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Welding symbols
26 welding symbols for fabrication, structural and piping drawings: groove and fillet welds, plug, spot and seam welds, supplementary symbols and the parts of the symbol, each drawn the AWS A2.4 way and the ISO 2553 way. Free to download as SVG, or as printable charts.
How to read a welding symbol
Every welding symbol has the same parts. Read them in this order:
- The arrow points at the joint. See reference line and arrow.
- The side: in AWS, below the line is the arrow side. In ISO system A, the solid line is the arrow side and the dashed line the other side. See other side weld.
- The weld symbol gives the type: fillet, V groove, bevel, plug and so on.
- The size is to the left, the length and spacing to the right.
- Supplementary symbols add a weld all around, a field weld or a contour, and the tail names the process.
The full walk-through, with a worked example, is on how to read welding symbols.
Which standards welding symbols follow
- AWS A2.4: the American Welding Society standard, used on US drawings and AWS D1.1 work.
- ISO 2553: the international standard, published in Europe as EN ISO 2553, with system A (dashed line) and system B (AWS placement).
Compare them on AWS vs ISO welding symbols. For the process and electrical drawings on the same project, see the P&ID symbols and single line diagram symbols.
Using these symbols
Every symbol on this page was drawn by Deskely. You are free to use them in your own drawings, documents and training material.
Frequently asked questions
What are welding symbols?
Welding symbols are the shorthand on drawings that tell the fabricator what weld to make: its type, which side of the joint, its size and length, its finish and the process. They follow AWS A2.4 in the US and ISO 2553 internationally.
What is the most common welding symbol?
The fillet weld, a right triangle on the reference line. It is used on most T, lap and corner joints in structural steel.
What is the difference between AWS and ISO welding symbols?
The weld shapes are the same. AWS puts arrow side welds below the reference line; ISO 2553 system A puts them on a solid line and other side welds on a dashed line. ISO also writes fillet sizes as a (throat) or z (leg).
What does the triangle on a welding symbol mean?
A fillet weld. Below the line (AWS) or on the solid line (ISO system A) it is on the arrow side.
Can I use these symbols in my own drawings?
Yes. The symbols on this page were drawn by Deskely and are free to use in your own drawings, documents and training material.
- In production since 2014
- Thousands of daily users
- On MODEC FPSO projects since 2016
Want to see it on your own project? Book a demo.