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SMAW · Low-alloy steel

E8018-C3

A nickel-alloyed low-hydrogen rod used where the completed joint has to absorb impact in the cold, such as outdoor structures and low temperature equipment.

What the designation means

Point at any character to see what it claims. The classification is a sentence written in fields, not a product name.

  1. EElectrode for shielded metal arc welding.
  2. 8080,000 psi minimum tensile strength of the deposit.
  3. 1All welding positions.
  4. 8Low-hydrogen potassium covering with iron powder, run on direct current electrode positive or alternating current.
  5. -C3A nickel-bearing deposit at roughly one percent nickel, added to improve notch toughness at low service temperature.

At a glance

Process
SMAW
Family
Low-alloy steel
Positions
All positions
Polarity
DCEP, or AC
Shielding
Self-shielded by the covering
Minimum tensile
80ksi

Typical uses

  • Structures and equipment operating below ambient temperature
  • High strength low alloy steel joints requiring 80 ksi weld metal
  • Applications where the procedure calls for nickel-bearing weld metal for impact values

How it runs

  • Runs like a familiar low-hydrogen rod with a slightly finer arc
  • Nickel addition raises low temperature impact toughness
  • Dense, self-lifting slag with a flat, evenly rippled bead
  • Higher strength deposit than the 70 ksi carbon steel low-hydrogen family

Storage and handling

Standard low-hydrogen control: sealed packaging until use, a heated rod oven for working rods, and rebake if exposure limits are passed.

Compare with

SMAWE7018-1The same low-hydrogen chemistry as the standard structural rod but qualified to a colder impact test, so it is specified where the finished joint must stay tough in cold service.SMAWE8018-B2A chrome-moly low-hydrogen rod for the lower alloy grades of high temperature piping, where chromium and molybdenum together resist creep and oxidation.FCAWE81T1-Ni1An 80 ksi gas shielded flux cored wire with a nickel addition, used where the finished joint must hold impact toughness at low service temperature.