Steel TIG Rods

TIG filler rod for carbon and low-alloy steel, from general fabrication through to pressure and elevated-temperature work.

Mild steel

  • ER70S-6 - the general-purpose rod. High silicon and manganese content as deoxidisers, which lets it tolerate mill scale and light surface contamination. The default for most fabrication.
  • ER70S-2 - triple deoxidised with titanium, zirconium and aluminum. The extra deoxidisers make it the rod for root passes and for material you cannot get perfectly clean. More forgiving, slightly more expensive.

Low-alloy steel

  • ER80S-D2 - higher strength with molybdenum. For higher-strength structural steels where 70,000 psi filler would undermatch the base metal.
  • ER80S-Ni1 - nickel-bearing for low-temperature toughness. Specified where the joint will see cold service and impact requirements.
  • ER90S-B3 - chrome-moly, 2.25Cr-1Mo. For elevated temperature and pressure piping. This alloy requires preheat and post-weld heat treatment to a procedure - it is not a rod to use casually.

Match filler to base metal and to the code

On anything governed by a welding procedure, the filler is specified and is not a matter of preference. Undermatching the base metal produces a joint that fails at the weld; overmatching can be equally wrong in service where ductility matters more than strength.

Diameter and storage

Rod diameter should be close to the material thickness - too thin and it melts before reaching the puddle, too thick and it chills the puddle. Keep tubes closed; rod that has picked up moisture and oil in open storage puts both into the weld as porosity.

Free shipping over $175 across Canada. Counter pickup in North York.