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.

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.