Welding Wire Deposition Rate Calculator
Deposition rate is the kilograms of weld metal you put into the joint per arc hour. This calculator derives it from wire diameter, wire feed speed and deposition efficiency, then sizes the wire you need to buy for a given amount of weld metal.
Your numbers
Solid MAG wire is often 93 to 98 percent; flux cored wire is typically lower.
Carbon steel is about 7.85. Stainless is about 7.9 to 8.0, aluminium about 2.7.
Your results
Calculated from geometry. Real deposition also depends on stickout, gas, polarity and transfer mode; verify against the filler metal data sheet.
Deposition rate (kg/h) vs wire feed speed
Sweeps Wire feed speed from 2 to 20, holding your other inputs fixed.
Consumables reconciliation review
Share how wire and gas are issued and we will outline a variance report from your ERP data.
Optional. The tool and every export work without this. No spam.
How to use it
Pick the wire diameter and set the feed speed you actually run. Enter deposition efficiency from the wire data sheet, or use a conservative figure. Add the weld metal weight for the job from your weld volume estimate. You get the deposition rate, the wire to purchase and the arc time. The chart shows how rate scales with feed speed so you can judge whether a faster setting is worth the loss of control and extra spatter.
The formula
Wire cross-section equals pi times diameter squared over four, in mm2. Multiply by feed speed in m/min and by 60 minutes, then by density in g/cm3 and divide by 1000 to get kg of wire per hour. Multiplying by deposition efficiency gives weld metal per hour. A 1.2 mm solid steel wire at 8 m/min feeds about 4.3 kg/h and deposits about 4.0 kg/h at 95 percent.
Reading the result
Arc time is not job time. Real fabrication achieves an operating factor well under 100 percent because of fit-up, repositioning, cleaning and inspection. Use the arc hours output together with a realistic operating factor in your labor estimate. For wire purchases add a margin for spool ends, restarts and rework instead of stretching the efficiency figure.
- Solid MAG: high efficiency, low slag
- Flux cored: lower efficiency, higher rate in position
- Metal cored: less slag, efficiency in between
Common mistakes
Do not take the maximum deposition rate printed in a brochure as a daily average. Rates quoted for flat position do not hold for vertical or overhead work. Also keep units straight: m/min versus in/min, and kg versus lb. Using current instead of wire feed speed will mislead, because current changes with stickout while feed speed stays fixed.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I convert wire feed speed to kg/h?
Multiply the wire cross-section in mm2 by feed speed in m/min, by 60, by density in g/cm3, then divide by 1000. For 1.2 mm steel wire at 8 m/min this gives about 4.3 kg/h of wire fed.
What is deposition efficiency?
It is the share of the consumed wire that ends up in the weld rather than as spatter, fume or slag. Solid MAG wire is commonly high 90s percent. Flux cored wires lose more as slag, so they are lower.
Does shielding gas change deposition rate?
Not the wire melt rate for a given feed speed, but it changes spatter and therefore efficiency. Argon rich mixes usually spatter less than pure CO2, which raises the usable share of the wire.
Is arc time the same as welding time?
No. Arc time counts only the seconds the arc is on. Include an operating factor, often between 20 and 60 percent for manual work, to get paid labor hours.
If you want purchased wire, weld hours and actual jobs reconciled inside your ERP, Netray can help build that reporting on your own data.
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