E6012 Welding Electrode: Everything you need to know is here

E6012 Welding Electrode meaning

E6012 is a high titania sodium Stick Welding Rod used for welding of mild steel. E6012 has low penetrating welding arc and can be used with AC and DCEN Polarity.

The covering of E6012 welding rod is Titania/ rutile type and made of clay, feldspar, sodium silicate (for binding) and calcium compounds.

The coverings are high in titania, usually exceeding 35% by weight, and usually are referred to as the “titania” or “rutile” type. The coverings generally also contain small amounts of cellulose and ferromanganese, and various siliceous materials such as feldspar and clay with sodium silicate as a binder. Also, small amounts of certain calcium compounds may be used to produce satisfactory arc characteristics on DCEN Polarity (electrode negative).

E6012 Welding Electrode Chemical and Mechanical properties

The tensile strength of E6012 welding rod is 60 Ksi (430 MPa), yield strength 58 Ksi (330 MPa) and an elongation of 17% minimum. Toughness requirements for E6012 welding rod are not specified in AWS A5.1.

Detailed chemical & mechanical properties of E6012 Welding electrode are given in the below table:

Table 1 Chemical Composition of E6012 Welding Rod
Element Value
 Carbon  0.20 Max.
 Manganese  1.20 Max.
 Silicon  1.00 Max.
 Sulfur  Not specified
 Phosphorus Not specified
 Nickel  0.30 Max.
 Chromium  0.20 Max.
 Molybdenum   0.30 Max.
 Vanadium   0.08 Max.
Table 2 Mechanical Properties of E6012 Rod
Property Value
Tensile Strength 60 Ksi (430 MPa)
 Yield Strength 48 Ksi (330 MPa)
 Elongation  17% minimum
 Toughness  Not specified

E6012 Welding Rod Specification & Classification

The Specification of E6012 Welding rod is AWS A 5.1. E6012 is the classification number for this electrode as per AWS A5.1 specification.

E6012-welding-rod-electrode
E6012 Welding Electrode

E6012 Welding Rod uses

E6012 welding rod is used on thin sheet metal welding due to its low penetration arc.

This is also used for welding fillet weld, corner weld and tacking for smaller thickness mild steel.

E6012 is having very smooth arc & handling, and good for gap bridging in horizontal positions.

E6012 vs E6013 Welding rod

E6012 is a titania sodium base covering rod while E6013 is titania potassium base covering.

The main difference between E6012 & E6013 is based on their flux covering. E6013 gives a easy and smooth arc with easy slag removal compare to E6012 welding rod.

Table 3, E6012 vs E6013 Welding Rod
Rod Characteristics E6012 E6013
 AWS Specification  AWS A5.1  AWS A5.1
 Classification  E6012  E6013
 Coating types   LHigh titania sodium High titania potassium
 Tensile & Yield Strength (Ksi)  60 & 48  60 & 48
 Polarity  AC, DCEN  AC, DCEN & DCEP
 Welding Position  All  All
 Weld penetration  Low low
Slag Thick slag
light & easily removable
 Arc features Smooth arc stable & smooth smooth arc
 Application  sheet metal welding, gap bridging best for sheet metal welding

E6012 Welding Electrode Polarity & terminal

E6012 welding rod can be used for AC and DCEN Welding polarity.

E6012 Welding Rod AC or DC?

E6012 welding rod can be used with AC polarity. For DC current, E6012 can only be used with Direct Current Electrode Negative (DCEN) polarity. DCEN is also called straight polarity.

E6012 Welding Rod F-Number & A-Number

The F-Number of E6012 Welding electrode is F-Number-2. A-Number for E6012 weld deposit is 1.


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