← Back to Bead BoardTIG welding cost per inch
TIG (GTAW) buys you the cleanest bead of any process — at a price. Deposition is slow and depends entirely on the welder, so labor dominates the cost even more than usual. This page prices TIG welds by the inch with the calculator locked to TIG defaults. Deposition rate is welder-bound, so override it for your shop.
Quick answer
TIG is the most expensive hand process per inch. A 1/4-inch fillet runs roughly $3.88 per inch ($46.51 per foot) at $85/hr — three to four times a MIG weld of the same size. The reason is deposition: TIG lays down about 1.5 lb/hr and the operating factor is low, so the arc-on time (and the labor behind it) is much higher. Price the hours honestly; TIG jobs lose money when bid like MIG.
Worked example: 12 inches of 1/4-inch fillet
TIG earns its cost on aluminum, stainless, thin sheet, and anything where appearance or code compliance pays for the extra hours. Do not bid TIG by MIG math — the per-inch cost is several times higher, and the gap is almost entirely the slower, more skilled labor. Track estimated vs actual hours on your first few TIG jobs so your next quote is grounded in real numbers, not optimism.
Questions welders keep asking
How much does TIG welding cost per inch?
At conservative defaults — about 1.5 lb/hr deposition, 20% operating factor, $85/hr, 25% markup — a 1/4-inch fillet sells for roughly $3.88 per inch ($46.51 per foot). That is three to four times the cost of the same MIG weld. TIG deposition is welder-bound, so your real number depends heavily on the welder and the joint.
Why is TIG so much more expensive than MIG?
Labor. TIG deposits filler slowly — around 1.5 lb/hr for structural work versus 4–8 lb/hr for MIG — and the operating factor is lower because of setup, hand-feeding, and care. Both push arc time and elapsed labor way up. Since labor is the dominant cost on any weld, a slow process is an expensive process. Filler and gas are rounding errors by comparison.
When is TIG worth the extra cost?
Aluminum and stainless, thin material, and any job where the customer is paying for appearance or code compliance. TIG gives you the most heat control and the cleanest bead of any process. For thick mild-steel structural work where nobody sees the weld, MIG or flux-core is the right call — TIG just burns hours.
Welding cost by process
MIG Welding Cost Per Inch
High deposition, 95% efficient. The cheapest process per inch on production work.
Stick Welding Cost
E7018 at 2.2 lb/hr, 62% efficient. Wins on short field welds and dirty stock.
Flux-Core Welding Cost
The fastest hand process — up to 14 lb/hr. Workhorse for thick-plate and outdoor structural.
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Metal Weight Calculator
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Gas Usage Calculator
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Filler Metal Calculator
Pounds of wire or rod for a joint. Spool count and cost.
Job Pricing Calculator
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Welding Settings Chart
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Wire & Gas Selection Guide
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Welding Symbol Chart
Every AWS A2.4 weld symbol. Searchable with visual diagrams.