Types of Welding: A Guide to Welding Processes

Types of Welding Compared

Descriptions from OSHA Fact Sheet 3647; counts from 667 official welding program pages reviewed September 2026.

Processes and Fume

OSHA lists arc processes in order of decreasing fume production: flux-cored, stick, MIG and TIG. Flux-cored and stick work needs the most attention to ventilation; see our welding safety guide.

Cutting and Gouging

BLS describes cutters using heat from an electric arc, a stream of ionized gas called plasma, or burning gases to cut and trim metal. 444 verified programs list a cutting process, most often plasma and oxy-fuel, with carbon arc gouging in some.

Welding Processes and Eye Protection

Each process also sets how dark your lens needs to be. OSHA's shade guide in 29 CFR 1910.252 suggests shade 10 for stick welding with 1/16- to 5/32-inch electrodes, 11 for MIG or TIG on nonferrous metals such as aluminum, 12 for MIG or TIG on steel, and 14 for heavy stick electrodes and carbon arc. Torch brazing needs only 3 or 4, and soldering 2. The full table is in our welding safety guide.

Specialized Types of Welding and Where They're Taught

Beyond the four core types of welding, a smaller group of programs teaches the processes and materials that lead to niche jobs. 43 verified programs list brazing, 68 list robotic or automated welding and 102 list metallurgy. Examples of programs that go further:

Program facts from each school's official welding page, reviewed September 2026.

The Order Schools Teach Welding Processes

Many programs publish their course sequence, and in these examples TIG and the harder metals, such as aluminum and stainless, come late. Eastern Maine Community College covers basic and pipe stick welding in the first year and MIG and TIG in the second. Daytona State College runs a 725-clock-hour certificate that covers pulsed MIG, spool-gun and push-pull aluminum welding before finishing with TIG on carbon steel, aluminum and stainless. Hillsborough College lists its coursework as welder helper, shielded metal arc, gas metal arc, flux-cored arc, gas tungsten arc and pipe welder, in that order.

Cutting runs alongside from the start. 444 verified programs list a cutting process, and some add machine cutting: Madison Adult Career Center teaches five welding processes and two cutting processes with a CNC plasma table in the lab.

Which Process You'll Certify in

AWS certifications are issued process by process, so the process you practice most is the one you'll test in. Published examples: First Coast Technical College tests to AWS D1.1 in stick on plate or pipe and in flux-cored on plate; Eastern Maine Community College sends graduates to AWS structural testing plus ASME Section IX pipe tests in stick and TIG; and Advanced Welding Institute requires at least one certification each in stick, MIG and TIG to graduate, with stick certified in all positions, unlimited thickness, per AWS D1.1.

Learning One Process at a Time

Many colleges award a certificate for each process, so you can prove stick, MIG or TIG skills before finishing a full program. TCAT Nashville lists 432-clock-hour certificates in Gas Metal Arc, Shielded Metal Arc and Gas Tungsten Arc welding on the way to its 1,296-hour Combination Welder diploma. Pitt Community College offers separate SMAW, GMAW and GTAW certificates alongside its diploma and AAS, and Heartland Community College splits stick, MIG and TIG into 6-credit microcertificates.

School pages also name the positions you'll weld in. Barton County Community College lists credentials in the 1F through 4F and 1G through 4G positions, and Advanced Career Institute covers carbon steel pipe in the 1G, 2G, 5G and 6G positions. Positions matter because AWS certifications record the position you tested in, along with the process and code.

Which Process Should You Learn First?

Most programs start with stick welding, then MIG and flux-cored, then TIG. For pipe and structural jobs, stick and flux-cored carry the most weight; for manufacturing, MIG; for aerospace, food-grade stainless and aluminum, TIG. Each AWS certification names the process and code you tested on.