TIG 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 stainless fillet runs roughly $4.17 per inch ($50.02 per foot) at $85/hr, about 4 times a mild steel MIG fillet of the same size. The reason is deposition: TIG lays down about 1.5 lb/hr at best 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 the calculator's defaults (1.5 lb/hr deposition, 20% operating factor, ER308L (304 stainless TIG/MIG) rod, $85/hr, 25% markup), a 1/4-inch fillet sells for roughly $4.17 per inch ($50.02 per foot). That is about 4 times the same size MIG weld. The 1.5 lb/hr default is optimistic for a lot of hand TIG, so if your welders lay down less, the real number is higher.
Why is TIG so much more expensive than MIG?
Labor. TIG deposits filler slowly (1.5 lb/hr is a good day; plenty of work runs under 1 lb/hr, versus 4 lb/hr for .035 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 small 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
4 lb/hr on .035 wire, 95% efficient. Cheap 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
Up to 14 lb/hr on 1/16" wire. Workhorse for thick-plate and outdoor structural.
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