Before we get into this calculation is very important to make a distinction between deposition rate

and melt-off rate. A lot of people in our industry use these two terms interchangeably and that is
not correct. Melt-off rate is how much wire is being consumed and does not take into account the
efficiency of the electrode. Deposition rate is how much wire is actually converted into weld
metal. Solid wire efficiencies can range from 88 – 98%, so you can have the exact same melt-off
rate but considerably different deposition rates if you are welding at the same wire feed speed but
with a different mode of metal transfer. So now to the formula:

Deposition Rate = 13.1 (D²) (WFS) (EE)

D = Electrode diameter

WFS = Wire feed speed (in/min)

EE = Electrode efficiency

Note: 13.1 is a constant used for steel and it is based on steels density. This same constant can be
used for stainless steel wires as it is only 1/1000 difference. Aluminum on the other hand would
have to be a constant of about a third that of steel, or 4.32.

Electrode efficiencies for solid wires can vary depending on the mode of metal transfer. We are
not going to get into the specifics of how to achieve each at this time. Below are typical efficiencies
for each of the modes.

Short-circuit Transfer: 90-93%

Surface Tension Transfer: 98% (STT is a trademark and of the Lincoln Electric Company)
Globular Transfer: 88 – 90%
Axial Spray Transfer: 98%
Pulsed Spray Transfer: 98% is typical, but can be lower depending on the parameters and power
source

Example: A customer wants to know the deposition rate of a 0.052 ER70S-6 wire. They are
running 90/10 shielding gas at 320 in/min and 30 volts. We are in spray transfer mode at these
settings.
Deposition Rate = 13.1(0.052)² (320) (0.98) = 11.1 pounds per hour
PRE-CALCULATING WIRE-FEED SPEED, TRAVEL SPEED AND VOLTAGE
It is possible for manufacturers that are welding with solid wire or flux-cored wire to calculate the
starting wire-feed speed and travel speed? These calculations will get you close, but some tweaking
may have to be done to achieve your desired weld. A shop would like to decrease the development
time for new MIG welds. Is there a way to pre-calculate wire-feed speed, travel speed and voltage,
to get them close before they strike the first weld?
Yes, it is possible to calculate starting wire-feed speed and travel speed. This is a very common
question from manufacturers welding with solid wire or flux-cored wire. Most welding
professionals know the wire-feed speed (WFS), where a process runs well based on their
experience, or can quickly get WFS from the manufacturer’s recommended procedures.
However, determining how fast to travel for a particular size weld bead ends up being an iterative,
time-consuming process. By understanding a few concepts and doing some math with a few simple
formulas, we can determine at least a good starting point for a welding procedure that produces the
desired weld.
DEPOSITION RATE
It is essential to recall that Deposition Rate is directly proportional to the speed at which a
particular wire diameter emerges from a welding gun during welding. Deposition rate has nothing
to do with how fast the gun is traveling, nor the voltage setting on the machine. Deposition rate is
simply a measure of how many pounds of wire come from the welding gun in a certain amount of
time, typically measured in lb/hr.
If wire-feed speed increases, deposition rate increases. We also understand that if we maintain the
wire-feed speed and change to a larger diameter wire, deposition rate will increase as well. Armed
with this understanding, calculating deposition rate ends up being a very powerful exercise that
gives you a number that can be used to calculate key welding parameters. Let’s look at the formula
and an example:
Deposition Rate Calculation
Deposition rate (lb/hr) = 13.1 × (Wire diameter)2 × (Wire-feed speed) × (Efficiency)

 Wire diameter in inches (in)

 Wire-feed speed in inches per minute (ipm)
 Efficiency (1.0 for solid wire, 0.85 for cored wire)
 This calculation is for steel only
Examples: Wire diameter = 0.045 in (1.2 mm) solid wire, WFS = 300 ipm
Deposition rate = 13.1 × (0.045)2 × (300) × (1.0) = 7.96 lb/hr
Calculating Travel Speed with Deposition Rate
Once knowing the deposition rate, we can calculate the travel speed in inches per minute (ipm) for
a particular weld. Let’s say we want to make a 3/8 in steel fillet weld (assume 10 percent
reinforcement or 0.4125 in leg) using 0.045 in solid wire at 300 ipm, the weight of weld metal per
foot can be calculated by multiplying the density of steel (0.283 lb/in3) by the volume of weld metal
per foot as follows:
Weld Weight per Foot Calculation
Volume of weld metal/ft = 1/2 × b × h × 12 in = 1/2 × 0.4125 in × 0.4125 in × 12 in = 1.02 in3
Weight of weld metal/ft of 3/8 in fillet weld = (0.283 lb/in3) × (1.02 in3) = 0.2887 lb/ft
From the calculation below, we see that the travel speed for a one-pass, 3/8 in fillet weld would be
5.52 ipm, 11.03 ipm for a two-pass fillet weld, or 16.55 ipm for a three-pass weld.
Travel Speed Calculation
Travel speed = (deposition rate) × (# of passes)/5 × (weight of weld metal per foot {lb/ft}) =
Travel speed = {7.96 x 1} / {5 x 0.2887} = 5.52 ipm
Calculating Wire-Feed Speed with Deposition Rate
Let’s assume a requirement to make fillet welds at a rate of 12 lb/hr using 0.045 in welding wire.
We can calculate the WFS using the formulas below and Weight of Weld Wire per foot in Table 1.
Wire-Feed Speed Calculation
Wire-feed Speed = (deposition rate)/5 × (weight of wire per foot {lb/ft}) = (12)/5 × (0.0054) =
444.4 ipm
Of course, the travel speed for a one-pass 3/8 in fillet weld at a 12 lb/hr deposition rate would be
8.31 ipm as calculated below:
Travel Speed = (deposition rate) × (# of passes)/5 × (weight of weld metal {lb./ft}) = (12) ×
(1)/5 × (0.2887) = 8.31 ipm
MAKING IT EASIER
The Bartonian Conversion Factor (see Table 2) makes things a bit easier for fillet welds. The
example below uses the conversion factor to calculate travel speed at 5.57 ipm for that same 3/8 in
fillet weld using a 0.045 in solid wire.
Travel Speed = 7.96 × 0.7 = 5.57 ipm (.2887)
Weight of weld metal per foot can be calculated for any joint type by calculating the volume and
multiplying by the density of the weld metal (eg. 0.283 lb/in3 for steel). However, the values shown
in Table 3 through Table 6 eliminate the need to do the calculation. These values are taken from
Table 12-1 in The Procedure Handbook of Arc Welding by the Lincoln Electric Co., and show the
Weight of Weld Metal per Foot for several common joint types welded with steel. The following
sample calculations use Tables 3 through 6.
SAMPLE CALCULATION NO.1
1/2 in plate Vee groove weld with 90 deg included angle and 1/8 in reinforcement using 0.052 in
solid wire, 90%Ar/10%CO2 shielding gas. Manufacturer recommends WFS at 325 ipm and 30
volts.
Deposition Rate (lb/hr) = 13.1 × (0.052)2 × (325) × (1.0) = 11.51 lb/hr
Travel Speed for fill and cap passes = (11.51) × (6)/5 × (0.849 + 0.199) = 13.18 ipm
SAMPLE CALCULATION NO.2

3/8 in plate square butt weld into a backing, with a 3/16 in gap and 1/8 in reinforcement using
1/16 in cored wire, 75%Ar/25%CO2 shielding gas. Our process runs great with WFS at 285 ipm
and 26 volts.
Deposition rate (lb./hr) = 13.1 × (1/16 in)2 × (285) × (.85) = 12.39 lb/hr
Travel speed for fill and cap passes = (12.39) × (1)/5 × (0.239 + 0.053) = 8.49 ipm
SAMPLE CALCULATION NO.3
What should my wire-feed speed be if I want to make a fat, 1/4 in fillet weld at 20 ipm travel speed
using 0.045 in solid wire and 90%Ar/10%CO2 shielding gas?
Re-arranging the Travel Speed calculation above to solve for Deposition Rate we get:
Deposition rate = 5 × Travel speed × (Weight of weld metal {lb/ft})/(# of passes) = 5 × 20 ipm
× (0.165)/1 = 16.5 lb/hr
Re-arranging the Deposition Rate calculation above to solve for Wire-feed Speed we get:
Wire-feed speed = Deposition rate/13.1 × (Wire diameter)2 × (Efficiency) = 16.5/13.1 × (.045
in.)2 × (1) = 622 ipm
SUMMARY
Using math and these simple formulas can reduce your weld-development time, and improve your
pre-WPS documentation. These calculations will get you close, but some tweaking may have to be
done to achieve your desired weld. Having a good starting point for welding procedure
development will decrease time and guesswork on the shop floor.