Welding Symbol Standards 12/23/19

By: Doug Schrader, CWI

Many of you have probably already
noticed changes to the welding
symbols on some of the drawings
issued to the shop floor. It is
critically important that the
engineer communicates the
necessary information regarding
the welding and joining
requirements between design,
fabrication, and inspection
personnel.
As Specsys, Inc. continues to
expand into the international
market, we need to understand the
welding symbols established by
ISO 2553. In as much as the basic
structure of the ISO 2553 weld
symbols resembles AWS A2.4
standard, there are some
significant differences everyone in
design, fabrication, and inspection
need to be aware of.
that a joint is to be welded. The
arrow line, reference line and tail,
shown in Fig. 1, is typically used to
indicate the location of tack welds,
according to ISO 2553.
ISO 2553, “System A”
ISO 2553 has two systems
permitted for use, (A or B). System
A requires the use of the
“Reference Line” be made up of
two parallel lines of equal length:
one solid line and one dashed line,
as shown in Fig 2. The dashed line
may be drawn above or below the
solid line – although below the
reference is preferred – and shall
be omitted for symmetrical welds
and welds with no side
significance by definition (such as
resistance spot or seam welds).
The solid line represents the arrow
side of the joint, while the dashed
line represents the other side.
Consequently, any weld symbols
applicable to the arrow side shall
be located on the solid line, while
those weld symbols that are
applicable to the other side shall
be located on the dashed line,
shown in Fig 2.

It is the intent of this article to

simply create a basic introduction
to the ISO 2553 and how it relates
to AWS A2.4. Should a question(s)
arise that is not addressed in this
article, a copy of both standards
has been placed in the “Q” Drive;
Master Forms and SOPs/All Master
Documents/AWS Welding Code
Books, for AWS A2.4-2012. Or, “Q”
Drive; Master Forms and SOPs/All
Master Documents/ISO Welding
Documents, for ISO 2553-2013.

Basic Welding Symbol

Both welding standards state that

the “Arrow” and the “Reference
Line” are the only required
elements of a welding symbol,
when the intention is to indicate
ISO 2553, “System B”

System B is familiar to people who have used AWS A2.4, since the basic symbol format and arrow side / other side are the
same. The reference line consists of a single solid line. Symbols and information shown below the reference line apply to
the arrow side of the weld joint, while that that’s above the reference line applies to the other side of the weld joint.

Comparison of ISO 2553 (A & B) to A2.4

Looking at Fig. 3, there are several common weld joints shown with the corresponding ISO 2553, System A, System B, and
AWS A2.4.

ISO 2553, System A, presents the greatest potential for confusion to those who have become very familiar with using AWS
A2.4 over the years. And those same individuals will definitely have a much easier time working with ISO 2553, System B,
because of their similarities.

Key points to keep in mind when ISO 2553 is the governing standard:

 If there is both dashed and solid lines present in the reference line position, System A is being used;
 If only a solid line is present, System B is being used;
 The use of only a dashed line is prohibited by either code;
 Drawings must be consistent throughout; either System A or System B shall be used, but not both; and
 When System A is being used, the solid line represents the arrow side and the dashed line represents the other
side, regardless of the order or orientation of the lines symbols placed on them.
Weld Symbols

In many cases, the weld symbols

themselves in ISO 2553 are easily
interpreted by a user familiar with
AWS A2.4. For example, fillet,
square groove, bevel-groove, V-
groove weld symbols, and others
in ISO 2553, are essentially
identical to their AWS
counterparts. The primary
differences in weld symbols come
where ISO 2553 has additional
symbols for specific circumstances
that AWS A2.4 does not, as shown
in Fig. 4.

ISO 2553 has weld symbols for

what is referred to as a single bevel
butt with broad face root and a
single-v butt with a broad face root.
There are also specific symbols for
what is referred to as steep-flake
bevel- and V-groove (for those
which have relatively small
included angles between groove
faces).
Multiple Reference Lines NDT and Welding Reference Lines

Two or more reference lines may be used to indicate a Nondestructive examination symbols and weld symbols
sequence of operations or processes that need to be may be combined.
performed, as shown below.

Arrow Line Breaks

When only one joint member is to have a bevel-groove, J-

groove, or both, the arrow shall have one break (shown
below) and point towards the member that needs to be
prepared (shown to the right).
Supplementary Symbols

Most supplementary weld symbols found in ISO 2553 are familiar to the users of AWS A2.4 and deal with weld profile, the
use of backing, or the extent of welding, for example.

The supplementary symbol shown in Fig. 6 is given for

toes blended smoothly, in ISO 2553, but is not recognized
by AWS A 2.4. Unlike AWS A2.4, the ISO 2553 standard
does not provide specific means of communicating
finishing methods (such as grinding and/or machining)
on the symbol itself.

Dimensions and Extent of Welding

Fillet Welds
There are a couple of notable differences in dimensioning fillet welds between the two standards. AWS A2.4 always
specifies fillet weld size by using the leg dimension, where ISO 2553 allows for different ways of indicating fillet weld
sizes.

All fillet weld dimensions, according to ISO 2553, must

be preceded by either a letter “a” or “z” to indicate which
aspect of the fillet weld size is given by dimension. A
dimension preceded by “a” indicates the weld throat
dimension, while a dimension preceded by “z” indicates
the leg dimension. These methods of dimensioning,
along with the AWS A2.4 equivalent (where applicable),
are shown in Fig. 7.

From a general inspection stand point, a fillet weld was

always dimensioned by the measurement(s) obtained
for each of the legs of the fillet weld. When an ISO 2553
symbol is used and calls out the throat dimension “a”, to
determine the required leg size: z = a√2

When a fillet weld throat dimension “a” is given on a

symbol, another optional dimension may also be given;
the weld size, including the throat penetration depth.
When this is used, the dimension is indicated by the
letter “s” and then the throat dimension, shown in Fig. 8.
Groove Welds

Similar to AWS A2.4, ISO 2553 provides a method for

specifying both the weld size and groove penetration on
a groove weld symbol. As in AWS A2.4, ISO 2553 gives
the preparation depth first, followed by the weld size.
While A2.4 requires the weld size to be placed in
parentheses to distinguish between the two features
being dimensioned, ISO 2553 designates preparation
depth with the letter “h” and weld size with the letter “s”
and requires that these letter designators precede their
associated dimensions. Refer to Fig. 9. As in AWS A2.4,
when no other dimensional information is given, groove
welds are to be complete penetration.

Intermittent Welds

ISO 2553 takes on a completely different approach to the

specification of intermittent fillet welds in comparison to
AWS A2.4. While A2.4 relies on simply specifying the
length and the pitch of the intermittent welds, ISO 2553
gives the number “n”, length “l” and the clear space
between the welds as “e”, showing the format as, n x l (e)
– Refer to Fig 10.

When staggered intermittent welds are called out, ISO

2553 uses a special symbol, resembling the letter “Z”,
which is placed across the reference line. This is in
contrast to the AWS A2.4 standard, where staggered
intermittent welds are represented by off-setting the
weld symbols on each side of the reference line. Refer to
Fig. 11.

Welding Between Two Points

ISO 2553 uses a unique method of indicating the extent

of welding. As shown in Fig. 12, a continuous weld of the
same type between two clearly indicated points may be
specified by giving the points to the right of the weld
symbol, with an arrow drawn between them. If a specific
progression for welding is required (i.e., from point A to
point B or vice versa) only one arrowhead is used,
indicating the appropriate direction. If the progression is
not specified, two arrowheads are used.
Final Note

It is important for design, fabrication, welding and

inspection professionals to be aware of the different
systems in use for communicating critical information.
Having been developed independently from AWS A2.4
symbols standard, ISO 2553 has important differences in
which everyone needs to be aware of when creating
and/or interpreting design documents using these
systems. However, there are a number of underlying
symbol elements that are similar, and once people
become knowledgeable of the where the primary
differences are, a person with an understanding of AWS
A2.4 should be able to work with ISO 2553 symbols with
undue difficulty.

AWS, Inspection Trends, November 2019 / Vol. 22 / No. 4