Fabrication reference

Welding & Fabrication Data

A field-oriented reference for engineers, QA/QC personnel and welding inspectors—from material and filler screening to qualification review and defect recognition.

Base-metal P-No. / Group No.

Orientation for common process-plant materials. Always verify the exact specification, grade, condition and product form against the adopted Section IX edition.

Representative base-metal P-Number and Group Number orientation
Material family	Examples / forms	P-No.	Group	Engineering note
Carbon steel	SA-106 Gr B, SA-516 Gr 70, SA-105 Pipe, plate, forging	P-No. 1	Commonly Group 1 or 2	Confirm group number by the exact specification and grade; group number becomes especially important when notch toughness applies.
Low-temperature carbon steel	SA-333 Gr 6, SA-350 LF2 Pipe, forging	P-No. 1	Verify exact grade	Impact-tested supply does not by itself qualify a welding procedure for impact-tested construction.
1¼Cr-½Mo steel	SA-387 Gr 11, SA-182 F11 Plate, forging	P-No. 4	Verify exact grade	Heat input, preheat, hydrogen control and heat treatment require a material-specific qualified WPS.
2¼Cr-1Mo steel	SA-387 Gr 22, SA-182 F22 Plate, forging	P-No. 5A	Verify exact grade	Control preheat, interpass temperature, consumable condition and PWHT throughout fabrication.
Austenitic stainless steel	SA-240 304L, 316L, 321 Plate	P-No. 8	Commonly Group 1	Low-carbon or stabilized filler selection, cleanliness and interpass control are central to corrosion performance.
Duplex stainless steel	SA-240 S32205 / S31803 Plate	P-No. 10H	Verify exact UNS and edition	Qualified heat-input and interpass windows are needed to protect phase balance and corrosion resistance.
Nickel alloy	SB-443 N06625, SB-424 N08825 Plate	P-No. 43	Verify exact UNS	Confirm filler compatibility, dilution control, cleanliness and service-specific corrosion requirements.

F-No. and A-No. orientation

F-Numbers group filler metals by usability characteristics; A-Numbers describe deposited ferrous weld-metal chemistry where applicable.

Filler-metal F-Number and deposited-metal A-Number orientation
F-No.	Form	Examples	Typical use	A-No. note
F-No. 4	Low-hydrogen covered electrode	E7015 / E7016 / E7018 families	SMAW carbon and low-alloy steel	Often A-No. 1 for carbon-steel deposits; verify PQR chemistry
F-No. 5	Covered stainless / high-alloy electrode	E308L, E309L, E316L families	SMAW stainless and dissimilar joints	Deposit chemistry determines the applicable A-No.
F-No. 6	Bare solid wire or rod	ER70S-x, ER308L, ER316L, ERNiCrMo-x	GTAW, GMAW and some SAW applications	Use deposited weld-metal chemistry from the procedure qualification
Flux-cored / SAW grouping	Tubular wire or wire/flux combination	E71T-x; EM12K with classified flux	FCAW and SAW production welding	Classification and PQR results depend on the complete consumable system

Filler-metal cross-reference

Representative starting points for WPS planning—not automatic approvals for production.

Carbon steel → carbon steel

General pressure equipment and piping

SMAW

E7018 family

Low-hydrogen production option

GTAW

ER70S-2 / ER70S-6 family

Common root and small-bore option

GMAW

ER70S-6 family

Confirm transfer mode and shielding gas on WPS

FCAW

E71T-1 / E71T-9 family

Select gas/position suffix for the application

SAW

EM12K + compatible classified flux

Wire and flux are qualified as a system

Caution: Strength matching alone is insufficient; confirm toughness, hydrogen designation, PWHT and service requirements.

304L stainless → 304L stainless

Corrosion-resistant austenitic stainless fabrication

SMAW

E308L family

Covered-electrode option

GTAW

ER308L family

Common root and precision option

GMAW

ER308L family

Shielding gas affects transfer and weld chemistry

FCAW

E308LT-x family

Confirm positional and shielding designation

SAW

308L-type wire + compatible flux

Confirm ferrite and flux classification

Caution: Protect the joint from carbon-steel contamination and verify ferrite/corrosion requirements.

316L stainless → 316L stainless

Chloride-aware process service

SMAW

E316L family

Covered-electrode option

GTAW

ER316L family

Common root and precision option

GMAW

ER316L family

Confirm shielding and transfer mode

FCAW

E316LT-x family

Confirm positional and shielding designation

SAW

316L-type wire + compatible flux

Procedure qualification governs the combination

Caution: A 316L filler does not guarantee resistance to every chloride environment; confirm service corrosion limits.

Carbon steel → austenitic stainless

Dissimilar-metal transition

SMAW

E309L / E309MoL family

Common high-alloy buffer choice

GTAW

ER309L / ER309MoL family

Control dilution at the carbon-steel side

GMAW

ER309L family

Confirm transfer mode and dilution

FCAW

E309LT-x family

Check process-specific classification

SAW

Engineering review required

Flux and dilution strongly affect deposit chemistry

Caution: Service temperature, PWHT, galvanic corrosion and carbon migration can make another filler or buttering sequence necessary.

Duplex 2205 → duplex 2205

Duplex process equipment

SMAW

E2209 family

Over-alloyed duplex deposit

GTAW

ER2209 family

Use qualified shielding and purge practice

GMAW

ER2209 family

Heat input and gas composition are critical

FCAW

E2209T-x family

Confirm classification and position

SAW

2209-type wire + qualified flux

Verify phase balance and corrosion tests where specified

Caution: Do not select by strength alone; phase balance, interpass temperature, heat input and shielding/purge quality govern performance.