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HOME > Welding Q&A > Pre-Calculating Wire-Feed Speed, Travel Speed, and
Voltage March 13, 2012

Pre-Calculating Wire-Feed Speed, Travel

Speed, and Voltage
Nov 1, 2009 12:00 PM

Q:We 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 us close before we strike
the first weld?

A: 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 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

E.g.: Wire diameter = 0.045 in. (1.2 mm) solid wire, WFS = 300 IPM.

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Deposition rate = 13.1×(0.045)2 ×(300)×(1.0) = 7.96 lb./hr

Calculating travel speed with deposition rate — 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% 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

Vol. 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})
= (7.96)×(1)/5 × (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

Table 1: Weight of Wire

Weight of Wire Weight of Wire
Wire Diam., in. Wire Diam., in.
(lb./ft) (lb./ft)
0.035 0.0033 3/32 0.023
0.040 0.0043 1/8 0.042
0.045 0.0054 5/32 0.065
0.052 0.0072 3/16 0.094
1/16 0.01 7/32 0.128
5/64 0.016

Of course, the travel speed for a one-pass, 3/8 in. fillet weld at 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

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Making it easier — The Bartonian Conversion Factor (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)

Table 2: Bartonian Conversion Factor

Bartonian Conversion Factor
(* assumes 10% reinforcement)
Weight of weld metal per
Leg Size, in. B*
foot*
3/16 .072 2.7
1/4 .129 1.5
5/16 .201 1
3/8 .289 0.7
Travel Speed = Deposition Rate × B

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.

Table 3: Square Butt

Weight of Weld Metal (lb./ft)
Plate Size, (20% reinforcement for each gap size below)
in.
1/16 1/8 3/16 1/4 3/8 1/2
1/8 0.027 0.053 0.080 0.106 0.159 0.213
3/16 0.040 0.080 0.120 0.1559 0.239 0.319
1/4 0.053 0.106 0.159 0.213 0.319 0.425
5/16 0.066 0.133 0.199 0.266 0.398 0.531
3/8 0.080 0.159 0.239 0.319 0.478 0.638
7/16 0.093 0.186 0.279 0.372 0.558 0.744
1/2 0.106 0.213 0.319 0.425 0.638 0.850
3/4 0.159 0.319 0.478 0.638 0.969 1.28
1 0.213 0.425 0.638 0.850 1.28 1.70
1 1/2 0.319 0.638 0.956 1.28 1.91 2.55
2 0.425 0.850 1.28 1.7 2.55 3.40

Table 4: Fillet Weld

Weight of Weld Metal (lb./ft)
Plate Size, in. (leg size is 10% oversized)
Flat weld Convex weld Concave weld
1/8 0.032 0.041 0.036
3/16 0.072 0.093 0.081

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Weight of Weld Metal (lb./ft)

Plate Size, in. (leg size is 10% oversized)
Flat weld Convex weld Concave weld
1/4 0.129 0.165 0.145
5/16 0.201 0.258 0.226
3/8 0.289 0.371 0.325
7/16 0.394 0.505 0.443
1/2 0.514 0.6595 0.578
3/4 1.16 1.48 1.30
1 2.06 2.64 2.31

Table 5: Vee Groove Butt Weld

Plate Weight of Weld Metal (lb./ft)
Size, (Vee-groove included angle)
in. 14° 20° 30° 45° 60° 70° 75° 80° 90°
1/8 0.0065 0.009 0.014 0.022 0.031 0.037 0.041 0.045 0.053
3/16 0.015 0.021 0.032 0.049 0.069 0.084 0.092 0.100 0.119
1/4 0.026 0.037 0.057 0.088 0.123 0.149 0.163 0.178 0.212
5/16 0.041 0.058 0.089 0.137 0.191 0.232 0.254 0.278 0.332
3/8 0.059 0.084 0.128 0.198 0.276 0.334 0.366 0.401 0.478
7/16 0.080 0.115 0.174 0.269 0.375 0.455 0.499 0.545 0.650
1/2 0.104 0.150 0.227 0.352 0.490 0.594 0.651 0.712 0.849
3/4 0.235 0.337 0.512 0.791 1.103 1.338 1.466 1.603 1.910
1 0.417 0.599 0.910 1.407 1.961 2.378 2.606 2.850 3.396
1 1/2 0.938 1.347 2.047 3.165 4.412 5.350 5.863 6.412 7.641
2 1.668 2.395 3.640 5.627 7.843 9.512 10.423 11.398 13.584

Table 6: Cap Pass

Weight of Weld Metal (lb./ft)
Cap Width, in. (cap reinforcement height)
1/16 in. 1/8 in. 3/16 in. 1/4 in.
3/8 0.027 0.053 0.080 0.106
1/2 0.040 0.080 0.120 0.1559
3/4 0.053 0.106 0.159 0.213
1 0.066 0.133 0.199 0.266
1 1/4 0.080 0.159 0.239 0.319
1 1/2 0.093 0.186 0.279 0.372
1 3/4 0.106 0.213 0.319 0.425
2 0.159 0.319 0.478 0.638

Sample Calculation No.1 — 1/2-in. plate Vee groove weld with 90° 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

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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)

Depostion rate = 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.

Kevin Beardsley,Application Engineer at Lincoln Electric, is a registered Professional

Engineer with 21 years of manufacturing experience. Send your questions to Kevin by e-
mail to:AskKevin@penton.com (mailto:AskKevin@penton.com) .

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