How do you calculate weld deposition rate?

Work out the wire's cross-section (π × diameter² / 4), multiply by the wire feed speed, 60 and the alloy density for the gross feed per hour, then by the deposition efficiency. 0.045 in carbon steel wire at 350 in/min is 9.45 lb/h fed and, at 95%, 8.98 lb/h deposited, the Weld Deposition Rate calculator's own example.

What is deposition efficiency?

The share of the wire consumed that ends up in the weld; the rest is spatter and fume. Measure it with a matched trial: weigh the plate before and after welding and the wire before and after. Solid wires in spray or pulsed transfer often run in the 90s; short-circuit and CO₂ shielding run lower.

What is the operating factor?

The share of a welder's paid time with the arc on. The rest is fit-up, handling, tacking, cleaning, changing position and inspection. Arc hours divided by the operating factor gives welder hours: in the example light brackets at 20% take five welder hours for every arc hour.

How much wire do I need to buy?

The weld metal divided by the deposition efficiency, times the quantity. 12 lb of weld metal at 95% needs 12.63 lb of wire. Wire left on spools, stub-off and purge are extra and not included.

Does it work for flux-cored or metal-cored wire?

Not directly. The cross-section formula assumes a solid round wire; tubular wires carry flux or powder inside a sheath, so use the maker's mass per length or deposition charts instead.

Does the workbook use macros?

No. It is a plain .xlsx with ordinary formulas, tables and native charts. The Verify sheet re-checks the formulas against fixed test jobs and shows Self-check: PASS.

Production and Throughput

Weld Deposition Rate Excel Template

Weld deposition rate = wire cross-section × wire feed speed × 60 × alloy density × deposition efficiency. Give every welding job a row and see its deposition against the rate the schedule needs, the arc hours and welder hours its weld metal takes, and the wire to buy.

Free, and a plain .xlsx with no macros to enable. A CSV with live formulas and a printed how-to guide come with it.

Overview

This weld deposition rate template is a working Excel workbook for welding engineers, fabrication estimators and production planners. Each welding job is one row with its solid wire, the wire feed speed, the deposition efficiency from a matched trial, the deposition rate the schedule needs, the weld metal per weldment, the operating factor and the quantity; each wire's diameter, density and price come from Setup. The workbook gives the gross feed, the deposition and filler loss, the shortfall against target, and the arc hours, welder hours and wire each job takes. It ships with ten jobs on five wires at a fictional fabricator, so every tile and chart is filled in when you open it.

In the example base frames run 0.045 in carbon steel wire at 350 in/min and 95% efficiency: 9.45 lb/h fed, 8.98 lb/h deposited, 0.98 over the 8 lb target. Twenty frames of 12 lb each take 26.7 arc hours, and at a 35% operating factor 76.4 welder hours. Guard frames, with the feed turned down to 220 in/min on 0.035 in wire for thin wall, deposit 3.31 lb/h against a 3.5 target, 5.5% under. Light brackets need only 320 lb of weld metal but, at a 20% operating factor, 426 welder hours: over a third of the 1,231 the schedule needs.

A deposition rate says nothing about weld quality; qualify the procedure separately. The download is a plain .xlsx with no macros. A CSV with live formulas is also included for other tools; the dashboard, charts, dropdowns and self-check are in the .xlsx.

What this template includes

Setup sheet with your shop, currency and near band, and the solid wires with their diameter, density and price per lb
Jobs table, one row per welding job: job code, weldment, wire, wire feed speed, deposition efficiency, target deposition, weld metal per weldment, operating factor and quantity, with a Check column
Per job: gross feed, deposition, filler loss, shortfall against target, a status in words, arc and welder hours per weldment and for the job, wire to buy and its cost
Dashboard with four tiles (jobs, arc hours, welder hours, wire to buy), deposition against target by job, welder hours split into arc and non-arc time, and the job table
Method sheet with every formula, and a Verify sheet that re-checks the formulas against an independent reference and the Weld Deposition Rate calculator (Self-check: PASS)
CSV with live formulas for the Jobs table; the dashboard, charts, dropdowns and self-check are in the .xlsx

Suggested use case

Use it to estimate welder hours and wire for a schedule of jobs, to check that a wire and feed setting can deposit what a job needs, or to see where a low operating factor, not the arc, is eating welder time.

How to use it

On Setup, type your shop and currency, and list your solid wires with their diameter, density and price per lb.
On Jobs, give each job a row: weldment, wire, wire feed speed, deposition efficiency, target deposition, weld metal per weldment, operating factor and quantity.
Fix anything the Check column names.
Open the Dashboard: deposition against target, and the welder hours and wire each job needs.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you calculate weld deposition rate?: Work out the wire's cross-section (π × diameter² / 4), multiply by the wire feed speed, 60 and the alloy density for the gross feed per hour, then by the deposition efficiency. 0.045 in carbon steel wire at 350 in/min is 9.45 lb/h fed and, at 95%, 8.98 lb/h deposited, the Weld Deposition Rate calculator's own example.
What is deposition efficiency?: The share of the wire consumed that ends up in the weld; the rest is spatter and fume. Measure it with a matched trial: weigh the plate before and after welding and the wire before and after. Solid wires in spray or pulsed transfer often run in the 90s; short-circuit and CO₂ shielding run lower.
What is the operating factor?: The share of a welder's paid time with the arc on. The rest is fit-up, handling, tacking, cleaning, changing position and inspection. Arc hours divided by the operating factor gives welder hours: in the example light brackets at 20% take five welder hours for every arc hour.
How much wire do I need to buy?: The weld metal divided by the deposition efficiency, times the quantity. 12 lb of weld metal at 95% needs 12.63 lb of wire. Wire left on spools, stub-off and purge are extra and not included.
Does it work for flux-cored or metal-cored wire?: Not directly. The cross-section formula assumes a solid round wire; tubular wires carry flux or powder inside a sheath, so use the maker's mass per length or deposition charts instead.
Does the workbook use macros?: No. It is a plain .xlsx with ordinary formulas, tables and native charts. The Verify sheet re-checks the formulas against fixed test jobs and shows Self-check: PASS.