Field weld
A small flag on the welding symbol. The weld is to be made in the field, on site, rather than in the shop.
This explains what a symbol specifies on a drawing. It isn't welding instruction, and a drawing's own notes and the governing code take precedence.
How to read it
Welds that cannot be made in the shop are identified as field welds. The field weld symbol is a black flag that points toward the tail of the welding symbol. Whether a weld is a shop or a field weld is one of the things weld symbols are used to show.
Also searched as: field weld flag.
Differences by country or standard
The international system uses a flag too. India's IS 813:1986, which draws on ISO 2553, uses a flag to indicate a field or site weld.
More welding symbols
Sources
- Steelworker, Volume 1, NAVEDTRA 14250, 1996, Naval Education and Training Professional Development and Technology Center, U.S. Navy (Internet Archive), Chapter 3, Drawings and specifications
- Welding Theory and Application, TM 9-237, 1967, Department of the Army (Internet Archive), Chapter 11, Section II
- Scheme of symbols for welding, IS 813:1986, Bureau of Indian Standards (Internet Archive, Public.Resource.Org), Section 7.2
Last reviewed September 25, 2026 by Rory Hansen. How we research