er308l Welding Wire
ER308L is an austenitic stainless steel low-carbon filler wire used for TIG and MIG welding applications. The wire mainly consists of 21% Cr, 10% Ni and other alloying elements.
ER308L is also called 18-8, 19-9 & 20-10 welding rod. It is mainly used for welding AISI 304-type stainless steel welding.
The welding wire has enough ferrite content to avoid hot cracking when welding austenitic stainless steel such as AISI 304 or welding 304 to other stainless steel alloys. The low carbon content (less than 0.3%) gives excellent intergranular corrosion (IGC) resistance.
er308l welding rod specifications
ER308L welding rod specification is AWS A5.9. er308l is the AWS classification number of this wire.
AWS A 5.9 specification covers the chemical compositions for ER308L wire. There are no mechanical properties specified in this specification as they can change based on welding heat input for stainless steel.
ER308L F Number and A Number
ER308L f number is F Number 6. ER308L A Number is A-Number 8. This F Number and A Number are as per ASME Section IX, Table QW-432 and QW-442.
Read more: ER308LSi vs ER309LSi vs 316LSi
er308l chemical composition
The chemical compositions of ER308L welding wire rod as per AWS A5.9 specification are listed in the below table:
| Element | C% | Si% | Mn% | P% | S% | Cr% | Ni% | Cu% | Mo% |
| Compositions | <0.03 | 0.30- 0.65 | 1.0-2.5 | <0.03 | <0.03 | 19.5-22.0 | 9.0-11.0 | <0.75 | <0.75 |
er308l mechanical properties
The mechanical properties of ER308L welding wire are not specified in the AWS A5.9 specification.
This is because the final weld deposit properties in gas shielded welding processes (TIG or MIG) can change due to welding shielding gas.
Welding wire manufacturers usually supply with following typical as welded properties of ER308L welding wire:
- Yield Strength: 57 Ksi,
- Tensile Strength: 87 Ksi,
- Minimum % elongation: 35%
These properties can vary from one manufacturer to another.
What does er308l mean?
ER308L welding wire means:
- ER: means Electrode,
- 308: means 18-8 stainless steel metallurgy,
- L: means Low carbon content.
er308l tig rod
ER308L TIG Rod is supplied as per AWS A5.9 specification. The wire is available in different diameters of 1/16” (1.6mm), 3/32” (2.4 mm), 1/8” (3.2 mm) and 5/32” (4.0 mm).
TIG welding using ER308L requires argon gas weld shielding and can be used to weld 304 stainless steel and welding of 304 to other stainless steel grades.
er308l mig wire
ER308L Mig welding wire is manufactured as per AWS A5.9 specification. MIG welding wires with ER308L classification are generally welded using argon + 2% oxygen welding shielding gas.
Er308L mig wires are available in different diameters ranging from 0.25”, 0.035”, 0.45″ and 1/16”.
What is er308l used for?
Er308L is a austenitic stainless steel welding wire with low carbon content. ER308L welding wire is suitable for welding AISI 304 stainless steel welding. It can also be used to weld 304 to 316, 321 and 347 stainless steel.
ER308L has cryogenic temperature weld deposit properties and used widely for crygenic welding applications.
er308l vs er316l
Both ER308L and ER316L are austenitic stainless steel welding wire manufactured according to the AWS A5.9 specification.
Following are the chemical compositions of ER308L and ER316L welding wire.
| Element | C% | Si% | Mn% | P% | S% | Cr% | Ni% | Cu% | Mo% |
| Compositions | <0.03 | 0.30- 0.65 | 1.0-2.5 | <0.03 | <0.03 | 19.5-22.0 | 9.0-11.0 | <0.75 | <0.75 |
| Element | C% | Si% | Mn% | P% | S% | Cr% | Ni% | Cu% | Mo% |
| Compositions | <0.03 | 0.30- 0.65 | 1.0-2.5 | <0.03 | <0.03 | 18.0-20.0 | 11.0-14.0 | <0.75 | 2.0-3.0 |
The main differences between Er308L and ER316L welding wire:
- ER316L has higher pitting resistance corrosion due to a higher amount of molybdenum.
- ER316L has higher oxidation resistance and higher operating temperature compared to ER308L.
- The tensile strength of ER316L is higher than ER308L.
er308l vs er309l
ER308L is used for welding of austenitic stainless steel while ER309L is used for dissmilar welding of stainless steel to carbon steel and low alloy steel.
The ferrite content of ER309L is higher than ER308L.
Following are the chemical composition comparision between ER308L and ER309L welding wires.
| Element | C% | Si% | Mn% | P% | S% | Cr% | Ni% | Cu% | Mo% |
| Compositions | <0.03 | 0.30- 0.65 | 1.0-2.5 | <0.03 | <0.03 | 19.5-22.0 | 9.0-11.0 | <0.75 | <0.75 |
| Element | C% | Si% | Mn% | P% | S% | Cr% | Ni% | Cu% | Mo% |
| Compositions | <0.03 | 0.30-0.65 | 1.0-2.5 | <0.03 | <0.03 | 23.0-25.0 | 12.0-14.0 | <0.75 | <0.75 |
er308l vs er308lsi
The main difference between ER308L and ER308LSi is the amount of silicon present in the welding wire. ER308L contains 0.30- 0.65% silicon while ER308LSi contains 0.65- 1.0% silicon.
The higher amount of silicon present in the ER308LSi makes it suitable for MIG welding where large weld pool needs higher fluidity and good weld bead appearance.
Although, higher amount of silicon gives rise to more austenitic phases and may cause hot cracking.
er308l vs er308h
ER308L and ER308H main difference is the amount of carbon present in the welding wire. Er308H contains a carbon amount of 0.04- 0.08% while ER308L contains a maximum carbon of 0.03% only.
Due to higher carbon content, ER308H can be used for high temperature applications. However, higher carbon content can also cause intergranuglar corrsion.
er308l datasheet
ER308L datasheet can be downloaded from here. This is an actual Test certificate of ER308L welding wire.
er308l on mild steel
ER308L is not advised to use on mild steel or carbon steel welding, especially that need engineering applications.
The right filler wire for mild steel welding is ER70S-2 or if welding mild steel to stainless steel, use ER309L welding wire.
You can use Er308L on mild steel but not for any critical welds or any engineering component. If any other wire is not available, you may use it for joining.
