​5.7 Nonferrous Electrode Classifications

The American Welding Society has produced the following booklets on nonferrous electrodes:

• AWS A5.3. Specification for Aluminum and Aluminum-Alloy Electrodes for Shielded Metal Arc Welding.
• AWS A5.6. Specification for Copper and Copper-Alloy Electrodes for Shielded Metal Arc Welding.
• AWS A5.11. Specification for Nickel and Nickel-Alloy Welding Electrodes for Shielded Metal Arc Welding.
  
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The designations of all nonferrous electrodes include letters that identify the electrodes major alloying ingredient. The letters are abbreviations for chemical elements as follows:

Al—aluminum                  Fe—iron
Ni—nickel 
Cr—chromium                 Mn—manganese
Si—silicon 
Cu—copper                       Mo—molybdenum
Sn—tin 

There are three aluminum electrodes in the AWS A5.3 specification. They are the E1100, with an aluminum content of 99%; the E3003, with an aluminum content of about 96.7%, and the E4043, with approximately a 92.3% aluminum content.


The copper-based electrodes range in copper content from about 68.9% to 99%. ECuNi is the exception. It contains up to 33% nickel. The copper content is about 62%, with the remainder made up of other elements. The AWS classifications are shown below:

ECu                     ECuSn-C                ECuAl-B
ECuSi                 ECuNi                      ECuNiAl
ECuSn-A           ECuAl-A2               ECuMnNiAl               


The nickel-based electrodes contain from 59% to 92% nickel. The exact chemical composition may be found in AWS A5.11. The eight AWS classifications are:
ENi-1                          ENiCrFe-3
ENiCu-7                    ENiCrFe-4
ENiCrFe-1                 ENiMo-1
ENiCrFe-2                ENiMo-3