Pipe Welding: Getting Started With 5G Position and Root Passes

45 min read Training Guide

Pipe welding positions, stick and TIG process basics, and the code work that pays the best welding money.

Table of contents

What the work looks like

Pipe welding is one of the best-paid welding specialties in the US. Pipeline welders, boilermakers, and power-plant pipe welders earn $35 to $75 per hour plus per diem, often exceeding $150,000 per year on traveling jobs. The work is ASME Section IX qualified: every welder passes a procedure-specific performance test before being allowed to weld production.

Positions (per AWS B2.1 and ASME Section IX):

  • 1G: pipe horizontal, rotated. Entry level.
  • 2G: pipe vertical, axis vertical. Weld horizontal.
  • 5G: pipe horizontal, fixed. Weld goes overhead, vertical, flat. The most common test.
  • 6G: pipe at 45 degrees, fixed. The master test. 6G passes qualify you for all positions.

Processes:

  • SMAW (stick): E6010 root, E7018 fill and cap. Pipeline standard.
  • GTAW (TIG): root pass on stainless, sanitary, and high-pressure.
  • FCAW (flux-cored): fill and cap on large-diameter structural pipe.
  • GMAW (MIG): limited use on pipe outside of semi-automatic pipeline (STT, RMD processes).

Job titles: Pipe Welder, Pipeline Welder, Boilermaker, Power Plant Welder, Process Piping Welder. A new pipe welder starts in a shop at $22 to $28 per hour. A rig-welder with a certified truck and a UA Local 798 card makes the big numbers.

Safety and tools

Pipe welding hazards:

  • Arc UV and infrared: cover all skin. Leather jacket, flame-resistant shirt, leather sleeves on TIG.
  • Welding fume: hex chrome on stainless, manganese on carbon, zinc on galvanized. Fume extraction or a PAPR (Powered Air Purifying Respirator).
  • Burns: pipe walls hold heat. Leather gloves, grinder gloves when switching between weld and prep.
  • Confined space: tanks and boilers are confined spaces. See confined-space entry requirements.
  • Fall protection for any pipe work above 6 feet (OSHA 1926 Subpart M).

Process discipline for root passes:

  • Fit-up: bevel angle 30 degrees per side (60 degrees included), 1/16 to 3/32 inch root gap, 1/16 inch land. Tacks at 12, 3, 6, 9 positions.
  • E6010 root: 5/64 or 3/32 inch, 70 to 90 amps DC electrode positive. Keyhole technique.
  • Grind and brush between passes. Do not skip.
  • E7018 fill: drag angle, no whip. Lock in rod angle and bead width.

Tools: Miller XMT 350 or Lincoln V350 Pro engine drive (field) or rectifier (shop); TIG machine with HF start (Miller Dynasty or Lincoln Aspect) for TIG roots; grinder, wire brush, file, soapstone, pipe wrap for bevel layout, torpedo level, angle finder, C-clamp and bridge clamps for alignment.

Your first exercise

Practice stick welding in the 2G and 5G positions on 2-inch Schedule 40 pipe coupons. Your first goal is a pass on the 5G test: root pass with E6010, hot pass with E7018, fill and cap with E7018. Inspectors check for complete joint penetration (root visible from inside the pipe), bead profile, and absence of defects (porosity, slag, undercut, cracks). Before you test, weld at least 20 hours of practice coupons in 5G. Every pipe welder practices more than they test.

Where to go next

Build on Pipe Welding with Welding Fundamentals (Introduction to Welding), Stick Welding (Introduction to Stick Welding), Structural Welding (Introduction to Structural Welding), Weld Inspection (Introduction to Weld Inspection), Blueprint Reading, and Metallurgy for Welders. Certifications: AWS D1.1, ASME Section IX, API 1104 (pipeline). Safety: Welding Safety (AWS Z49.1), Confined Space Entry, Respiratory Protection, Fall Protection.