With hundreds of cryptic lines, arrows, and symbols, reading welding blueprints can be challenging even for experienced welders and fabricators. Luckily, there are handy welding symbol cheat sheets to help decipher it all! Welding symbol …
Written by: Kumar
Published on:
With hundreds of cryptic lines, arrows, and symbols, reading welding blueprints can be challenging even for experienced welders and fabricators. Luckily, there are handy welding symbol cheat sheets to help decipher it all!
Welding symbol cheat sheet
I recently came across an excellent infographic that clearly explains common weld symbols and their meanings. A few examples:
Fillet Weld Symbol
For fillet welds, a triangular symbol shows the weld’s orientation, with the arrow side getting welded. Dimension and tail symbols then specify the weld’s length, size, and contour.
Description: Represents a fillet weld, which is a triangular-shaped weld between two surfaces.
Example:
Groove Weld Symbol:
Description: Represents a weld made in the groove between two members.
Example:
Groove welds use similar symbols, with dashed lines representing groove preparation. The angle of the dashes indicates the groove angle.
Square Groove Weld Symbol
Description: Represents a weld made in a square groove between two members.
Example:
V-Groove Weld Symbol
Description: Represents a weld made in a V-groove between two members.
Example:
Bevel Groove Weld Symbol
Description: Represents a weld made in a bevel groove between two members.
Example:
Spot Weld Symbol
Spot welds are displayed with a series of circles, each circle meaning a spot weld at that location. Lines between circles show the spacing between spots.
Description: Represents a spot weld, which is a weld made by applying heat and pressure at specific points.
Description: Represents a plug weld, which is a weld made by filling a hole with weld metal.
Example:
Seam Weld Symbol
Description: Represents a seam weld, which is a continuous weld along the length of a joint.
Example:
Surfacing Weld Symbol
Description: Represents a surfacing weld, which is a weld made to build up or overlay a surface.
Example:
Backing Weld Symbol
Description: Represents a backing weld, which is a weld made on the non-visible side of a joint.
Example:
This welding symbol legend has been tremendously useful for my team by spelling out the specifics so we know exactly how to perform each weld. No more guessing or mistakes!
Whether you’re new to welding or have been in the field for years, a good welding symbol cheat sheet can be a lifesaver when interpreting blueprints. It condenses pages of standards down to one simplified, visual guide.
I encourage my fellow welding professionals to find a handy reference chart to keep in their toolbox or stick up on the shop wall. We could all use a reminder of what those cryptic symbols mean!
Kumar is a highly experienced welding professional and author known for his expertise in welding symbols. With certifications including IWE, AWS-CWI, and ASNT NDT Level III.
