American Welding Society · STANDARD

AWS A5.1

Specification for Carbon Steel Electrodes for Shielded Metal Arc Welding

§ 01

Overview

What this standard covers

Classification of SMAW electrodes such as E7018, defining strength, position and hydrogen level.

Classification of SMAW electrodes such as E7018, defining strength, position and hydrogen level.

Who uses it

Welding coordinators, welders and inspectors qualifying procedures and demonstrating weld quality.

§ 02

Details

Reference data

Standard number
AWS A5.1
Title
Specification for Carbon Steel Electrodes for Shielded Metal Arc Welding
Organisation
American Welding Society
Country
United States
Region
United States
Subject
Welding
Subcategory
Consumables
Type
STANDARD
Application
Contractual
Availability
Paid
Status
CURRENT
Roles
welding standard
Last verified
2026-09-06

Official source: pubs.aws.org

§ 03

Related

Standards used alongside this one

  • AWS D1.1

    Structural Welding Code — Steel

    The US structural welding code: prequalified joints, welding procedure and welder qualification, workmanship, and visual and NDT acceptance criteria for statically and cyclically loaded work.

    United StatesWeldingCURRENTPaid

  • AWS A5.18

    Specification for Carbon Steel Electrodes and Rods for Gas Shielded Arc Welding

    Solid wire classification for MIG/MAG welding, including ER70S-6.

    United StatesWeldingCURRENTPaid

  • AWS A5.20

    Specification for Carbon Steel Electrodes for Flux Cored Arc Welding

    Flux cored wire classification widely used for structural shop and site welding.

    United StatesWeldingCURRENTPaid

  • AWS D1.5

    Bridge Welding Code

    Welding requirements for highway bridge steelwork, with tighter fracture control provisions than D1.1.

    United StatesWeldingCURRENTPaid

  • AWS D1.8

    Structural Welding Code — Seismic Supplement

    Supplementary welding requirements for seismic applications, including demand critical welds and filler metal toughness.

    United StatesWeldingCURRENTPaid

  • BS EN ISO 14731

    Welding coordination — Tasks and responsibilities

    Defines the technical knowledge and responsibilities of the responsible welding coordinator required under EN 1090-2 and ISO 3834.

    United KingdomWeldingCURRENTPaid

Sourcing, review and use

Status

Editorial reference information compiled and maintained by the StructuralSteel.ai team. It is not a design certificate and is not issued under an engineer's seal.

Last reviewed

Calculations

Any figures produced on this page are indicative estimates for early sizing and comparison only — they are not engineered design outputs.

References

Final member selection, loading, connection design, fire design, fabrication and compliance must be verified for your specific project by a suitably qualified structural engineer. Standards are revised; check the edition in force where the work is built.

Verification

StructuralSteel.ai provides technical reference information and links to authoritative sources. Project specifications, applicable legislation, current standards editions and requirements of the responsible engineer or authority should always be verified before fabrication or supply.