Symbols and conventions used in welding documentation

The symbols and conventions used in welding documentation are specified in national and international standards such as ISO 2553 Welded, brazed and soldered joints -- Symbolic representation on drawings and ISO 4063 Welding and allied processes -- Nomenclature of processes and reference numbers. The US standard symbols are outlined by the American National Standards Institute and the American Welding Society and are noted as "ANSI/AWS". Due in part to the growth of the oil industry, this symbol set was used during the 1990s in about 50% of the world's welding operations. An ISO committee sought to establish a global standard during this decade.

In engineering drawings, each weld is conventionally identified by an arrow which points to the joint to be welded. The arrow is annotated with letters, numbers and symbols which indicate the exact specification of the weld. In complex applications, such as those involving alloys other than mild steel, more information may be called for than can comfortably be indicated using the symbols alone. Annotations are used in these cases.

In the US, the component elements of the weld specification are:

If a particular welding process needs to be indicated in addition to the symbols, the following abbreviations are commonly used in North America:

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