TECHSUPPORT #60

Consumables for welding

Hardox®, Strenx®, Toolox® and Armox® steel

In this TechSupport, SSAB offers suggestions for suitable consumables for welding
Hardox® wear plate, Strenx® performance steel, Toolox® engineering & tool steel and
Armox® protection plate. Note that the consumables listed are only examples. In addition
to these, there are numerous­­suitable products that meet the recommendations from
SSAB. The consumables are classified into two main groups – unalloyed and low-alloyed
grades, which are the most common – and stainless steel consumables.

The UK / US English version of this document shall prevail in case of discrepancy. Download the latest version from downloads at www.ssab.com.
Hardox®, Strenx®, Toolox® and Armox® are trademarks of the SSAB group of companies. The information contained in this document is provided only as
general information. SSAB AB accepts no responsibility for the suitability or appropriateness of any application. It is the user’s responsibility to independently
determine suitability of all products, and or applications, and to test and verify the same. The information provided by SSAB AB hereunder is provided “as is,
where is” and with all faults, and the entire risk associated with such information is with the user. Copyright © 2021 SSAB AB. All rights reserved.
 Unalloyed and low-alloyed consumables

General Preheat/interpass temperatures due to

Unalloyed and low-alloyed consumables should meet the consumable properties
specified strength criteria, their hydrogen content should be When welding with consumables with yield strengths (Rp0.2)
lower or equal to 5 ml of hydrogen per 100 g of weld metal. up to 700 MPa (100 ksi) the consumable properties typi-
cally don’t influence the minimum preheat temperature
Strength of the joint.
Suitable strength levels for consumables used for welding
The reason is that the carbon equivalent (CET), of the
Strenx®, Hardox®, Toolox® and Armox® steels are given in
parent metal typically exceeds that of the weld metal by
the chart on the next page.
at least 0.03 units of percentage. For consumables with
yield strengths of 700 MPa (100 ksi) and higher, the CET
Hydrogen content
value for the consumable v­ ersus the CET value for Strenx®
The hydrogen content of consumables depends on factors
is ­normally so high that the minimum preheating tempe-
such as the welding method used. Solid w ­ ires for MAG with
rature of both, the steel and the consumable, are to be
solid wire and TIG welding can meet the hydrogen content
considered.
criteria for all types of consumables. Flux-cored wires for
MAG welding, which fulfil the hydrogen content criteria, are In this situation, the highest minimum preheat tem-
available for both basic and rutile types of consumables. perature of either the joint plates or the consumable
Metal-cored wires used in MAG welding can have suitable should be used. SSAB’s software WeldCalc™ can simplify­
hydrogen contents for certain brand names. Among con- these calculations. As for all types of low-alloyed
sumables for submerged arc welding, the combination of consumables, the maximum hydrogen content is set to
solid wire/basic flux can produce sufficiently low hydrogen 5 ml/100 g of weld metal.
contents in the weld metal. Toolox® can in certain cases be welded with consumables
Manufacturers of consumables can provide in­formation that have matching hardness to the unaffected parent
regarding the hydrogen content of a specific consumable. metal. This type of consumable is designed especially
In addition, SSAB has specified suggestions for suitable for welding tool steels. This means that their mechanical
consumables. The types suggested in this Tech­Support are properties are typically stated in hardness of the all-weld
sorted according to welding method and strength class. metal and not by their strength. For this type of welding
performance, contact SSAB for further information regar-
ding welding recommendations including e.g. selection of
suitable consumables.
N
alent,

mended

mm (2"-
these

3 mm (1/8”)

Hardox® wear plate Strenx® performance steel

CONSUMABLES FOR WELDING HARDOX®, STRENX®, TOOLOX® AND ARMOX® STEEL | 2

7
High strength, low-alloy consumables with yield
strengths (Rp0.2) higher than 700 MPa (100 ksi)
Strenx® 900–1300 steel types are frequently welded with
consumables that have yield strengths of about 750-900
MPa (109-130 ksi) in the all-weld metal. The Toolox® gra-
des can also be welded with these types of consumables,
although to a less extent compared to the Strenx® grades.
This group of consumables represents the high­est strength
available on the market. The manufacturers of consumables
do not normally specify preheat/interpass temperatures
for these types of consumables. The actual temperature
can, for ­example, be determined in accordance with the
European standard EN 1011-2, Method B. In addition, SSAB
has made its own general estimates of the lowest suitable
preheat/interpass temperature in accordance with the
table below. This is possible since the alloying concepts
are similar for the ­relevant consumables. Consumables are
sensitive to high interpass temperatures. All recommended
consumables can achieve high strengths due to the high Toolox® engineering & tool steel
strength microstructures, such as martensite, in the weld
metal. Due to the high content of alloying elements, mar-
tensite transformation takes place at low temperatures.
This is why SSAB considers that the interpass temperature
should be set at a maximum of 210 °C (410 °F).
High strength consumables are normally sensitive to high
heat inputs. Excessively high heat input will impair the
mechanical properties of the joint. How­ever, the permis-
sible heat input follows our normal recommendations for
the relevant steel grade.

The estimated minimum preheat/interpass temperatures for

high strength low-alloyed consumables with yield strengths of
750 MPa (109 ksi) or more.

Single plate thickness, Minimum preheat/interpass

welded joint mm (in.) temperature* in °C (°F)

≤ 10.0 (0.394) 125 (275)

10.1-20.0 (0.398 - 0.787) 140 (284)

20.1-40.0 (0.791 - 1.575) 175 (347)

> 40.0 (1.575) 190 (374)

*SSAB does not take formal responsibility of these temperatures

since they depend on the individual characteristics of the
consumables.

Armox® protection plate

CONSUMABLES FOR WELDING HARDOX®, STRENX®, TOOLOX® AND ARMOX® STEEL | 3

 Welding consumables, AWS class
Rp0.2 MPa (ksi)

MMA SAW MAG MAG MAG TIG

(solid wire/- (solid wire) (flux (metal
Recommended 900 flux combinations) cored wires) cored wires)
strength of (130)
consumables
for highly 800
stressed joints (116)
AWS A5.5 E120X AWS A5.23 F12X AWS A5.28 ER120S-X AWS A5.29 E12XT-X AWS A5.28 E120C-X AWS A5.28 ER120X
700
Recommended (100)
strength of AWS A5.5 E110X AWS A5.23 F11X AWS A5.28 ER110S-X AWS A5.29 E11XT-X AWS A5.28 E110C-X AWS A5.28 ER110X
consumables 600 AWS A5.5 E100X AWS A5.23 F10X AWS A5.28 ER100S-X AWS A5.29 E10XT-X AWS A5.28 E100C-X AWS A5.28 ER100X
for other
(87)
joints
E90X AWS A5.23 F9X AWS A5.28 ER90S-X AWS A5.29 E9XT-X AWS A5.28 E90C-X AWS A5.28 ER90X
500 AWS A5.5
(70)
AWS A5.5 E80X AWS A5.23 F8X AWS A5.28 ER80S-X AWS A5.29 E8XT-X AWS A5.28 E80C-X AWS A5.28 ER80X
400 AWS A5.5 E70X AWS A5.23 F7X AWS A5.28 ER70S-X AWS A5.29 E7XT-X AWS A5.28 E70C-X AWS A5.28 ER70X
(58)
Welding consumables, AWS class

Strenx® 900 – 1300, MC, PLUS, CR grades

Hardox®
Armox®
Toolox®
Strenx® 700*, 100, 100XF
Strenx® 110XF
* Including MC, PLUS, CR grades

Welding consumables, EN class

Rp0.2 MPa (ksi)

MMA SAW MAG MAG TIG

(solid wire/- (solid wire) (all types of tubular
Recommended 900 flux combinations) cored wires)
strength of (130) EN ISO 18275 (-A) E 89X EN ISO 26304 (-A) S 89X EN ISO 16834 (-A) G 89X EN ISO 18276 (-A) T 89X EN ISO 16834 (-A) W 89X
consumables ER120X
for highly 800 800
stressed joints (116) EN ISO 18275 (-A) E 79X EN ISO 26304 (-A) S 79X EN ISO 16834 (-A) G 79X EN ISO 18276 (-A) T 79X EN ISO 16834 (-A) W 79X
ER120X
700
Recommended (100)
EN ISO 18275 (-A) E 69X EN ISO 26304 (-A) S 69X EN ISO 16834 (-A) G 69X EN ISO 18276 (-A) T 69X EN ISO 16834 (-A) W 69X ER110X
strength of
consumables 600 EN ISO 18275 (-A) E 62X EN ISO 26304 (-A) S 62X EN ISO 16834 (-A) G 62X EN ISO 18276 (-A) T 62X EN ISO 16834 (-A) W 62X
for other ER100X

CONSUMABLES FOR WELDING HARDOX®, STRENX®, TOOLOX® AND ARMOX® STEEL | 4

(87) EN ISO 18275 (-A) E 55X EN ISO 26304 (-A) S 55 X EN ISO 16834 (-A) G 55 X EN ISO 18276 (-A) T 55X EN ISO 16834 (-A) W 55X
joints
EN ISO 2560 E 50X EN ISO 14171 (-A) S 50X EN ISO 14341 (-A) G 50X EN ISO 17632 (-A) T 50X EN ISO 636 (-A) W 50X ER90X
500
(70) EN ISO 2560 E 46X EN ISO 14171 (-A) S 46X EN ISO 14341 (-A) G 46X EN ISO 17632 (-A) T 46X EN ISO 636 (-A) W 46X ER80X
400 EN ISO 2560 E 42X EN ISO 14171 (-A) S 42X EN ISO 14341 (-A) G 42X EN ISO 17632 (-A) T 42X EN ISO 636 (-A) W 42X ER70X
Welding consumables, EN class

(58)

Strenx® 900 – 1300, MC, PLUS, CR grades

Hardox®
Armox®
Toolox®
Strenx® 700*, 100, 100XF
Strenx® 110XF
* Including MC, PLUS, CR grades
Examples of suitable low-alloy consumables
Suggestions for various suitable consumables are given in the following tables. Note that the consumables are arranged
according to the yield strength (Rp0.2) for which they are classified. In ­reality, a given consumable normally has a higher
yield strength than its standard designation. The ­mechanical properties of a given consumable can be obtained from
its manufacturer.

MAG, solid wire

Consumable
manufacturer/
400 (58) 470 (68) 540 (78) 610 (97) 680 (100) 745 (108)
Min yield strength
MPa (ksi)

AWS Class ER 70X* ER 80X ER 90X ER100X* ER110X ER120X

ELGA Elgamatic 100 Elgamatic 162 Elgamatic 163 Elgamatic 135 Elgamatic 138
Elgamatic 103 Elgamatic 147
ESAB OK Aristorod 12.50 OK Aristorod 13.09 OK Aristorod 13.22 OK Aristorod 55 OK Aristorod 69 OK Aristorod 79
OK Aristorod 12.63 OK Aristorod 13.12 OK Autrod 13.25
LINCOLN LNM 25 LNM Ni1 LNM MoNi LNM MoNiVa LNM MoNiCr
ELECTRIC SUPRAMIG HD LNM Ni2.5 Superarc AK
10-TM
BÖHLER EMK6 NiCu1-IG CM2-IG Union NiMoCr X70-IG Union X90
EMK8 DCMS-IG alform 700-IG Union X96
OERLIKON Carbofil 1 Carbofil NiCu Carbofil NiMoCr Carbofil 120
Carbofil 1 Gold Carbofil NiMo1
* X can stand for one or several code characters

MAG, flux cored wire

Consumable
manufacturer/
400 (58) 470 (68) 540 (78) 610 (97) 680 (100) 745 (108)
Min yield strength
MPa (ksi)

AWS Class ER 7X* ER 8X* ER 9X* ER10X* ER11X* ER12X*

ELGA Elgacore DWA 51B Elgacore DWA 55L Elgacore DWA 65L Elgacore R690
Elgacore DWA 50
ESAB Tubrod 15.00 OK Tubrod 15.17 Dual-Shield 55 Dual-Shield 62 Dual-Shield 69 Filarc PZ 6149
Filarc PZ 6113S Dual-Shield CrMo2 OK Tubrod 15.27
LINCOLN Outershield 71E-H Outershield 12-H Outershield 20-H Outershield Outershield
ELECTRIC Outershield 71MS-H Outershield 19-H 101Ni-HSR 690-H
BÖHLER Ti52-FD Ti 60-FD Kb 65 T-FD Kb 85 T-FD
Union TG 55 M Ti 2 Ni T-FD
OERLIKON Fluxofil 14HD Fluxofil 20
Fluxofil 19HD Fluxofil 20HD
* X can stand for one or several code characters

MAG, metal cored wire

Consumable
manufacturer/
400 (58) 470 (68) 540 (78) 610 (97) 680 (100) 745 (108)
Min yield strength
MPa (ksi)

AWS Class ER 7X* ER 8X* ER 9X* ER10X* ER11X* ER12X*

ELGA Elgacore MXA 100 Elgacore MXA 55T Elgacore M690
Elgacore MXA
100XP
ESAB OK Tubrod 14.13 OK Tubrod 14.03 Coreweld 89
PZ6105R
LINCOLN Outershield MC710-
ELECTRIC H
Outershield MC715-
* X can stand for one or several
H code characters

BÖHLER HL 46-MC HL53 T-MC HL65 T-MC HL75 T-MC alform 700-MC alform 900-MC
HL 51 T-MC NiCu1 T-MC alform 960-MC

CONSUMABLES FOR WELDING HARDOX®, STRENX®, TOOLOX® AND ARMOX® STEEL | 5

MMA
Consumable
manufacturer/
400 (58) 470 (68) 540 (78) 610 (97) 680 (100) 745 (108)
Min yield strength
MPa (ksi)
AWS Class E7016-X* E8016-X* E9018-X* E10018-X* E11018-X* E12018-X*
E7018-X* E8018-X*
ELGA P48S P48K P110MR
P51 P65MR
ESAB OK 48.00 OK 73.68 OK 74.78 OK 74.86 OK 75.75 OK 75.78
OK 48.50 OK 73.15 Tensitrode Filarc 118
LINCOLN Basic 7018 Conarc 74 Conarc 60G Conarc 80 Conarc 85
ELECTRIC Baso 100 Conarc 70G
BÖHLER Fox ev 50 Fox ev 60 Fox ev 70 Fox EV 85
AWS E7018-1 Fox Fox 2.5Ni Fox alform 700
OERLIKON Carbofil 1 Tenacito 70 Tenacito 65R Tenacito 75 Tenacito 80 Tenacito 100
Carbofil 1 Gold
* X can stand for one or several code characters

SAW
Consumable
manufacturer/
400 (58) 470 (68) 540 (78) 610 (97) 680 (100) 745 (108)
Min yield strength
MPa (ksi)

AWS Class F7X* F8X* F9X* F10X* F11X* F12X*

ELGA Elgasaw 102/ Elgasaw 102Mo/
Elgaflux 251B Elgaflux 251B
Elgasaw 102Si/
Elgaflux 251B
ESAB OK Autrod 12.22/ OK Autrod 12.24/ OK Autrod 12.44/ OK Autrod 13.40/ OK Autrod 13.43/
OK Flux 10.62 OK Flux 10.62 OK Flux 10.62 OK Flux 10.62 OK Flux 10.62
OK Autrod 12.32/ OK Autrod 12.34/
OK Flux 10.62 OK Flux 10.62
LINCOLN L-61/Lincolnweld LNS 40A/ LNS 164/839 LA82/Lincolnweld
ELECTRIC 8500 Lincolnweld 8500 LNS 151/P 240 MIL 800-H
L-50M/P 240 LNS 150/P 240 LA100/Lincoln-
weld MIL 800-H
BÖHLER EMS 2/BB 24 EMS 2 Mo/BB 24 3NiMo 1-UP/BB24 3 NiMoCr/BB24
Union S 2/ Union S 3 NiMoCr/
UV 420TT UV 420TT

OERLIKON OE-S3/OP121TT OE-S2Mo/ OE-S3NiMo1/

OP121TT OP121TT
* X can stand for one or several code characters

CONSUMABLES FOR WELDING HARDOX®, STRENX®, TOOLOX® AND ARMOX® STEEL | 6

Stainless steel consumables
Hardox®, Strenx®, Armox® and Toolox® steel can always be welded with austenitic stainless steel ­consumables of type
AWS 307. The typical basic chemical composition for this grade is 18 % Cr, 8 % Ni, 6 % Mn. After w ­ elding, high r­ esistance
is achieved to avoid both hydrogen cracks and hot cracks in the joint. The structure of the weld metal will contain
­austenite, which contributes to a high toughness of the weld metal. The yield strength (Rp0.2) of this type of consumable
is around 450-500 MPa (65-70 ksi).

Other important benefits of welding This type of consumable is suitable as the buffer layer in
with this type of consumable are: hard facing. An alternative to the welding consumable AWS
• Preheat/interpass temperatures of +20 °C (68 °F) 307 is an austenitic stainless steel consumable according
or more in the joint as well as in the surrounding air to AWS 309. However, the risk of hot cracking is somewhat
can be avoided on all Hardox® and Strenx® steels, higher when using consumables of type AWS 309 compared
with the exception of Hardox® 600 and Hardox® to ones according to AWS 307. Consumables according
Extreme. Further information is available in the to AWS 307 are listed in the table below.
Welding of Hardox® and Strenx® steel brochures.
• Preheat/interpass temperatures for Armox® can Hard facing Buffer layer
often be lowered. Futher information is found in the
workshop brochure for Armox®.
• If these consumables are applied for welding of
Toolox®, contact SSAB for further information
regarding preheat temperatures.
• Welding operations can be performed for the Steel substrate
welding of Hardox®, Strenx®, Toolox® and Armox®
grades to other kinds of steels, such as:
• Stainless steels
• Manganese steels (Hadfield steel)
• Steels that are difficult to weld,
such as spring steels

Stainless consumables
Consumable
manufacturer/
MMA MAG, solid ware MAG, flux cored wire MAG, metal cored wire SAW
Min yield strength
MPa (ksi)

AWS Class A5.4: E307X* A5.9: E307 A5.22: E307X* A5.22: E307X*
ELGA Cromamig 307Si

ESAB OK 67.45 OK 16.95 OK Tubrod 15.34

OK67.52
LINCOLN Arosta 307 LNM 307
ELECwTRIC
BÖHLER Fox A7 A7-IG A7-FD A7-MC

OERLIKON Supercromax R Inertfil 307 Fluxinox 307

* X can stand for one or several code characters

CONSUMABLES FOR WELDING HARDOX®, STRENX®, TOOLOX® AND ARMOX® STEEL | 7

 931-en-Techsupport #60 Consumables for welding Hardox®, Strenx®, Toolox® and Armox® steel-V2-2021- www.solodesign.se. Österbergs Tryckeri AB.
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T +46 155 25 40 00 Hardox®, Strenx®, Toolox® and Armox® are trademarks of the SSAB group of companies.
The information contained in this document is provided only as general information.
F +46 155 25 40 73 SSAB AB accepts no responsibility for the suitability or appropriateness of any application.
contact@ssab.com It is the user’s responsibility to independently determine suitability of all products, and
or applications, and to test and verify the same. The information provided by SSAB AB
hereunder is provided “as is, where is” and with all faults, and the entire risk associated
www.ssab.com with such information is with the user. Copyright © 2021 SSAB AB. All rights reserved.