Is WT20 banned in Europe?

There is no EU-wide sales ban on thoriated tungsten electrodes. What exists is workplace-protection practice: national authorities and insurers push extraction at the grinding station and substitution where equivalent electrodes exist. We supply WT20 with handling guidance and quote ceriated/lanthanated alternatives in parallel.

What is the AWS class for WT20?

EWTh-2 under AWS A5.12, the 2% thoria class. We confirm the exact class on your shipping documents.

Can I mix WT20 with other types in one order?

Yes. Mixed cartons from 100 pcs total are standard; a typical distributor start is WL20 + WC20 + WP with a smaller WT20 line for legacy procedures.

WT20 · red tip

WT20 Thoriated Tungsten Electrode (Red Tip, 2% ThO2)

Two percent thoria remains the benchmark for DC arc-starting ease and current-carrying capacity on steel, stainless and nickel alloys. If your procedure was qualified on red-tip electrodes, WT20 is what your welders expect.

We supply it plainly — and we also tell you what European workshops must consider when grinding it, plus the WC20 and WL20 conversion packages we quote alongside. See thoriated electrodes & EU practice.

Thoriated tungsten electrode WT20 with red ISO 6848 colour band

Tip colour per ISO 6848.

Specification at a glance

ISO 6848 designation	WT20 — thoriated, 1.70–2.20% ThO₂
Colour code	Red
AWS A5.12 class	EWTh-2 (confirmed on documents)
Current type	DC (DCEN typical); excellent arc starting
Diameters	1.0 / 1.6 / 2.0 / 2.4 / 3.2 / 4.0 / 4.8 / 6.4 mm
Lengths	150 mm, 175 mm
Surface	Ground finish, h7, length ±1 mm
Handling note	Grind with local exhaust / dedicated extractor; see EU practice guide
Packing	10 pcs tube box; OEM or neutral carton
MOQ	100 pcs, mixed

Where WT20 earns its place

Heavy DC production

Continuous DCEN on carbon and stainless steel at high current: WT20 resists tip erosion longer than pure or ceriated types at the same amperage.

Procedure continuity

WPS documents written around EWTh-2 keep working unchanged — no re-qualification needed when you re-buy the same red tip.

The honest caveat

Thorium is a naturally occurring radioactive element. The rod in a pocket is harmless; the grinding dust is the regulated exposure route. European shops increasingly switch to WC20/WL20 — we quote both sides of that decision.

Conversion packages

Moving off thoriated? Our WT20 vs WC20 comparison and mixed-carton starter kits make the changeover a one-order job.

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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