weld size from wire feed speed, wire diameter and deposition efficiency.