No. Cerium oxide is not radioactive; WC20 carries none of the handling considerations that apply to thoriated electrodes.

What AWS class is WC20?

EWCe-2. It is the one AWS class we have verified directly on product labels in our stock; other classes are confirmed per shipment.

WC20 or WL20 for general shop work?

Low-current and re-start-heavy work favours WC20; broader current range and longer tip life at medium-high current favours WL20. Many shops stock both and let the job decide.

WC20 · grey tip

WC20 Ceriated Tungsten Electrode (Grey Tip, 2% CeO2)

Ceriated electrodes start at the lowest open-circuit voltage of the common types — which is exactly what thin-gauge work, low-amperage orbital heads and older transformer machines need. Grey tip, 2% CeO₂, completely non-radioactive.

Where procedures allow substitution for WT20 on DC, WC20 is usually the first candidate: same family of arc behaviour, none of the thorium paperwork.

Ceriated tungsten electrode WC20 with grey ISO 6848 colour band

Tip colour per ISO 6848.

Specification at a glance

ISO 6848 designation	WC20 — ceriated, 1.80–2.20% CeO₂
Colour code	Grey
AWS A5.12 class	EWCe-2 (verified on product labels)
Current type	DC and AC in the low-to-mid current range
Strength	Easiest arc starting at low current; frequent re-start cycles
Diameters	1.0 / 1.6 / 2.0 / 2.4 / 3.2 / 4.0 mm (larger on request)
Lengths	150 mm, 175 mm
Surface	Ground finish, h7, length ±1 mm
Packing	10 pcs tube box; OEM or neutral carton
MOQ	100 pcs, mixed

Where WC20 earns its place

Thin sheet & low amperage

Food-grade stainless, instrument lines, HVAC duct: where the arc must catch at 10–40 A without a sputter, grey is the reliable answer.

Orbital & automated TIG

Machine heads re-strike hundreds of times per shift. WC20’s re-ignition behaviour keeps start defects out of the log.

The EU-friendly substitution

Shops leaving thoriated for workplace-protection reasons most often land on grey or blue. We quote transition cartons so both can be trialled side by side.

Limits, honestly

At sustained high DC current the ceriated tip erodes faster than WT20 or WL20. Above the mid range, go lanthanated — see the comparison.

Real stock, photographed as shipped

No studio renders. These are the tube boxes, labels and cartons that leave our Baoji packing room — the same ones your incoming inspection will open.

Stacks of plastic tube boxes with 10 tungsten electrodes each in the packing room — Ground-finish electrodes packed 10 pcs per tube box, stacked for order picking.

Two tube boxes labelled 1.6 mm WL20 lanthanated and 3.2 mm WZ8 zirconiated, 10 pieces ground finish, ANSI AWS A5.12M-98 and ISO 6848 — Export labels state size, type, piece count and the standards: ANSI/AWS A5.12M, ISO 6848.

Row of labelled tungsten electrode tube boxes lined up for pre-shipment counting — Pre-shipment check row: every box counted and matched to the packing list before cartoning.

Neutral white inner boxes hand-marked WL20 1.6 and WZ8 3.2 — Neutral white inner boxes, hand-marked by type and diameter for mixed orders.

Cartons of WL20 1.6 mm and WZ8 3.2 mm electrodes stacked on a table before loading — Cartons stacked and ready: WL20 1.6 mm and WZ8 3.2 mm on one pallet.

Warehouse shelf with blue tube boxes of WZ8 2.4 x 175 mm tungsten electrodes — Tube boxes on the warehouse shelf — WZ8 2.4×175 mm lot, marked and dated.

Shop-floor clip: counting and boxing a lot before export cartoning.

Send your electrode list today

Type, diameter × length, quantity and packing — mixed sizes welcome. You get a specification-confirmed quotation with lead time, normally within 24 hours.

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