Welding & Fabrication calculator
Arc-On Time Calculator
Find the minutes the arc burns and the booth time the operator needs. Enter pass lengths, travel speed, recorded handling time and the available booth window.
What this calculator does
- Find actual arc duration and the booth time required for the weld plan.
Formula used
- Arc time (min) = deposited bead length ÷ travel speed
- Arc time (s) = arc time (min) × 60
- Required booth time = arc time + setup and handling time
- Booth time reserve = available booth window − required booth time
Inputs explained
- Total Deposited Bead Length: Sum every pass length from the weld plan.
- Weld Travel Speed: Approved procedure or timed bead length divided by arc minutes.
- Setup and Handling Time: Recorded setup, repositioning and minor stops for this weld plan.
- Available Booth Window: Minutes reserved for this operator and weld plan.
How to use the result
- Best suited to booth scheduling, comparing fixture handling time.
- Input bounds are numerical limits for this implementation, not recommended process settings. Does not verify weld procedure qualification, structural capacity or power-source duty cycle. Separate different travel speeds into separate runs.
Current U.S. benchmarks
- The producer price index for steel mill products stands at 381.162 (BLS, Aug 2026), up 23.4% from a year earlier. Quotes priced off last quarter's material cost miss this move.
- Industrial electricity averages 9.77 cents per kWh across the U.S. (EIA, Jul 2026), up 4.7% from a year earlier. Energy-intensive steps carry this directly into unit cost.
- U.S. iron and steel import customs value ran $2.2B in Aug 2026 (Census International Trade). The U.S. ran a trade deficit of $0.6B in the category that month. This dollar total mixes price, quantity, product mix, origin, and timing; it does not measure physical import volume or prove a tariff or reshoring effect.
- The U.S. has 53,790 fabricated metal products establishments employing about 1,441,471 workers (Census County Business Patterns, 2023).
Common questions
- Do I enter joint length or pass length? Enter the sum of deposited bead lengths across all passes. Three full-length passes on a 100-inch joint require 300 inches at the applicable travel speed.
- Does handling change the arc duration? No. Handling adds to required booth time, while the arc duration remains length divided by travel speed.
- Which travel speed should I enter? Use the applicable welding procedure or an observation from the same process and position. For mixed speeds, calculate each group separately and add its times.
- Can this confirm the welder duty cycle? No. The available booth window is a scheduling limit. Compare the actual arc sequence and current with the power source rating separately.
Related guides
Last reviewed 2026-10-06.