AWS C5.10/C5.

10M:2003
An American National Standard

Recommended
Practices for
Shielding Gases
for Welding and
Cutting
Key Words —Shielding gases, gas distribution, gas AWS C5.10/C5.10M:2003
safety, plasma gas, purging gas, gas An American National Standard
mixtures, arc characteristics, dew
point, gas properties Approved by
American National Standards Institute
July 29, 2003

Recommended Practices
for Shielding Gases for
Welding and Cutting

Supersedes ANSI/AWS C5.10-94

Prepared by
AWS C5 Committee on Arc Welding and Cutting

Under the Direction of

AWS Safety and Health Committee

Approved by
AWS Board of Directors

Abstract
This document is concerned with six industrial gases: argon (Ar), carbon dioxide (CO2), helium (He), hydrogen (H),
nitrogen (N), and oxygen (O). Properties, uses, safe handling, distribution, mixtures and effects on arc characteristics
and welds are presented for flux cored arc welding (FCAW), gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW), gas metal arc welding
(GMAW), electrogas welding (EGW), plasma arc welding (PAW), plasma arc cutting (PAC), laser welding (LW) and
laser cutting (LC). Gas purging, gas distribution and safety practices are also covered.

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 Table of Contents
Page No.
Personnel .................................................................................................................................................................... iii
Foreword.......................................................................................................................................................................v
List of Tables................................................................................................................................................................ix
List of Figures..............................................................................................................................................................ix
1. Scope .....................................................................................................................................................................1
2. Normative References ..........................................................................................................................................1
2.1 American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists Standards ................................................1
2.2 ASME Standards .......................................................................................................................................1
2.3 AWS Standards..........................................................................................................................................1
2.4 CGA Standards..........................................................................................................................................2
2.5 OSHA Standards .......................................................................................................................................2
2.6 NFPA Standards ........................................................................................................................................2
3. Purpose of Shielding Gas and Gas Properties......................................................................................................2
3.1 General ......................................................................................................................................................2
3.2 Specific Gas Properties .............................................................................................................................2
4. Applications of Gases in Welding and Cutting ....................................................................................................4
4.1 Gas Tungsten Arc Welding .......................................................................................................................4
4.2 Gas Metal Arc Welding.............................................................................................................................7
4.3 Flux Cored Arc Welding .........................................................................................................................19
4.4 Plasma Arc Welding................................................................................................................................20
4.5 Electrogas Welding..................................................................................................................................21
4.6 Laser Beam Welding ...............................................................................................................................22
4.7 Laser Beam Cutting.................................................................................................................................24
4.8 Plasma Arc Cutting .................................................................................................................................25
4.9 Purging and Backing Gases Used in Gas Shielded Welding...................................................................30
5. Gas Supply Systems...........................................................................................................................................33
5.1 High-Pressure Cylinders .........................................................................................................................33
5.2 Other Supply Systems .............................................................................................................................33
5.3 Piping Systems ........................................................................................................................................34
6. Shielding and Cutting Gas Safety ......................................................................................................................35
6.1 Introduction .............................................................................................................................................35
6.2 Safe Handling of High-Pressure and Liquid Cylinders...........................................................................37
6.3 Safety Precautions for Specific Gases.....................................................................................................38
6.4 The Generation of Welding Fume and Pollutant Gases ..........................................................................39
Nonmandatory Annexes..............................................................................................................................................41
Annex A—Tables for Conversions and Gas Cylinder and Valve Data .......................................................................41
Annex B—Supplementary Reading List......................................................................................................................49
Annex C—Guideline for Preparation of Technical Inquiries for AWS Technical Committees ...................................51
List of AWS Documents on Arc Welding and Cutting .................................................................................................53

vii
 List of Tables
Table Page No.
1 Properties of Gases.........................................................................................................................................3
2 Gas Type, Purity and Moisture Requirements, and Dew Point Data for Shielding Gas Components...........3
3 Dew Point of Carbon Dioxide versus Percent Moisture in Carbon Dioxide .................................................4
4 Recommended Types of Current, Tungsten Electrodes, and Shielding Gases for GTAW
of Different Metals and Alloys ......................................................................................................................6
5 Globular-to-Spray Transition Currents for Various Electrodes....................................................................11
6 Gas Selection for Gas Metal Arc Welding ...................................................................................................13
7 Shielding Gases for Electrogas Welding......................................................................................................23
8 Typical Conditions for Plasma Arc Cutting of Aluminum Alloys...............................................................29
9 Typical Conditions for Plasma Arc Cutting of Stainless Steels...................................................................29
10 Typical Conditions for Plasma Arc Cutting of Carbon Steel .......................................................................29
11 Purging Gas Recommendations ...................................................................................................................31
A1 Commonly Used Metric Conversions (Inch to Millimeter Conversions) ....................................................41
A2 Conversions for Fahrenheit-Celsius Temperature Scales.............................................................................42
A3 Dew Point Conversion Chart........................................................................................................................44
A4 Liquid and Gaseous Argon, Hydrogen, Air, Nitrogen, Oxygen, and Helium..............................................45
A5 Gas Cylinder and Valve Data: Oxygen, Nitrogen, and Oxygen-Nitrogen Mixtures....................................46
A6 Gas Cylinder and Valve Data: Shielding Gases ...........................................................................................47

viii
 List of Figures
Figure Page No.
1 The Gas Tungsten Arc Welding Process........................................................................................................5
2 The Gas Metal Arc Welding Process .............................................................................................................8
3a Stylized Representation of the Short-Circuiting Transfer Mode ...................................................................9
3b Schematic Representation of the Short-Circuiting Transfer Mode................................................................9
4a Stylized Representation of the Globular Transfer Mode in Argon ..............................................................10
4b Stylized Representation of the Globular “Buried Arc” Transfer Mode in CO2 ...........................................10
5 Stylized Representation of the Spray Transfer Mode ..................................................................................10
6 Stylized Representation of the Pulsed Spray Transfer Mode.......................................................................12
7 Stylized Representation of the Rotational Spray Transfer Mode.................................................................12
8 Comparative Ionization Potential and Arc Columns with Argon, Carbon Dioxide, and Helium................16
9 Typical GMAW Bead and Penetration Profiles with Several Shielding Gases............................................16
10 Typical Spatter Levels versus Welding Current with Three Common Shielding Gases
and 0.045 in. [1.2 mm] Diameter Carbon and Low Alloy Steel Welding Electrodes..................................17
11 The Effect of Argon and Helium Shielding Gases on Bead Profile and Penetration when
Welding Aluminum with GMAW ................................................................................................................18
12 The Flux Cored Arc Welding Process..........................................................................................................20
13 Schematic Diagrams of Plasma Arc Welding Showing the Arc and Heat of Fusion Patterns.....................21
14 The Electrogas Welding Process ..................................................................................................................23
15 Dual Flow Plasma Arc Cutting ....................................................................................................................26
16 Water Injection Plasma Arc Cutting ............................................................................................................26
17 Gas Selection Guide for Plasma Arc Cutting...............................................................................................27
18 Pre-Purge Time for One Volume Change.....................................................................................................32
19 Manifold System ..........................................................................................................................................34
20 Carbon Dioxide Gas Cylinder......................................................................................................................35
21 Liquid Cylinders ..........................................................................................................................................35
22 Bulk Storage Vessels....................................................................................................................................36
23 Tube Trailer ..................................................................................................................................................36
24 Fume Generation Rates for the GMAW Process .........................................................................................40

ix
 AWS C5.10/C5.10M:2003

Recommended Practices for

Shielding Gases for Welding and Cutting

1. Scope 2. Normative References

This publication presents basic concepts relating to If a code or other standard is cited without a date of
gas usage for each process and its variations. These con- publication, it is understood that the latest edition of the
cepts, combined with basic information about arc weld- document referred to applies. If a code or other standard
ing or cutting processes, will enable the reader to make is cited with the date of publication, the citation refers to
an educated decision when selecting a gas.1 In addition, that edition only, and it is understood that any future re-
safe practices and specific technical data are included as visions or amendments to the code or standard are not in-
guides in an effort to establish optimum operation of the cluded; however, as codes and other standards undergo
selected welding or cutting process. frequent revision, the reader is encouraged to consult the
The reader will learn the process and specific advan- most recent edition.
tages and disadvantages for each. Standard welding and
cutting equipment is normally designed to permit the use 2.1 American Conference of Governmental Industrial
of several gases. Hygienists Standards2

Note: The scope of this document does not include (1) ACGIH, Threshold Limit Values for Chemical
information for oxyfuel or heat treating processes. Substances and Physical Agents and Biological Expo-
sure Indices
This specification makes use of both U.S. Customary
Units and the International System of Units (SI). The 2.2 ASME Standards3
measurements may not be exact equivalents; therefore (1) ASME B31.3, Process Piping
each system must be used independently of the other
without combining in any way. The specification with 2.3 AWS Standards4
the designation C5.10 uses U.S. Customary Units. The
(1) ANSI Z49.1, Safety in Welding, Cutting, and
specification C5.10M uses SI units. The latter are shown
Allied Processes
in appropriate columns in tables or within brackets [ ]
when used in the text. (2) AWS A1.1, Metric Practice Guide for the Weld-
Safety and health issues and concerns are beyond the ing Industry
scope of this standard and, therefore, are not fully ad- (3) AWS. A3.0, Standard Welding Terms and
dressed herein. Information on safe handling of gases Definitions
and cylinders can be found in Section 6. Safety and
health information is available from other sources, in-
cluding, but not limited to, ANSI Z49.1, Safety
in Welding, Cutting, and Allied Processes, applicable 2. Available through: American Conference of Governmental
federal and state regulations, and local safety codes. Industrial Hygienists, 1330 Kemper Meadow Drive, Cincin-
nati, OH 45240-1634.
3. Available through: American Society of Mechanical Engi-
neers, 3 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10017.
4. Available through: Global Engineering Documents, Handling
Services Group, 15 Inverness Way East, Englewood, CO
1. In this document, the use of the term gas also includes “gas 80112-5776, (800) 854-7179 (303)397-7956, Fax (303-397-
mixture.” 2740, Internet: www.global.ihs.com.