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AWS A5.20 / ASME SFA-5.20 · Basic flux-cored wire (FCAW)

E71T-5 Basic Flux-Cored Welding Wire

E71T-5 is a basic (lime-fluoride) flux-cored welding wire classified to AWS A5.20 for carbon and carbon-manganese steel, depositing weld metal with a minimum tensile strength of 70,000 psi (490 MPa) and giving substantially better low-temperature impact toughness and lower diffusible hydrogen than a rutile E71T-1 wire, at the cost of a harsher arc and slag that is harder to remove.

  • Carbon and carbon-manganese steel, low-temperature toughness
  • Basic flux-cored wire (FCAW)
  • EN ISO 17632-A
  • 1 ESAB grades
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Price on request. POFIS is an ESAB Authorized Distributor & Service Centre in Abu Dhabi — quotations include confirmed lead time and delivery terms.

The designation

What E71T-5 means

E
An electrode for arc welding.
7
Minimum tensile strength of the deposited weld metal in tens of thousands of pounds per square inch — 70,000 psi, which is 490 MPa.
1
All-position capability. ESAB qualifies this in practice: for OK Tubrod 15.00, diameters below 1.4 mm are all-positional, which is worth checking against the diameter you intend to buy.
T
A tubular electrode — a metal sheath filled with flux — rather than a solid or metal-cored wire.
-5
The usability designator, and the whole point of the class: a basic lime-fluoride flux system. Where -1 denotes rutile, -5 denotes basic. Basic flux gives a cleaner, tougher, lower-hydrogen deposit and a less pleasant arc.
M
Classified under an argon-CO₂ mix. OK Tubrod 15.00 carries both C1 and M21 EN classifications, so it is usable on either, with the AWS class quoted as E71T-5M H4.

Reading the E71T-5 designation, left to right.

How it behaves

E71T-5 in practice

The same trade-off as stick, in a wire

The difference between E71T-1 and E71T-5 is the same one as between E6013 and E7018: rutile versus basic flux. Rutile gives a smooth spray arc, a flat well-wetted bead and slag that almost removes itself — forgiving, fast and popular. Basic gives a cleaner deposit with less sulphur and phosphorus, markedly better low-temperature toughness, and lower diffusible hydrogen, at the cost of a harsher arc, a more convex bead and slag that has to be worked at. Rutile is the default because most fabrication does not need what basic provides.

What the numbers actually show

OK Tubrod 15.00 gives 145 J at −20 °C and 129 J at −30 °C under M21, at under 4 ml/100 g diffusible hydrogen. Compare that with the rutile wires on the E71T-1 page: FILARC PZ6113 at 70 J at −40 °C and Dual Shield Prime 71 LT H4 at 78 J. The basic wire is in a different band at the temperatures where both publish. Where a procedure sets a demanding impact requirement, that gap is the reason to accept the harsher arc.

Hydrogen and heavy restrained joints

Under 4 ml/100 g puts this wire in the same hydrogen class as a well-stored E7018 electrode. On thick section, heavily restrained joints and higher-strength steels — the situations where cold cracking appears hours or days after welding — low hydrogen is not a preference but a requirement, and a rutile flux-cored wire at H8 may not satisfy it. This is the flux-cored answer to that problem.

Polarity is reversed, which surprises people

ESAB specifies DC negative for OK Tubrod 15.00. Almost every other gas-shielded flux-cored wire in the range runs DC positive, so a welder or a machine set up for rutile wire will have the polarity wrong when this one goes on. The symptom is an unstable, spattery arc that gets blamed on the wire. Check the polarity before concluding the wire is faulty.

Where the alloyed T5 grades live

The basic flux-cored family extends into creep-resisting alloys: OK Tubrod 15.20 is E81T5-B2M for 1.25Cr-0.5Mo and OK Tubrod 15.22 is E90T5-B3 for 2.25Cr-1Mo. Those are covered on the Cr-Mo pages rather than here, because the parent material governs the selection in those cases and the basic flux is simply what comes with the alloy. For carbon steel, OK Tubrod 15.00 is the grade.

What POFIS supplies

ESAB E71T-5 grades

Every grade below carries the E71T-5 classification, which is why a WPS naming E71T-5 can be satisfied by any of them. They are not interchangeable in practice — the differences in current type, hydrogen level and impact toughness are what decide which one belongs on your job. Figures are the manufacturer's typical as-welded values.

E71T-5 grades supplied by POFIS — typical as-welded properties. Blank cells are values the manufacturer does not publish for that grade, not zeros.
Grade Classification CurrentDiffusible H₂YieldTensileImpact (lowest published)
OK Tubrod 15.00 POFIS recommends E71T-5M H4 (AWS A5.20) T 42 3 B C1 2 H5 / T 42 3 B M21 2 H5 DC−< 4 ml/100g456 MPa569 MPa129 J at −30 °C

OK Tubrod 15.00 E71T-5M H4 (AWS A5.20)

ESAB's basic flux-cored wire for carbon steel, on M21 or C1. Under 4 ml/100 g hydrogen with 145 J at −20 °C and 129 J at −30 °C — a different toughness band from the rutile wires. The widest flux-cored diameter range in the mild steel chapter at 1.0 mm to 2.4 mm. Note DC negative.

Diameters
1.0 mm, 1.2 mm, 1.6 mm, 2.4 mm
Alloy type
Carbon-manganese
Type
Basic flux-cored, M21 or C1; below 1.4 mm all-positional
Source
ESAB Filler Metal Handbook, page 1-83

Diameters are listed from the manufacturer's deposition data. Ordering part numbers and pack sizes are confirmed with your quotation — send the grade and diameters you need to weldiv@pofis.ae.

Specifying

Which E71T-5 grade to specify

When to specify basic flux-cored

Three cases. First, when the procedure sets a low-temperature impact requirement a rutile wire cannot meet — the toughness gap is large. Second, when a hydrogen limit applies, because basic gets under 4 ml/100 g where rutile grades commonly sit at H8. Third, on heavy, restrained joints in thick section or higher-strength steel, where cold cracking risk justifies accepting a slower, less pleasant process.

When not to

For general fabrication of carbon steel with no sub-zero requirement, a rutile E71T-1 wire will run better, clean faster and cost less, and the extra toughness of a basic wire buys nothing. Most shop fabrication falls here. Specifying basic flux-cored by default imposes a real productivity cost for a property the job does not use.

The grade ESAB supplies

OK Tubrod 15.00 is a basic cored wire for M21 or C1 shielding gas, classified E71T-5M H4, giving 456 MPa yield, 569 MPa tensile, 145 J at −20 °C and 129 J at −30 °C, at under 4 ml/100 g hydrogen. Available 1.0 mm to 2.4 mm — the widest diameter range of any flux-cored wire in the mild steel chapter. Diameters below 1.4 mm are all-positional. Welded on DC negative.

If the parent is a Cr-Mo creep-resisting steel

Move to the alloyed basic flux-cored grades: OK Tubrod 15.20 (E81T5-B2M) for 1.25Cr-0.5Mo such as P11, and OK Tubrod 15.22 (E90T5-B3) for 2.25Cr-1Mo such as P22. Both are covered on the Cr-Mo pages with their post-weld-heat-treated properties, because every figure for a creep-resisting consumable is a post-PWHT figure.

If stick welding would do

For a small quantity of high-integrity welding, an E7018 electrode reaches similar hydrogen and toughness without a feeder, a gas supply and a wire changeover. Basic flux-cored earns its place on volume: where there is enough of this work to justify running a wire, it will out-deposit stick several times over.

Storage & handling

Storing and handling E71T-5 consumables

Seamed flux-cored wire absorbs moisture

A conventional flux-cored wire is a strip rolled into a tube, and the seam lets atmospheric moisture reach the flux during storage. On a basic wire bought specifically for its sub-4 ml hydrogen level, that matters: a spool left on the machine over a humid weekend may no longer deliver the property it was bought for. Return part-used spools to a sealed bag with desiccant or to a heated cabinet.

Set polarity before blaming the wire

DC negative, not positive. A machine left set for rutile flux-cored will run this wire badly, and the arc behaviour looks like a defective consumable. It is the first thing to check.

Budget for slag removal

Basic slag does not self-release the way rutile slag does. On multi-pass work it must be removed completely between runs or it becomes an inclusion — which on a joint demanding this wire's toughness is exactly the defect the procedure was written to avoid. Plan the cleaning time into the sequence rather than treating it as an afterthought.

Frequently asked

E71T-5 — common questions

What is the difference between E71T-1 and E71T-5?

The flux system. E71T-1 is rutile: smooth spray arc, flat well-wetted bead, self-releasing slag, and easy to run. E71T-5 is basic lime-fluoride: a cleaner deposit with markedly better low-temperature toughness and lower diffusible hydrogen, at the cost of a harsher arc, a more convex bead and slag that has to be worked at. It is the same trade-off as E6013 against E7018, in a wire.

When should basic flux-cored wire be used instead of rutile?

Three cases: when the procedure sets a low-temperature impact requirement a rutile wire cannot meet; when a diffusible hydrogen limit applies, since basic reaches under 4 ml/100 g where rutile grades commonly sit at H8; and on heavy restrained joints in thick section or higher-strength steel, where cold cracking risk justifies the slower process. For general fabrication with no sub-zero requirement, rutile is the better tool.

What polarity is used for E71T-5 wire?

DC negative for ESAB's OK Tubrod 15.00 — which is the opposite of almost every other gas-shielded flux-cored wire in the range. A machine set up for rutile flux-cored will have the polarity wrong, and the resulting unstable spattery arc usually gets blamed on the wire. Check polarity first.

Is E71T-5 low hydrogen?

Yes. OK Tubrod 15.00 is classified H4, with under 4 ml of diffusible hydrogen per 100 g of deposited weld metal — the same hydrogen class as a well-stored E7018 stick electrode, and substantially below a typical rutile flux-cored wire at H8.

Can E71T-5 be welded out of position?

The 1 in the designation means all-position, and ESAB qualifies it: for OK Tubrod 15.00, diameters below 1.4 mm are all-positional. The 1.6 mm and 2.4 mm sizes are intended for flat and horizontal work. Check the diameter against the position before ordering.

What is the Cr-Mo version of E71T-5?

The basic flux-cored family extends into creep-resisting alloys. OK Tubrod 15.20 is E81T5-B2M for 1.25Cr-0.5Mo steels such as P11, and OK Tubrod 15.22 is E90T5-B3 for 2.25Cr-1Mo such as P22. Both are covered on the Cr-Mo pages, because every published property for a creep-resisting consumable is a post-weld-heat-treated figure.

Why does basic flux-cored slag need more work?

Basic lime-fluoride slag is more tenacious than rutile slag and does not self-release. On multi-pass work it must be removed completely between runs, because slag welded over becomes an inclusion — which on a joint that demanded this wire's toughness is exactly the defect the procedure exists to prevent. Plan the cleaning time into the welding sequence.

Who supplies basic flux-cored welding wire in Abu Dhabi?

POFIS supplies the ESAB OK Tubrod range, including the basic flux-cored grades, from Abu Dhabi across the UAE and the wider GCC, as an ESAB Authorized Distributor and Service Centre, approved ADNOC vendor and ISO 9001 certified supplier. Send the impact requirement and any hydrogen limit and we will confirm whether a basic wire is needed or a rutile one will pass. Email weldiv@pofis.ae.

Procurement & supply

Buying the E71T-5 consumables through POFIS

The E71T-5 consumables is supplied from Abu Dhabi by Perfect Oilfield & Industrial Supply LLC as an ESAB Authorized Distributor and Service Centre. The information below covers what procurement and QA/QC departments normally need before raising a purchase order.

Lead time

Stock items dispatch from Abu Dhabi within 24–48 hours. Indent items are quoted with a confirmed lead time at the time of offer.

Approved vendor status

POFIS is an approved ADNOC vendor and is listed on the approved vendor lists (AVL) of major operators and EPC contractors across the GCC. We can complete supplier registration and prequalification documentation on request.

Payment terms

Standard credit terms are available to registered corporate accounts. LPO, LC and advance payment are all accepted.

Delivery terms

Delivery across the UAE and the wider GCC. Quotations can be issued on EXW, FOB, CIF or DDP terms to suit your project.

Warranty

Full manufacturer warranty, honoured locally. As an ESAB Authorized Service Centre we carry out warranty work and repairs in Abu Dhabi rather than returning equipment abroad.

Service & spares

In-UAE service, commissioning, operator training and spare parts backing for every machine we supply.

  • ISO 9001 Certified
  • Approved ADNOC Vendor
  • ESAB Authorized Distributor & Service Centre

Price on request

Request a quotation for the E71T-5 filler metals

Send the form and the POFIS welding division replies with pricing, confirmed lead time, delivery terms and availability. Tell us who you are and what the job is, so the reply can be specific to it rather than a catalogue price list.

Received by the POFIS welding division and answered by email or phone, usually within one working day.

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