If you have been shopping around for the best welding wire on the market, you will have undoubtedly noticed that there are various types of welding wire on the market. When it comes to stainless steel welding wire, there are two main variants for you to choose from. These are MIG welding wire and TIG welding wire.

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Stainless steel welding wire is a popular option as a result of its weldability and mechanical properties. This type of welding wire belongs to a group of high alloy steel with a chromium content of less than 12%. This undoubtedly contributes to the weldability of the wire.

At Sadevinox we stock the Austinox range of welding wire which is synonymous with durability and value for money. You can use the following details as a guide to the different types of welding wire on the market:

MIG welding wire
This stainless steel welding wire is manufactured to be used with metal inert gas (MIG). This is a high performance stainless steel wire that will go a long way towards reducing production costs while boosting actual production. MIG welding is a type of welding that can only be done with thin to medium metals. Corrosion resistance is one of the benefits of MIG welding wire. How resistant the wire is will depend on the grade of wire used. We stock the following grades of MIG welding wires at Sadevinox: 316LSi, 307Si, 308LSi, 309LSi and 310.

TIG welding wire
This stainless steel welding wire is manufactured to be used with tungsten inert gas (TIG). TIG welding is a type of arc welding process where non-consumable tungsten electrode is used for the purpose of welding. This type of welding is more versatile than gas welding and must be done with the correct welding wire. TIG welding wire is typically corrosion resistant and just how resistant will depend on the grade of wire invested in. At Sadevinox, we stock the following grades if TIG welding wires: 308L, 310, 316L, ER316LSi, 307S, 308LSi, 309L, 307Si, 385 and 347Si.

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Best Types of MIG Welding Wire for Stainless Steel

Stainless steel offers many benefits like corrosion resistance, strength, toughness, and aesthetics. This material is beautiful and resilient. But, you must select the correct wire electrode/filler metal to keep it that way.

In this blog, we discuss how to choose between MIG and flux-cored welding processes when welding stainless steel, the different types of welding wires available, and which wire is suitable for your application.

MIG vs. Flux-cored Welding Stainless Steel

The MIG (metal inert gas) welding process requires a solid wire that acts as an electrode and a filler material. In addition, this process needs a shielding gas to protect the weld pool from contamination and oxidation. Commonly used gases for MIG welding stainless steel are an argon mixture with 1-2% oxygen and a tri-mix between helium, argon and CO2.

The flux-cored welding process also uses a wire as an electrode and a filler metal. However, flux-cored wires have specially formulated chemical compounds inside their core. These wires are tubular, like pipes. Only the outer layer is the filler metal, which conducts electricity and melts into the welded joint as a filler metal. 

Gas-shielded flux-cored wires offer higher deposition rates and are suitable for welding thick metal. Additionally, they work well for out-of-position welding because their slag helps hold the molten metal pool against gravity.

However, one of the most important advantages of gas-shielded FCAW wires for welding stainless steel is that you can use common shielding gas mixtures like argon/CO2 or pure CO2. Instead of investing in a tri-mix or argon/oxygen gas, you can use a standard MIG welding gas for mild steel.

Are you interested in learning more about Stainless Steel Welding Wire? Contact us today to secure an expert consultation!

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Which Filler Metal is Right For Your Application?

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The most commonly used and welded stainless type is the austenitic stainless steel — 300 series. Generally, your filler metal selection should match the stainless steel series you are welding. For example, a 308L stainless is welded with the ER308L or ER308LSi solid wires or E308LT flux-cored wires. 

However, if an exact match filler metal is unavailable, a filler material with higher stainless alloy content is a common choice. For example, a 308 stainless filler wire is used for 301, 302, 304, and 305 grades.

Alphaweld stocks the most commonly used stainless steel wires for MIG and flux-cored arc welding. Let's examine each and explain their benefits and applications. 

Solid MIG Wires

To clarify the classification symbols, let’s have a look at the 308LSi stainless steel MIG wire as an example.

The ‘308’ designates the stainless steel alloy of the wire. The ‘L’ stands for low carbon content (0.03% maximum), which reduces the chances of intergranular carbide precipitation and the resulting loss of corrosion resistance. The ‘Si’ means that the wire has higher silicone content, resulting in better wetting behaviour of weld metal.

• 308LSi Stainless Steel MIG Wire - Designed for welding stainless steels like 302, 304, and 304L. It's highly resistant to oxidation and corrosion.

• 309LSi Stainless Steel MIG Wire - Works great for welding 309L and 304L stainless steel grades. These wires are also used to join stainless to carbon steel, welding the 304 clad steels, and applying stainless steel sheet linings to carbon steel shells. 

• 316LSi Stainless Steel MIG Wire - Use this wire to join 316, 316L, and similar alloys. 

Gas Shielded Flux-Cored Wires

Like with MIG wires, the letter ‘L’ designates low carbon content. The letter ‘T’ specifies that the wire is indeed flux-cored, while the number ‘1’ right next to the letter ‘T’ means that it's an all-position electrode. The ‘1/4’ that follows specifies the shielding gas — ‘1’ is for 100% CO2, ‘4’ is for a 75-80% argon and 25-20% CO2 mixture.

• 308LT1-1/4 Flux Cored Stainless Steel Wires - Most often used to weld 301, 302, 304, 305 and 308 stainless steel. 

• 309LT1-1/4 Flux Cored Stainless Steel Wires - Designed for welding 309L and 304L. Also used to join stainless steel with carbon steel.

• 316LT1-1/4 Flux Cored Stainless Steel Wires - For welding 316, 316L, 316LN, 316N and similar alloys.

  If you want to learn more, please visit our website Flux Cored Welding Wire.

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