How do you calculate weld deposition rate?

Multiply wire feed speed by a wire weight factor (lb/hr per in/min for that diameter and alloy) to get gross feed, then multiply by deposition efficiency. In the example, 350 in/min times 0.027 gives 9.45 lb/hr gross, and at 95 percent efficiency the effective deposition rate is about 8.98 lb/hr.

What is a good weld deposition efficiency?

It depends on the process. Solid-wire MIG with spray transfer runs about 90-98 percent, flux-cored is lower because of slag, and submerged arc can exceed 99 percent. The 95 percent in the example is typical for clean MIG; the lost 5 percent, 0.47 lb/hr here, is spatter and stub ends.

What is the difference between deposition rate and wire feed speed?

Wire feed speed is how fast wire is fed in inches per minute; deposition rate is the weight of metal actually deposited per hour. The wire weight factor and deposition efficiency convert one to the other, so two wires at the same feed speed deposit different weights if their diameter or efficiency differs.

How does wire diameter affect deposition rate?

Larger diameter wire weighs more per inch, so its wire weight factor is higher and it deposits more pounds per hour at the same feed speed. That is why fabricators move to larger wire for high-deposition work, within the limits of the joint and position.

Why is effective deposition lower than gross feed rate?

Not all the wire melted ends up in the joint. Spatter, fume, slag, and stub-end cutoffs are lost. Deposition efficiency captures that loss; in the example it turns 9.45 lb/hr of gross feed into 8.98 lb/hr deposited, with 0.47 lb/hr lost.

How do I use deposition rate to estimate weld time?

Divide the required weld metal weight by the effective deposition rate to get arc time, then add for arc-on factor, repositioning, and cleaning. At 8.98 lb/hr, a joint needing 4.5 lb of fill takes about half an hour of pure arc time before duty-cycle losses.

Welding & Fabrication calculator

Weld Deposition Rate Calculator

Weld deposition rate is the weight of filler metal actually fused into the joint per hour, the single biggest driver of how fast a weldment gets built and what it costs in labor and consumables. Welding engineers, estimators, and fabrication shops use it to quote jobs, balance cells, and compare processes like MIG, flux-cored, and submerged arc. The number that matters is the effective rate, after spatter and stub-end losses are stripped out of the gross wire feed. This calculator converts wire feed speed into both gross feed and effective deposition so your estimates reflect metal that ends up in the weld, not on the floor.

What this calculator does

Estimate filler metal deposition rate from wire feed speed, wire weight factor, and deposition efficiency.
Use it when you need an honest deposition rate per welder before quoting weld time, sizing filler purchases, or planning a multi-pass weldment.
It converts wire feed speed into gross filler-metal feed using a wire weight factor, then applies deposition efficiency to give the effective deposition rate in lb/hr.

Formula used

Gross filler metal feed rate = wire feed speed × wire weight factor
Effective weld deposition rate = gross feed rate × deposition efficiency

Inputs explained

Wire feed speed: Set on the wire feeder. Typical GMAW short-circuit 150 to 350 in/min, spray 400 to 700 in/min.
Wire weight factor: From the electrode datasheet. About 0.027 for 0.045 in ER70S-6, 0.013 for 0.035 in, 0.042 for 1/16 in flux cored.
Deposition efficiency: Approx 95 for GMAW, 85 for FCAW gas shielded, 80 for SMAW, 99 for SAW, 90 for GTAW.

How to use the result

Use it when estimating weld time and consumable cost, comparing welding processes or wire diameters, or balancing a robotic or manual welding cell to a cycle time.
The wire weight factor is specific to one wire diameter and alloy density, and deposition efficiency varies with process, shielding, and technique; using a generic efficiency can mis-estimate consumable usage by several percent.

Current U.S. benchmarks

The producer price index for steel mill products stands at 348.53 (BLS, May 2026), up 6.7% from a year earlier. Quotes priced off last quarter's material cost miss this move.
Industrial electricity averages 8.66 cents per kWh across the U.S. (EIA, Apr 2026), up 5.5% from a year earlier. Energy-intensive steps carry this directly into unit cost.
U.S. iron and steel imports ran $2.1B in May 2026 (Census International Trade). The U.S. ran a trade deficit of $0.4B in the category that month. Import volumes are the pressure gauge behind tariff and reshoring decisions.
The U.S. has 53,790 fabricated metal products establishments employing about 1,441,471 workers (Census County Business Patterns, 2023).

Common questions

How do you calculate weld deposition rate? Multiply wire feed speed by a wire weight factor (lb/hr per in/min for that diameter and alloy) to get gross feed, then multiply by deposition efficiency. In the example, 350 in/min times 0.027 gives 9.45 lb/hr gross, and at 95 percent efficiency the effective deposition rate is about 8.98 lb/hr.
What is a good weld deposition efficiency? It depends on the process. Solid-wire MIG with spray transfer runs about 90-98 percent, flux-cored is lower because of slag, and submerged arc can exceed 99 percent. The 95 percent in the example is typical for clean MIG; the lost 5 percent, 0.47 lb/hr here, is spatter and stub ends.
What is the difference between deposition rate and wire feed speed? Wire feed speed is how fast wire is fed in inches per minute; deposition rate is the weight of metal actually deposited per hour. The wire weight factor and deposition efficiency convert one to the other, so two wires at the same feed speed deposit different weights if their diameter or efficiency differs.
How does wire diameter affect deposition rate? Larger diameter wire weighs more per inch, so its wire weight factor is higher and it deposits more pounds per hour at the same feed speed. That is why fabricators move to larger wire for high-deposition work, within the limits of the joint and position.
Why is effective deposition lower than gross feed rate? Not all the wire melted ends up in the joint. Spatter, fume, slag, and stub-end cutoffs are lost. Deposition efficiency captures that loss; in the example it turns 9.45 lb/hr of gross feed into 8.98 lb/hr deposited, with 0.47 lb/hr lost.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.