Published October 6, 2026
How to TIG weld stainless steel
The TIG tab multiplies mils by 0.9. Lincoln’s Square Wave chart prints a different stainless column. Use one at a time.
What the tab does
On the TIG tab, stainless is not the steel factor of 1.0 and it is not the aluminum lookup. The function multiplies the mils you type by 0.9, then prints a band from 80 percent to 120 percent of that product, with each end rounded. Polarity prints DCEN. Tungsten is 1/16 inch under 94 mils and 3/32 inch from 94 mils up. Filler diameter is 1/16 inch under 125 mils and 3/32 inch from 125 mils up. The function does not print a filler alloy.
The broader thickness chart, including the aluminum rows this site does not invent, is on the TIG amp chart.
Worked example: 60 mils, then 125 mils
Enter 60 and choose stainless. 60 × 0.9 = 54. The low end is round(54 × 0.8) = 43. The high end is round(54 × 1.2) = 65. The midpoint the card rounds for display is 54. Tungsten and filler both print 1/16 inch. Polarity prints DCEN.
Enter 125 and choose stainless. 125 × 0.9 = 112.5. The low end is 90. The high end is 135. The displayed midpoint is 113. Tungsten prints 3/32 inch, because 125 is at least 94. Filler prints 3/32 inch, because 125 is at least 125. Polarity is still DCEN.
- Open the TIG tab and set the material to stainless.
- Type 60 for the Handler 140’s 16-gauge decimal of .060 inch, or 125 for this site’s 1/8 inch marker.
- Read the amp band, the tungsten, the filler diameter, and DCEN. Do not replace that band with the Lincoln cell in the next section.
Lincoln L16988’s stainless column
Lincoln Electric’s Square Wave TIG 200 operator’s manual, document L16988, prints a DC− stainless row on the same thicknesses as its DC− steel row: 25–35 A at 24 gauge (0.024 inch), 70–85 A at 16 gauge (0.060 inch), 80–100 A at 12 gauge (0.105 inch), 90–120 A at 10 gauge (0.135 inch), and 130–160 A at 3/16 inch (4.8 mm). The guide’s setup line for that machine is 100 percent argon, and it says pure tungsten is not recommended and that the tip should be blunted.
Sixty mils is that 16-gauge cell, 70–85 A. The calculator at 60 mils of stainless prints 43–65 A. Both figures are written down. This page does not average them and does not change the function to match the manual. If you are setting a Square Wave TIG 200 from that chart, use the chart. If you are reading this site’s tab, use the tab, and say which one you used.
Heat color is not an amp
This page does not publish a color-to-temperature chart. Straw, blue, and black are not rows in the calculator, and they are not rows in the L16988 cells cited above. The amp window does not tell you when the heat tint is acceptable for a service that cares about corrosion. If the part has a procedure, the procedure owns that limit.
What OSHA does say, in 29 CFR 1910.252(c)(5)(ii), is about fluorides, not about color: experience has shown local exhaust ventilation or airline respirators to be desirable for fixed-location production welding and for all production welding on stainless steels, unless air samples at the welding location show the fluorides are below the maximum allowable concentration. That sentence is a ventilation rule. It is not a shade number and it is not a tungsten size.
A common mistake
Running stainless on the aluminum setting. Aluminum on this site is an AC lookup. Stainless on this site is DCEN at 0.9 times the mils. The other mistake is typing Lincoln’s 70–85 A into a note and calling it the calculator, or typing 43–65 A into a note and calling it L16988. The shade page is the place for the helmet, and it uses OSHA’s electrode-size table, not a stainless tint chart.
Limits
This is a way to read two published windows. It is not a welding procedure, a filler-alloy selection, or a corrosion sign-off. If the joint is code work, pressure equipment, or a grade you cannot identify, stop and use a qualified procedure.
Frequently asked questions
What does the TIG tab print for 60 mils of stainless?
43–65 amps, midpoint 54, DCEN, 1/16 inch tungsten, and 1/16 inch filler. That is 60 times 0.9. Lincoln L16988 lists 70–85 amps for 16 gauge stainless, which the guide gives as 0.060 inch. The two windows are not the same document.
What gas does Lincoln L16988 specify for this machine?
100 percent argon. The guide also says pure tungsten is not recommended and that the tip should be blunted.
Compiled with AI assistance from the sources below. Spot an error? Email [email protected].
Sources
- Lincoln Electric, Square Wave TIG 200 operator’s manual, document L16988. https://www.lincolnelectric.com/assets/global/Products/K5126-1/L16988.pdf. Accessed October 6, 2026.
- OSHA, 29 CFR 1910.252, Welding, Cutting, and Brazing. https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1910/1910.252. Accessed October 6, 2026.