TIG welders, Arc welders, MIG welders, and Stick welders who work with wires, know that when the wire is cut and is straightened, it is called a welding rod. That is a form of filler metal or filler wire which is used by the multiprocess welders in the process of brazing or welding that does not conduct the electrical current.

As the Arc welders, TIG welders, Stick welders, and MIG welders are aware, when the wire is used in the electrical circuit, it is called a welded electrode and it is defined as part of the welding circuit and actually through the welding electrode is conducted the welding current. Usually the electrode is a welding wire, yet it can come in other forms as well.

The multiprocess welders know of several systems that are applied for the classification of a certain welding wire, rod or electrode. In all those cases is used a prefix letter which indicates something. So, here it is how the welding wire classification goes: when the prefix is R it indicates welding rod, when it is E it means welding electrode; when the prefix is RB, this is either a welding rod or a brazing filler metal, and when the prefix is ER, this is electrode rod or welding rod.

Stick welders, MIG welders, TIG welders, and Arc welders further use a system that is used for the identification of the rods applied during the gas shielded arc welding and the bare carbon steel electrodes. This identification system also uses prefixes.

The multiprocess welders recognize ER as electrode or welding wire / rod, 80 – indicating the minimum tensile strength in thousands of pounds per square inch, S indicates the solid electrode or rod, C indicates the stranded electrode or the composite metal cored and 1 used as suffix number indicates the stability factor.

The multiprocess welders further recognize another system used for the identification of the solid bare carbon steel for the submerged arc. This system includes the usage of the prefix E for electrode, which is then followed by the letters L (Low), M (medium), H (high) manganese level. These two letters are then followed by a number which indicates the average amount of carbon.