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Welding Wire — MIG Wire, TIG Rod, Stick Electrodes & Brazing Filler Metals

WeldingMart stocks welding wire and filler metals for every common process — MIG (GMAW), flux-cored (FCAW), TIG (GTAW), stick (SMAW), submerged arc (SAW), and torch brazing. Whether you run a production line, a fabrication shop, or a home garage, we carry the AWS-classified consumables, alloys, and diameters you need from Lincoln Electric and Harris Products Group.

Shop Welding Wire by Process

  • MIG & Flux-Cored Wire — solid MIG wire (ER70S-6, ER70S-3) and self-shielded / dual-shield flux-cored wire for steel and stainless
  • TIG Rod & Welding Rods — ER70S-2, ER80S, ER308L, ER309L, ER316L stainless, ER4043 / ER5356 aluminum, and copper-silicon bronze cut-length TIG filler
  • Stick Welding Electrodes — E6010, E6011, E6013, E7018, E308L, E309L, E316L and Lincoln Excalibur premium SMAW rods
  • Submerged Arc Wire — SAW wire for high-deposition production welding

Shop Welding Wire by Alloy

How to Choose the Right Welding Wire

The right wire depends on three things: the base metal you're welding, the process (MIG, TIG, stick, FCAW), and the diameter matched to your material thickness.

By Material Thickness (MIG Wire Diameter)

  • .023" / .030" — sheet metal, auto body, 22 ga up to 1/8" steel
  • .035" — 1/8" to 1/4" steel, the all-purpose diameter most shops keep stocked
  • .045" — 1/4" and thicker, structural fabrication, heavy plate

AWS Classification Cheat Sheet

  • ER70S-6 — the workhorse mild steel MIG/TIG wire. Higher silicon than ER70S-3 for better wet-out on dirty steel.
  • ER70S-3 — clean steel MIG wire, lower silicon, slightly cleaner welds for cosmetic work.
  • ER308L / ER309L / ER316L — stainless wire. 308L for 304, 309L for dissimilar joins, 316L for marine and corrosive environments.
  • ER4043 / ER5356 — aluminum wire. 4043 for cast aluminum and 6061. 5356 for 5xxx and 6xxx wrought, higher strength.
  • E7018 — low-hydrogen stick electrode. Code-quality, structural and pressure vessel work.
  • E6010 / E6011 — high-cellulose stick electrode. Pipe root passes, dirty steel, rusty material.

Welding Wire FAQs

What's the difference between MIG wire and TIG rod? Same alloys, different form factor. MIG wire is spooled and fed by a wire feeder. TIG rod is straight, hand-fed cut lengths usually 36" long.

Can I use flux-cored wire outdoors? Self-shielded flux-cored (FCAW-S) like Lincoln NR-211-MP works without shielding gas — ideal for windy outdoor conditions. Gas-shielded flux-cored (FCAW-G) still needs gas but gives stronger welds.

What wire works for both steel and stainless? ER309L. It's the go-to dissimilar metals wire, bridging carbon steel to stainless, and stainless to mild steel with adequate corrosion resistance.

Do I need a spool gun for aluminum MIG? Yes for anything over a few feet from the machine. Aluminum wire is too soft for a standard liner — it kinks and births-nest. A spool gun or push-pull system feeds aluminum reliably.

Why Buy Welding Wire from WeldingMart

We've been a Lincoln Electric authorized distributor since 1995. All wire ships from US warehouses, factory sealed. We stock Lincoln SuperArc, Lincoln Excalibur, Lincoln NR-211-MP, Harris cut-length TIG rod, and Harris brazing alloys in standard and bulk quantities. Need a wire that's not listed? Call us at (800) 460-6474 — we have access to the full Lincoln and Harris catalogs and can drop-ship most consumables next day.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between Lincoln SuperArc L-56 and L-50 MIG wire?
Both are ER70S-class mild steel MIG wires, but they differ in deoxidizer content. Lincoln SuperArc L-56 contains higher levels of manganese and silicon deoxidizers, making it the better choice for welding on steel with mill scale, rust, or light surface contamination — common in structural and general fabrication work. SuperArc L-50 (ER70S-3) has lower deoxidizer levels and is suited for clean, prepared base metal where premium arc characteristics and lower silicon islands on the weld face are desired, such as on material that will be painted or powder-coated.
What shielding gas should I use with ER70S-6 MIG wire?
The most common shielding gas for ER70S-6 wire like the Lincoln SuperArc L-56 is a 75% Argon / 25% CO2 blend (C25), which provides a good balance of arc stability, low spatter, and good bead profile across short-circuit, globular, and spray transfer modes. 100% CO2 is a lower-cost alternative that increases penetration and deposition but generates more spatter and a rougher bead profile. Pure Argon is not recommended for MIG welding carbon steel, as it causes an unstable arc and poor fusion.
What is Lincoln Innershield NR-211-MP and when should I use it instead of solid MIG wire?
Lincoln Innershield NR-211-MP (E71T-11) is a self-shielded flux-cored wire that requires no external shielding gas, making it ideal for outdoor, windy, or field welding where gas coverage would be disrupted. It runs on DC electrode negative (DCEN) polarity and is rated for all-position welding on mild steel up to 1/2 in. thick in larger diameters. The trade-off compared to solid MIG wire is that FCAW-S produces more fumes, requires slag removal after each pass, and typically leaves a rougher weld appearance.
What is the difference between E71T-11 and E71T-GS flux-core wire?
Both are self-shielded (gasless) flux-cored wires running on DCEN polarity, but E71T-GS is approved for single-pass welding only, making it best suited for thin-gauge sheet metal applications. E71T-11 — like Lincoln Innershield NR-211-MP — is classified for multi-pass welding and a wider range of material thicknesses up to 1/2 in. For structural or multi-pass work, always use E71T-11; using E71T-GS for multi-pass welds can result in inadequate mechanical properties in the deposited weld metal.
What is the Lincoln Outershield 71 Elite and how does it differ from self-shielded wire?
Lincoln Outershield 71 Elite is a gas-shielded flux-cored wire (FCAW-G) classified E71T-1C/1M-H8, meaning it requires external shielding gas — typically 75/25 Ar/CO2 or 100% CO2. Unlike self-shielded wire, FCAW-G produces higher deposition rates, better impact toughness, lower hydrogen content, and a smoother bead profile, making it the preferred choice for structural steel fabrication, shipbuilding, and pressure vessel work where quality and productivity must both be high. The 0.045 in. diameter on a 33 lb spool is the most common production size.
What is Lincoln SuperArc LA-75 wire and what steel is it for?
SuperArc LA-75 is a low-alloy MIG wire classified ER80S-Ni1 containing approximately 1% nickel. It is designed for welding weathering (Cor-Ten) structural steels on bridges and buildings, as well as for applications requiring excellent low-temperature Charpy impact toughness such as cryogenic vessels and cold-climate construction equipment. Its 80,000 psi minimum tensile strength deposit makes it appropriate for higher-strength steels where standard ER70S-6 would be undermatched.
What MIG wire diameter should I use for welding thin-gauge sheet metal versus heavy plate?
For sheet metal and thin gauge steel (18 ga. to 3/16 in.), a 0.023 in. or 0.025 in. wire diameter with short-circuit transfer provides the lowest heat input and best control over burn-through. For general fabrication up to 1/2 in. plate, 0.030 in. or 0.035 in. is the most versatile choice. For heavy structural work and high-deposition production welding on plate 3/8 in. and thicker, 0.045 in. or larger wire with spray transfer or FCAW-G offers the highest deposition rates and best productivity.
Can I use Lincoln SuperArc L-56 wire for stainless steel welding?
No — SuperArc L-56 is formulated for mild and low-alloy carbon steel only, and using it on stainless steel would result in weld deposits with insufficient corrosion resistance and incorrect mechanical properties. For stainless steel MIG welding, Lincoln Electric offers the Blue Max 308LSi wire (ER308L-Si classification) for welding 304/304L stainless, which requires 100% Argon or an Ar/CO2/O2 tri-mix shielding gas. Always match the filler metal classification to the base metal alloy.
What is Lincoln SuperGlaze 4043 aluminum wire used for?
SuperGlaze 4043 is a 4% silicon aluminum MIG wire (AWS classification ER4043) used for MIG welding most common aluminum alloys, including 6061, 6063, 3003, and cast aluminum. It produces a fluid puddle, low cracking sensitivity, and good crack resistance in the weld, with a bright, cosmetically appealing bead. For 5000-series alloys (5052, 5083, 5086) under high stress or in marine environments, ER5356 (higher magnesium) is typically the preferred filler for better strength and corrosion resistance.
What spool size should I buy — 10 lb versus 33 lb?
For occasional shop use, repair welding, or smaller MIG machines with 8 in. or smaller spool capacity, a 10 lb spool is the practical choice and reduces wire waste if you switch wire types frequently. For production welding, fabrication shops, or machines with a 12 in. spool hub, 33 lb spools significantly reduce spool changeover time and typically offer a lower cost per pound. Lincoln Electric also offers larger 44 lb fiber spools and 500 lb drums for high-volume GMAW and FCAW-G operations where maximum uptime is critical.