Stick Welding Settings Chart: Amperage, Rod Size & Polarity Guide

A beginner clamps a 1/8-inch E7018 rod into a 160-amp buzz box set to ‘somewhere in the middle,’ strikes an arc, and watches the rod stick, sputter, and finally bury itself in a lumpy, porous bead. Nine out of ten stick welding problems that send people to the internet actually start with one wrong number on the machine dial — and the fix is usually printed on a settings chart.

Why Every Stick Welder Needs a Settings Chart (and What It Actually Tells You)

Anyone who has ever struck an arc for the first time knows the feeling. You clamp your work down, jam an electrode in your stinger, turn the dial to what feels right, and the moment you strike, it either glues itself to the plate or blows a crater the size of a nickel into it. That frustration is exactly why guessing your amperage is one of the quickest ways to turn a simple repair into a headache.

At its core, a stick welding settings chart is a reference guide built for shielded metal-arc welding (SMAW). It’s not a magic number list for every machine on earth, but a cross-reference that tells you where to start based off of the job in front of you. Correct settings come down to matching four variables together: the electrode classification, electrode diameter, base metal thickness, and welding position. Get those four lined up, and you’ll be in the ballpark before you ever lay your first test bead.

Now, not every shop job will be the same. SMAW remains widely used in construction, pipeline, repair and field work because of its portability. With no shielding gas tank required and the ability to run off of a simple transformer, it’s still the go-to for a lot of grit work. This is one of the reasons why so many welders still rely on its tried and true method, as covered in our breakdown of the advantages of stick welding. However, no matter how portable it is, the machine won’t think for you. That’s where the chart earns its keep.

The Golden Rule to Get in the Ballpark

While every electrode has its own quirks, there is a general starting rule of thumb that has saved countless test beads. For most mild steel electrodes, you can start near 1 amp per 0.001 in of electrode core wire diameter. For example, a 1/8 in (3.2 mm) rod will usually start around 120–125 A. It’s not law, but it’s a fantastic jump off point for dialing in from there.

With that being said, stick electrodes don’t come in one size. They range anywhere from about 1/16 in all the way up to 1/4 in, with 3/32 in, 1/8 in and 5/32 in being the most common shop sizes you’ll reach for day after day. The larger the core wire, the more amperage it can handle to properly melt and lay down metal, whereas the smaller sizes will demand much less heat to avoid blowing straight through your plate.

A Chart is a Starting Point, Not the Final Answer

The biggest mistake that a beginner can make is treating a settings chart like a locked in recipe. A chart will get your machine pointed in the right direction based off of electrode classification, diameter, polarity/current type, and material thickness, but your specific machine, your arc length, your travel speed, and even the fit-up of your joint can all throw those numbers off by a little bit.

This is where the most important skill comes into play: reading the bead. Your weld puddle will tell you everything your dial won’t. If it’s stacking on top with little to no penetration, you’re too cold. If it’s washing out, burning through, or spattering uncontrollably, you’re too hot. The goal isn’t to match the chart perfectly, it’s to use it to get close enough to test on scrap, tweak from the appearance of your bead, and lock into the sweet spot for your exact setup.

Take your time with those test passes. For every new rod, every new thickness, or every change in position, a ten second test on scrap will save you from grinding down a ten minute mistake. With that mindset, your settings chart goes from a guess eliminator, to the most valuable reference on your bench. That’s all you need to walk into your next pass with confidence.

How to Read an Electrode: Decoding the AWS Classification System

A settings chart is only as useful as your ability to find your own rod on it. Before you look at a single amperage number, you need to read the code stamped on the electrode, because that code tells you the strength you are depositing, the positions you can weld, and the current the rod expects. The system is standardized by the American Welding Society’s AWS A5.1 specification, which covers carbon steel electrodes for shielded metal arc welding, and its cross reference, ASME SFA-5.1, is what pressure vessel and boiler work is written against. Once you can decode “E7018” in about four seconds, every chart on the internet becomes readable.

Four Groups of Characters, Four Pieces of Information

Look at the four digits that follow the E. Each group answers a different question, and the details line up closely with the AWS classification summaries published by Lincoln Electric:

• E means electrode, and specifically a stick electrode for SMAW. The same logic runs through MIG and TIG wires, so the habit of reading codes transfers to other processes.
• The first two digits (60 or 70) are the minimum tensile strength of the deposited weld metal in thousands of pounds per square inch. E6010 gives you at least 60,000 psi; E7018 gives you at least 70,000 psi, which is about 490 MPa. Match this to the base metal, not to ambition.
• The third digit is the welding position. A “1” means all-position capability: flat, horizontal, vertical and overhead. A “2” means flat and horizontal fillet work only, which is why E7024 is a production rod for long welds in the flat position rather than a general shop rod.
• The fourth digit identifies the coating type, and the coating is what dictates the current the rod runs on. Cellulose coatings such as 6010 prefer DCEP, low-hydrogen coatings such as 7018 run on AC or DCEP, and rutile coatings like 6013 tolerate AC, DCEN or DCEP. The flux is doing arc control work, not just shielding.

If the fourth digit seems vague, that is because it is a family, not a single recipe. Hobart Brothers breaks the coating families down in more detail, and beyond the basic four digits you will also see suffixes such as -H4 or -H8, which list the allowable diffusible hydrogen in milligrams per 100 grams of deposited metal. That suffix matters a lot for crack-sensitive steel, and very little for a backyard bracket.

The Common Mild-Steel Rods at a Glance

Electrode	Tensile	Positions	Coating / Current	Typical Use
E6010	60,000 psi	All (1)	Cellulose sodium, DCEP	Deep-penetration root passes, pipe
E6011	60,000 psi	All (1)	Cellulose potassium, AC or DCEP	Rusty, painted or dirty steel; repair
E6013	60,000 psi	All (1)	Rutile titania, AC/DC	Thin sheet, beginners, cosmetic beads
E7014	70,000 psi	All (1)	Iron powder rutile, AC/DC	Fast fabrication passes
E7018	70,000 psi	All (1)	Low-hydrogen iron powder, AC or DCEP	Structural work, code welds
E7024	70,000 psi	Flat and horizontal (2)	High iron powder, AC or DC	High-deposition production welds

Two cautions about that table. First, “all-position” means the rod is rated for it, not that it performs identically everywhere; many welders will tell you that reading our All Position Welding Rod Guide saved them from buying an E7014 for overhead work they assumed it would love. Second, A5.1 covers carbon steel. When the base metal shifts to low-alloy or chromium-moly steel, the specification changes to A5.5 and you move to a different rod family, as covered in Alloy Steel Welding Electrodes.

What the “18” Coating Actually Demands of You

Low-hydrogen coatings are moisture-hungry. The flux picks up water from the air, that water becomes hydrogen in the arc, and dissolved hydrogen in a restrained joint is how you get hydrogen-induced cracking. This is why E7018 is not a rod you leave sitting open on the bench for a week. The manufacturer data sheets, including the Pinnacle Alloys E7018 specification, call for sealed packaging until use and, once opened, storage in a holding oven held around 250–300°F. A rod that has been out in a humid shop for a couple of days should be re-baked per the manufacturer’s instructions or scrapped. Fibre-packed or “self-shielded” 7018 variants exist for field work where an oven is impossible, but they are a compromise, not a loophole.

With the code decoded, you now know which column of the settings chart you belong in. The next step is matching the rod’s diameter and coating to the metal thickness in front of you, which is where the master chart comes in.

The Master Stick Welding Settings Chart: Amperage by Rod, Diameter and Thickness

Here is the table you came for. Print it, tape it to your machine, and treat it as your starting point every time you load a new rod: classification, common diameters, a workable amperage window, current type, positions, and the thickness each size generally suits.

Electrode	Diameter	Amps (approx.)	Polarity	Positions	Typical thickness
E6010	3/32 in	40–90 A	DCEP	All	16–10 gauge
	1/8 in	75–130 A	DCEP	All	10 gauge–1/4 in
	5/32 in	110–165 A	DCEP	All	1/4–1/2 in, multi-pass
E6011	3/32 in	40–90 A	AC or DCEP	All	18–14 gauge
	1/8 in	75–130 A	AC or DCEP	All	14 gauge–1/4 in
	5/32 in	110–165 A	AC or DCEP	All	1/4–1/2 in
E6013	3/32 in	40–90 A	AC, DCEP or DCEN	All	20–16 gauge sheet
	1/8 in	80–130 A	AC, DCEP or DCEN	All	16 gauge–3/16 in
	5/32 in	100–160 A	AC, DCEP or DCEN	All	1/8–1/4 in
E7014	1/8 in	110–165 A	AC, DCEP or DCEN	All (best flat/horizontal)	10 gauge–1/4 in
	5/32 in	140–220 A	AC, DCEP or DCEN	Flat and horizontal	1/4–1/2 in production work
E7018	3/32 in	60–100 A	AC or DCEP	All	14–10 gauge, out-of-position
	1/8 in	110–165 A	AC or DCEP	All	10 gauge–1/4 in
	5/32 in	150–220 A	AC or DCEP	Flat and horizontal (all-pos. with skill)	1/4–1/2 in, multi-pass
	3/16 in	200–275 A	AC or DCEP	Flat and horizontal	3/8 in and heavier
E7024	5/32 in	150–210 A	AC, DCEP or DCEN	Flat and horizontal only	1/4–1/2 in fillet and butt welds

Two rods share the 1/8-inch spotlight more than any others. An E6013 at 1/8 inch running about 80–130 amps is the classic beginner setup: soft arc, forgiving, runs on AC or either DC polarity, and ideal for learning puddle control on light plate. An E7018 at 1/8 inch running about 110–165 amps is the shop and structural workhorse, the rod behind most code-qualified mild steel welds. And if you only memorize one digging rod, make it the E6010 at 1/8 inch, roughly 75–130 amps on DCEP, the go-to for root passes, pipe openings, and anything with rust or paint you could not fully clean.

Why Every Number Is a Range, Not a Setting

The windows above are starting points, and honest charts say so. Manufacturer data sheets differ from each other by 10 or 15 amps for the same rod and diameter, because each company tests with its own wire chemistry, coating weight, and machine. Published references such as the Lincoln Electric AWS classification guide and Hobart Brothers’ electrode classification article explain the codes, but the amperage that actually reaches the stinger also depends on your machine.

An inverter set to 120 amps may deliver a tighter, more stable output than an old transformer buzz box whose dial has drifted after fifteen years. Cable length, a loose ground clamp, a half-twisted extension cord, and an undersized breaker all shave real amperage off the arc before it reaches the puddle. That is why the same rod at the same dial number can run beautifully on one machine and stall on another. Use a reference such as the widely circulated stick welding amperage chart from Welders-Supply as a calibration baseline, then adjust against what your own arc tells you.

The Thin Material Rule (Read This Before Welding Sheet)

The chart is written mostly for plate, and thin material plays by different rules. This is where most beginners torch their workpieces. On anything under roughly 16 gauge, drop one rod diameter before you drop the amps. A 3/32-inch rod at 50–60 amps will usually give you a cleaner, flatter bead on sheet than a 1/8-inch rod forced to the bottom of its range, because a rod cranked below its recommended window does not arc properly: it sputters, sticks, and piles up instead of flowing.

Work from the low end upward, move faster than feels natural, use a slight zig-zag rather than a slow drag, and keep your arc length tight. If the puddle goes orange and the plate starts to glow and sag, you are already too hot. Weld a test joint on a scrap offcut of the same thickness first. Thirty seconds of scrap testing beats a blown-through panel every time.

Positions, Iron-Powder Rods and Where the Chart Stops

The positions column is not decoration. All-position rods (the third digit in the code reads 1) are formulated to freeze a puddle quickly enough that gravity does not pull it out of a vertical or overhead joint. That same fast-freezing coating is what makes them fussier on flat horizontal work, and it is why high-deposition, iron-powder-loaded rods like the E7024 at 5/32 inch, around 150–210 amps, are restricted to flat and horizontal: they dump so much metal so fast that overhead work is simply not going to hold. For a fuller breakdown of which rod suits which orientation, see our All Position Welding Rod Guide: Types, Uses & Tips.

One honest caveat: this entire chart describes stick welding specifically. For aluminum, stainless, cast iron, or an exotic alloy, none of these amperage windows carry over cleanly, and the electrode choices change completely. Understanding why SMAW still holds its own against MIG and TIG helps put those limitations in perspective.

Use the chart to get close, then let the bead make the final decision. The next section shows you how rod diameter and plate thickness dictate each other, and when swapping rods beats fighting your machine.

Matching Electrode Diameter to Metal Thickness

Choosing between E6010 and E7018 is only half the decision. The other half decides whether you burn through the root or get proper fusion: rod diameter. The core wire is the fuel line for the arc. The fatter the rod, the more metal it feeds into the pool per second, and the more base metal it melts before the puddle runs away from you. Diameter should follow the plate on your bench, not whatever box is closest in the crate. Get the pairing right and the amperage ranges in the master chart above behave exactly as the manufacturer intended.

The Thickness-to-Rod Rule of Thumb

Published guidance from electrode makers and amperage charts, including Welders Supply’s stick welding amperage chart, keeps landing on the same three breakpoints:

Base metal thickness	Rod diameter to start with	Why it fits
Under 1/8 in (thin sheet, light tubing)	3/32 in	Least filler deposited; stay at the low end of the rod’s range
1/8 to 1/4 in (everyday shop work)	1/8 in	Workhorse size: full fusion without overwhelming the plate
1/4 to 3/8 in (heavy plate, structural)	5/32 in	More filler and a deeper pool for single- or multi-pass work
Over 3/8 in (heavy sections)	3/16 in and larger	Multi-pass, usually flat and horizontal positions only

Two details in that table matter more than they look. Under 1/8 in, use a 3/32 in rod and sit at the low end of its published range, because the range printed on the box still spans enough current to punch holes in thin stock at the top. Second, 1/8 in earns its workhorse reputation honestly: it covers roughly 1/8 to 1/4 in plate with one rod size, so a small fab shop handles most general work without changing boxes. Past 1/4 in you move into 5/32 in territory and start thinking in multiple passes rather than one hot bead, as the Perfect Welders rod size and amperage guide also lays out. Quick check for thin work: if the rod is fatter than the plate is thick, you are oversize.

Step Down the Rod, Not Just the Dial

When the puddle gets too hot, the reflex is to twist the amperage dial down. On thin material that reflex causes a second problem. Drop a 1/8 in rod too far below its working current and the arc turns unstable and cold: it wanders, sticks to the work, and lays filler on top of the plate instead of into it, leaving the high-crowned, cold-lapped bead described in the fine-tuning section.

The same logic works in reverse on heavy plate. Burying a 1/8 in rod at the top of its range with a slow travel speed overheats the joint; stepping up to 5/32 in lets you deposit sound metal with better penetration margin and less time per inch.

Fit-Up Gaps: When Bigger Is Actually Better

Every chart quietly assumes a tight, well-prepared joint, and real fit-up often isn’t. A root gap, a mismatched edge, or a narrow bevel means more volume to fill and more arc time in one place, which is exactly where a slightly larger rod earns its keep. Bridging a gap with a 3/32 in rod forces you to run it hot at the top of its range, and a rod pushed to its ceiling tends to produce undercut and a crown that never ties into the sidewalls. Move up one rod size and nudge the current to the middle of the new range: the puddle gets enough fluidity to wet both edges while you bridge, and you can step back down for cover passes. Poor fit-up is one of the few cases where more rod and more amperage, not less, gives the sounder weld.

Where Stick Welding Runs Out of Road

Stick welding puts high heat into the joint relative to the metal it deposits, and the slag-covered pool punishes hesitation. That makes very thin sheet genuinely difficult: 16 gauge and lighter (roughly 1/16 in) tends to blow through before a stable bead forms, even with a 3/32 in rod and a fast hand. If thin material is regular work, a wire process is usually the smarter investment, and for aluminum sheet the Aluminum MIG Welding: The Complete Practical Guide explains why wire feeding beats consumable electrodes there.

At the other end, electrodes above 5/32 in are generally limited to flat and horizontal positions on heavy sections; the All Position Welding Rod Guide: Types, Uses & Tips covers which rods are genuinely certified to climb. Manufacturer datasheets and published electrode data sheets list position capability alongside amperage, so check both columns before assuming a big rod will hold a vertical root.

The takeaway: let plate thickness pick the diameter first, then let polarity and position fine-tune the amperage. Diameter is the coarse adjustment, the dial is the fine one, and swapping rods is faster and safer than crawling to the bottom of a range the arc was never meant to run in.

Polarity, Current Type and Machine Settings: AC, DCEN and DCEP

Amperage may get the most attention on a settings chart, but polarity is what determines where the arc’s heat actually goes. With roughly 60% of the arc heat concentrated at the positive terminal and 40% at the negative, swapping your electrode and work clamp connections can drastically change penetration, bead shape, and how the rod behaves. These recommendations aren’t arbitrary either, as they’re laid out in every AWS electrode classification and manufacturer data sheet (Lincoln Electric AWS classification reference).

DCEP: The Go-To for Penetration

Direct current electrode positive (DCEP), also known as reverse polarity, has the electrode holder on the positive terminal and the work clamp on the negative. With more heat focused at the electrode tip, the arc digs into the base metal for deeper fusion. This makes it the preferred choice for root passes, poor fit-up, or any joint that needs the weld to grab both pieces.

Many of the most common rods rely on this setup. E6010 is built strictly around DCEP for its forceful, fast-freezing root passes. E6011 can run on DCEP as well, however its potassium-based coating allows it to cross over to AC for more basic machines. For low-hydrogen work, E7018 is most often run on DCEP to achieve a stable arc and clean fusion, with many datasheets such as Pinnacle Alloys’ E7018 specifications listing both DCEP and AC as acceptable.

DCEN: Shallower, Faster, and Safer for Thin Metal

Direct current electrode negative (DCEN), or straight polarity, flips those connections. Now, more heat is concentrated at the workpiece rather than the electrode, producing a softer, shallower arc. The bead freezes much quicker and is far less likely to burn through thin-gauge steel.

This setup isn’t ideal for deep penetration, but it has its place for cosmetic passes or with rods designed for a gentler arc. Some all-position electrodes, like E7014, can run on either DCEN or DCEP depending on preference and application. Before committing to a polarity for an unfamiliar rod, it’s always worth checking its data sheet. For a broader breakdown of which rods fit which situations, our all position welding rod guide can help narrow it down.

AC: Versatile, But Dependent on Voltage

Alternating current continuously flips polarity, switching between electrode positive and negative around 100 to 120 times per second. Every zero crossing requires the arc to re-ignite, meaning AC demands enough open-circuit voltage (OCV) from the machine to stay lit through each reversal.

This is where older transformer buzz boxes can fall short. Machines with a low OCV can cause low-hydrogen rods like 7018 to sputter, stub, or go out entirely, leading many operators to blame the rod when the power source is the issue. While AC-rated low-hydrogen rods exist to combat this, the machine’s OCV still dictates whether they’ll run reliably. As noted by Hobart Brothers’ electrode classification guide, the current designation is a functional requirement, not an optional suggestion.

Machines, Dials, and Getting the Amps Right

The type of machine you’re using will heavily influence how these settings behave. Heavy transformer machines are simple, but their crude output curves mean the numbered dial is rarely accurate to the actual amperage. Inverters, on the other hand, can provide higher OCV, more stable arcs, and features like arc-force control that help prevent sticking, making finicky rods far easier to run.

Regardless of which one you own, never treat the dial as gospel. Mains voltage, lead length, and worn or undersized cables can all change your delivered amperage. The most reliable method is to set based off of your chart, test on scrap of the same thickness as your joint, and fine tune from the bead itself. If precision matters, a clamp meter around the electrode cable can give a true reading.

Polarity may be a small adjustment, but it’s one of the quiet strengths that keeps SMAW relevant. For more on why, take a look at our advantages of stick welding overview. If you’re looking to invest in a more capable power source, our Airgas welding equipment guide breaks down what to look for when shopping for one.

Fine-Tuning: Reading the Bead and Adjusting Your Settings

A settings chart gets you into the right ballpark. The bead tells you whether you actually won the game. Every experienced welder has the same habit after striking a test pass: chip the slag, wire-brush it, and look. What they see decides whether the dial moves up, moves down, or stays exactly where it is. Numbers on a machine are an estimate; the weld in front of you is evidence.

When the Bead Sits Proud: Reading a Cold Weld

The clearest sign of settings that are too cold is a bead sitting proud on the plate. Instead of washing smoothly into the base metal, the weld sits on top like a caterpillar: tall, crowned, narrow, with sharp edges that never blended. You will often feel it before you see it, because the rod tugs and stubs instead of running smoothly, and the slag digs into a central groove and refuses to lift cleanly.

Two things cause this more than anything else: not enough amperage, or travel speed that is too fast. The fix is straightforward. Slow your travel slightly so the puddle has time to wet out, then bump the machine up in small increments, usually 5 to 10 amps at a time, until the toes of the weld flatten and blend. If more amperage starts blowing through the plate, the right move is not more heat, it is a smaller diameter rod. A 3/32-inch electrode at a comfortable setting will outperform a 1/8-inch rod turned down so far that it will not flow properly, and the arc will be far more stable.

When the Arc Gets Violent: Reading a Hot Weld

Too much amperage announces itself loudly. The arc becomes aggressive and noisy, spatter flies in coarse balls that stick to surrounding metal, and the puddle runs faster than your hand can follow. On the finished weld you will see undercut — a small groove melted into the plate along the top toe — plus a bead that is flatter and wider than it should be, and in extreme cases burn-through on anything under about 1/8 inch. Rods also burn off suspiciously fast, which feels economical right up until you realize you are getting far fewer inches of weld per rod.

The correction is the mirror image of the cold fix: drop the amperage in 5-amp steps, or speed up your travel. Undercut in particular is almost always a heat-plus-travel problem, and it is a defect worth taking seriously because it acts as a stress riser in the finished part.

Arc Length, Rod Angle and Travel Speed

Arc length is the third variable people forget, and it matters as much as the dial. Keep the arc roughly equal to the core wire diameter or shorter — for a 1/8-inch rod, that means about 1/8 inch or less. This is especially critical with low-hydrogen E7018 electrodes, where a long arc lets atmospheric nitrogen and oxygen contaminate the puddle and leaves gas pockets in the weld after the slag comes off. A long arc also loses penetration and heat to the air, so it quietly produces the same cold, crowned bead that a low-amperage setting does. If your weld looks underfilled but your meter says the amps are right, shorten the arc first.

Angle and speed finish the job. Most stick electrodes are dragged, meaning the rod is angled back toward the finished weld, usually 5 to 15 degrees off vertical for a fillet. Travel speed should be steady and slow enough that the puddle runs roughly one to one-and-a-half rod diameters wide. Move too fast and you get the cold, tall bead described above; linger too long and the puddle flattens out, widens, and starts eating into thin plate.

Drag or Push? Direction of Travel

Dragging is the default for most stick rods because it pushes the slag back over the molten puddle and shields it, which is exactly what you want in flat and horizontal work. Pushing is less common with stick, but it has its place: it can help control a puddle that is getting away from you in vertical-up root passes or tight fillets, and it gives better visibility of the arc when access is awkward. The principle behind both is the same, though. Whichever way you travel, the angle should always point the arc into the joint and the filler metal into the leading edge of the puddle. Good all-position technique is covered in more detail in our All Position Welding Rod Guide.

Adjusting for Position: The 10–15% Rule

Gravity changes the puddle, so settings change with position. As a working rule, drop amperage roughly 10 to 15 percent from your flat setting when welding vertical-up or overhead. A 1/8-inch E7018 running a comfortable 120 amps in flat might sit around 105 amps overhead, for the simple reason that molten metal that is fine flat will drip on you overhead. Vertical-up adds another wrinkle: too much heat makes the puddle sag, so welders often run at the low end of the range with a slight weave or a steady stepped motion to keep the bead profile controlled.

The larger lesson of this stage is that the chart and the bead are partners. The Advantages of Stick Welding list always includes how forgiving and adjustable the process is, but that flexibility only pays off if you look closely at what you just made and turn the dial accordingly. Run a bead, read it, adjust, run it again. After a handful of passes your machine will be dialed in for your rods, your thicknesses and your hand — and that is when stick welding starts to feel easy.

Special Situations: Out-of-Position, Thin Metal, Dirty Steel and Non-Mild Steels

A settings chart assumes ideal conditions: clean mild steel, a tight joint and a flat bead. Real jobs rarely cooperate. Vertical joints, paper-thin sheet, rusted farm equipment and stainless tubing all force you to bend the chart’s numbers without abandoning its logic.

Welding Out of Position: Vertical and Overhead

Gravity is the variable a chart cannot see. In a vertical or overhead joint the molten pool wants to sag, so arc force and deposition rate matter more than raw penetration. The practical adjustment is almost always downward: step into the lower end of the recommended range, drop to a smaller diameter (3/32 in or 1/8 in), and shorten your arc.

• Vertical-up on plate is the structural standard. Root it with a fast-freeze E6010 or E6011 using a slight whip-and-pause motion, then fill and cap with E7018 in tight stringers or a narrow weave, pausing briefly at each edge so the toes tie in instead of climbing the walls.
• Vertical-down suits thin material and cosmetic work only. It runs faster and cooler, but penetration drops sharply, so never specify it for a structural joint.
• Overhead rewards the smallest rod you can control. Hold the arc at roughly rod diameter or less, keep the pool small, and let the slag freeze ahead of you rather than chasing a wide, hot puddle.

If rod handling and motion still feel unfamiliar, our All Position Welding Rod Guide breaks down which electrodes are genuinely rated for every position and which only pretend to be.

Thin Sheet Without Blowing Through

Thin metal problems are heat-input problems, and heat input is a function of amperage, travel speed and time on the joint. When 1/8-inch plate scorches at your usual setting, resist the urge to simply dial the machine to the bottom of the range. Step down a rod diameter first — 3/32 in instead of 1/8 in — and set the machine low within that new range. You keep a stable arc instead of a weak, wandering one.

Then manage the heat: use short stitch beads rather than one long pass, skip around the joint to let sections cool, keep travel speed brisk, and tack corners so distortion has nowhere to go. A copper backing bar or heat sink behind an open edge absorbs energy exactly where burn-through starts. On unequal joints, aim the arc into the thicker member.

Rusty, Painted and Galvanized Steel

This is where electrode choice beats machine settings. E6011 is valued for deep penetration through rust, mill scale, oil and paint, making it the field repair rod for farm implements, trailers and anything that has lived outdoors. Its forceful arc blasts through contamination that would make an E7018 blob and reject. E6010 works similarly on DC machines, and both run on AC for welders without a polarity switch.

Settings-wise, give a dirty rod a little more amperage than you would on clean steel — the arc has to break through the oxide layer — and move deliberately rather than crawling. Where you can, grind the joint back to bright metal anyway; a rod is a remedy, not an excuse.

Stainless, Cast Iron and Alloy Steels

Stainless runs cooler than mild steel and punishes excessive heat with warping and carbide precipitation. Typical guidance for common austenitic filler:

Electrode	Diameter	Amperage (approx.)	Best use
E308L	3/32 in	40–80 A	Thin stainless sheet and tube
E308L	1/8 in	75–115 A	General 304 stainless fabrication
E309L	1/8 in	75–115 A	Mild-to-stainless dissimilar joints

Run stringers, never wide weaves, and keep travel moving. The low-carbon “L” suffix slows carbide formation, which is why E308L is preferred over plain E308 for corrosion-critical work.

Cast iron needs nickel electrodes (ENi-CI for gray iron, ENiFe-CI for ductile and heavy sections), generous preheat, small beads with peening to relieve shrinkage, and a slow cool buried in a blanket. High-carbon and low-alloy steels bring the opposite risk: hard, brittle heat-affected zones. Preheat helps control cooling rate and hydrogen cracking risk on thicker, higher-carbon or highly constrained joints, and the amount should come from a written procedure, not guesswork. For filler selection on these grades, see our Alloy Steel Welding Electrodes guide. And if someone asks you to stick-weld aluminum: don’t — the process doesn’t work that way, and Aluminum MIG Welding: The Complete Practical Guide covers the route that does.

Reconditioning E7018 When It Gets Damp

E7018 is a low-hydrogen rod, and its protection depends on a dry flux. A cartridge left open on a humid shop floor can deposit hydrogen into the weld and open the door to cracking. The fix is not to throw the rods away automatically.

Production shops sidestep the whole question with a rod oven or heated quiver holding E7018 above roughly 70–100 °F from the moment the package opens, and by limiting open exposure to the data sheet’s specified holding time. On critical work, buy sealed containers, open one at a time, and date it. Used E7011 and E6013 rods are far more forgiving — they tolerate damp storage because hydrogen control isn’t their design goal — but that is not a reason to let any electrode rust in a puddle.

Common Stick Welding Setting Mistakes and Troubleshooting Fixes

Here is the pattern behind almost every stick welding complaint: the welder sees a defect, blames their hands, and starts changing travel speed, rod angle and arc length when the real problem is sitting on the machine dial. Technique matters, but it fixes the last 20 percent. The first 80 percent is amperage, polarity, rod condition and current path. Work the symptoms below in order and most beads get solved without touching your stance.

Electrode Sticking

The rod freezing to the workpiece is the classic beginner failure, and it is almost always a settings problem. Too little amperage will not keep the arc ionized once the rod touches, a long wandering arc lets the flux chill it out, and a weak or overextended cord set starves the machine of real output. The correction is simple: bump the dial up 5 to 10 amps, shorten the arc to about the rod diameter, and strike with a scratch start instead of stabbing straight in. If it still sticks at the correct chart amperage, your current path is the culprit, not your hands.

Porosity, Especially with E7018

Blown-up, cratered welds on 7018 usually come from damp low-hydrogen electrodes or an arc stretched too long, which lets the shielding flux break down. Store 7018 rods sealed or in a rod oven, and follow the reconditioning guidance in the E7018 electrode data sheet rather than guessing at bake times. Porosity can also be surface-driven: mill scale, oil, rust and paint all release gas into the puddle. One underrated benefit of deep-penetrating 6010 and 6011 rods is that they burn through contaminated steel better than most, a point covered in Advantages of Stick Welding: Why SMAW Still Wins.

Undercut

That groove melted into the base metal along the toe of a fillet is a heat and speed problem. Excessive amperage combined with too fast a travel speed leaves no filler to refill what the arc cut away. Drop the amps 5 to 10, slow down, and pause at the toes so the weld metal fills the notch. If the rod feels stiff and unresponsive, you may be running the wrong diameter for the joint, not the wrong amperage for the rod.

Lack of Fusion and Cold Lap

A rod that sits on the metal with a tall, convex crown and a visible line of non-fusion along the edges is telling you the joint is too cold or the puddle never wetted out. Raise amperage, slow your travel, and tighten a fit-up gap wide enough to swallow the filler. In out-of-position work the fix is often technique rather than the dial: the All Position Welding Rod Guide covers puddle control when gravity works against you.

Burn-Through

Blowing holes in plate is the opposite failure, but the correction is not always "turn it down." Dropping amps too far on a thin joint is what created the sticking and cold lap you had a minute ago. The smarter move is usually to step down a rod size, which cuts heat input at the source while keeping you in the rod’s happy amperage range. Then speed up slightly and keep the arc tight.

Cracking

Cracks in mild steel are less common than forum panic suggests, but they get real on restrained joints, higher-carbon steels or low-alloy materials. Common causes include too much heat in a single pass, hydrogen picked up from damp low-hydrogen rods, and cooling too fast without preheat. If you are moving beyond plain A36 into alloy work, review selection and preheat requirements in a resource like Alloy Steel Welding Electrodes: Selection, Use & Safety before striking an arc.

Equipment-Side Mistakes Welders Overlook

Settings on the dial mean nothing if the machine cannot deliver them. Watch for these:

• Poor ground clamp placement. Clamp directly to clean, bare metal near the joint, not to a painted table leg. A rusty or distant ground forces the arc down a longer path.
• Undersized or damaged cables. Holders, cables and work leads must be sized and connected for the current, or you get voltage drop and overheating before the arc starts.
• Excessive cord length. A long, thin extension cord can cost you the 10 amps you were chasing.
• Wrong breaker. A welder drawing full output on an undersized circuit trips mid-weld, which then looks like an arc-control problem.
• Dials set by feel. Nominally identical machines differ in actual output. Set from a chart, then tune to your bead.

Hot-work controls apply too: fire prevention and hot-work requirements around welding fall under OSHA Subpart J, so clear combustibles from the area before chasing a defect.

Troubleshooting Table: From Symptom to Setting Fix

Problem	Likely settings cause	Quick correction
Electrode sticks	Amps too low, long arc, weak output	Raise 5–10 A, shorten arc, check ground and cords
Porosity (7018)	Damp rod, stretched arc, wrong polarity	Fresh or baked electrode, tight arc, confirm DCEP/AC
Undercut	Too much amperage, fast travel	Drop 5–10 A, slow down, dwell at the toes
Lack of fusion	Too cold, wide gap, rushed travel	Raise amps, slow down, tighten fit-up
Burn-through	Heat too high for thickness	Step down rod size, then trim amps slightly
Cracking	Excessive heat, damp rod, no preheat	Reduce heat input, use dry low-hydrogen rod, preheat as required

Print that table and tape it to the machine. Once you can name the cause of a bad bead at a glance, fixing it becomes a two-second adjustment instead of an afternoon of frustration.

Safety, Setup and Final Quick-Reference Checklist

Every number in this article so far has been about getting a better bead. None of it matters if you get hurt making it. Settings and safety belong in the same conversation because they’re the same decision: how much energy you’re pushing through a stick arc, and what happens to the person holding the stinger when something goes wrong. A 70-amp 3/32-inch rod and a 250-amp 5/16-inch bead demand the same discipline from your eyes, your skin, your lungs and your workspace.

The Safety Layer That Belongs With Every Setting Change

Start with the eyes. The arc puts out intense ultraviolet and infrared radiation, and the filter lens is your first line of defense. Filter shades aren’t a preference or a fashion choice; they’re matched to the amperage range you’re actually running, and they should be selected per the shade requirements for that range. A shade too light for a 150-amp bead is a fast track to arc flash, and a shade too dark means you’re guessing at the puddle, which brings back every problem described earlier in this guide.

The shield holding that lens matters just as much. OSHA’s welding, cutting and brazing standard requires welding helmets and hand shields to be free of leaks, openings and highly reflective surfaces, because a pinhole or a scratched, mirror-like inner surface is exactly where stray radiation gets through. The same standard covers your skin: leather gloves, a flame-resistant jacket or leathers, and cuffs down and buttoned so you don’t catch a spark at the wrist.

On radiation intensity, it’s worth knowing where stick sits. OSHA notes that inert-gas arc processes produce ultraviolet intensities 5 to 30 times those of shielded metal arc welding, which is why people sometimes treat SMAW as the gentler process. Don’t. Stick arcs still require full eye and skin protection, and a 150-amp stick arc will burn bare skin and eyes in seconds.

Ventilation, Fumes and the Confined Space Rule

Welding fume is the invisible half of the hazard. Flux coatings break down into metal oxides and fluorides, and burning paint, rust or galvanizing adds whatever was on the steel. OSHA Subpart J lays out the general duty here: provide mechanical ventilation or local exhaust when fume accumulation could be harmful, and general ventilation alone at roughly 2,000 cubic feet per minute per welder is the common baseline for a general-work area.

Two more equipment-side checks before you strike an arc: the work clamp must be attached directly to the workpiece or the table as close to the weld as practical, not to a rusty leg or a paint-covered shelf, and your cables need to be sized for the amperage and free of cracked insulation. Poor grounding shows up later as an erratic arc that looks exactly like a settings problem.

Finally, fire watch. Sparks and slag roll a long way and keep glowing. Clear the area, keep a charged extinguisher within arm’s reach, and stay put for a full 30 to 60 minutes after finishing to check for smoldering. If you’re working near anything unusual — coated steels, containers, alloy or stainless assemblies — check a specialized procedure first, such as alloy steel welding electrodes: selection, use and safety, before improvising.

The Final Six-Step Settings Checklist

Here’s the whole workflow from this guide compressed into a repeatable sequence you can run on any job:

1. Pick the rod. Read the AWS code on the wrapper and confirm it fits the metal, the position and the service. If you’re unsure which all-position rod suits the joint, the all position welding rod guide walks through the choices.
2. Match diameter to thickness. Consult the thickness-to-rod table: 3/32 inch for light work, 1/8 inch as the shop standard for 1/8 to 1/4-inch plate, 5/32 inch and up for heavier multi-pass work.
3. Set polarity first. AC, DCEN or DCEP per the rod’s classification, before you worry about the amperage dial.
4. Set amps at the low end of the chart range. It’s always easier to add heat than to repair a blowout.
5. Test on scrap of the same thickness. Same material, same position, same joint fit-up — a flat test plate lies to you about vertical work.
6. Read the bead and tune in 5–10 A increments. Chart value → scrap test → bead reading → small steps until the bead ties in smoothly at the toes without crown or undercut.

That last step is the real skill. The chart gets you in the window; your eyes close the gap. The rod that once stuck and sputtered will now run quiet, the slag will lift in a clean curl, and the bead will wet out flat instead of sitting on top of the plate.

Nobody gets that on the first try, and nobody expects you to. Dial in low, run a test bead, adjust by a few amps, and read what the metal tells you. Do it a few hundred times and the numbers stop feeling like a lookup table and start feeling like common sense. That’s the point where stick welding gets genuinely enjoyable — and it’s exactly where the settings chart in this guide sends you.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best starting amperage for a 1/8-inch stick rod?

For a 1/8 in (3.2 mm) electrode, start in the 80–130 A neighborhood for E6013, 75–130 A for E6010/E6011, and around 110–165 A for E7018. Start at the low end of the range, weld a test bead on scrap of the same thickness, and adjust in small steps based on how the bead ties into the plate.

How do I know if my amperage is too high or too low?

Too low shows up as an electrode that sticks easily, a bead sitting proud on the plate with poor penetration and a rough surface. Too high shows up as violent arc action, heavy spatter, burn-through on thinner material, and undercut along the bead edges. Adjust in 5–10 amp increments until the bead lies flat and ties in smoothly.

Which stick rod should a beginner start with?

Most instructors start beginners on E6013 because it strikes easily, runs on AC or DC, tolerates a slightly longer arc, and works in all positions. E6011 is a good second rod because it penetrates through rust and mill scale. E7018 is the natural next step once arc control is solid, since it is the standard structural electrode.

What is the 1 amp per 0.001 inch rule?

It is a quick sizing rule: aim for roughly 1 amp of current per 0.001 inch of electrode core wire diameter as a starting point. A 1/8 in (0.125 in) rod starts near 125 A, and a 3/32 in (0.093 in) rod near 90–95 A. Position, joint fit-up, machine output, and electrode coating all move the actual value from there.

Does polarity really matter for stick welding?

Yes. Polarity changes how heat is distributed in the arc. E6010 runs on DCEP for a deep digging root pass, E6011 adds AC so it works on simple transformer machines, and E7018 runs on AC or DCEP with DCEP usually giving a smoother, more stable arc. Always match the polarity to what the electrode and its data sheet specify.

Why does my E7018 keep sticking and causing porosity?

Sticking usually means amps are too low or the arc is too long; raise the amperage slightly within the range and keep a short arc. Porosity usually comes from damp or contaminated low-hydrogen coating — store opened 7018 in a rod oven or sealed container, and recondition per the manufacturer’s baking instructions before use.

Can I use the same chart for stainless steel, cast iron or galvanized steel?

Not directly. Mild steel charts cover carbon steel electrodes such as 6010, 6011, 6013, 7014, 7018 and 7024. Stainless work uses electrodes like E308L or E309L with their own amp ranges (for example, E308L 1/8 in around 75–115 A), and cast iron uses nickel-based rods. Galvanized mild steel can be welded with mild steel rods, but the zinc coating produces fumes that demand strong ventilation.

How much should I lower amps for vertical or overhead welding?

A common adjustment is to reduce amperage by roughly 10–15% from flat-position settings when welding vertical-up or overhead, because gravity works against the puddle. Also consider a rod one size smaller, since smaller diameters give better puddle control out of position.