Tungsten electrodes: which color for which metal, and which suits your machine

Tungsten is sold by tip color, and the listings rarely explain the colors. The choice matters less than it looks once you know your machine: modern inverter tig welders run happily on one type for all three common metals.

For an inverter tig welder on steel, stainless and aluminum, one 10-pack of 3/32 inch 2% lanthanated tungsten, blue tip, covers all three. Miller calls it a true all-purpose electrode. Pure green tungsten is for older transformer machines, and red thoriated is radioactive, so avoid grinding it without dust control.

The color code

The American Welding Society’s A5.12 standard assigns each type a tip color. Checked 2026-09-27 against the CK Worldwide tungsten selector and Diamond Ground Products’ guidebook:

Tip	Type	AWS class	Oxide
Green	Pure	EWP	None
Red	2% thoriated	EWTh-2	1.7 to 2.2% thorium oxide
Grey (formerly orange)	2% ceriated	EWCe-2	1.8 to 2.2% cerium oxide
Gold	1.5% lanthanated	EWLa-1.5	1.3 to 1.7% lanthanum oxide
Blue	2% lanthanated	EWLa-2	1.8 to 2.2% lanthanum oxide
White	Zirconiated	EWZr-8	0.7 to 0.9% zirconium oxide
Maker’s choice	Blends	EWG	Varies

The last row catches people out. AWS lets makers pick any unused color for EWG blends, so rare-earth mixes come in purple (Lincoln WX), chartreuse (CK), turquoise (Diamond Ground) and pink (Blue Demon). On a blend, read the label, not the tip.

Which type suits your machine

Your machine type decides this more than the metal. CK Worldwide’s selector, quoted here, is the clearest statement we found:

Type	CK says it suits	Machine
2% lanthanated, blue	AC or DC; steels, aluminum, magnesium, titanium, nickel, copper alloys	Inverter or transformer
1.5% lanthanated, gold	DC, as an alternative to 2% thoriated	Inverter or transformer
2% ceriated, grey	AC or DC, best at low amperage	Inverter or transformer
Zirconiated, white	AC, for aluminum and magnesium	Inverter or transformer
Pure, green	AC, aluminum and magnesium, low to medium amps	Transformer only
2% thoriated, red	DC	Transformer; CK marks it radioactive

Miller agrees on the headline. Its tungsten guide calls 2% lanthanated “a true all-purpose electrode” that works on all metals, and its AC article says pure tungsten is no longer the recommended option.

The makers do disagree on one point. CK and Miller recommend 2% ceriated for AC. Diamond Ground says ceriated is used mainly for DC because it may split on AC, and Lincoln lists its ceriated as primarily DC. If you weld a lot of aluminum, lanthanated or a multi-oxide blend avoids the argument.

Sources: CK tungsten selector, Miller on tungsten, Miller on AC tungsten, Diamond Ground guidebook, Lincoln tungsten brochure.

Which size

Miller calls 3/32 inch versatile for most general work, and 7 inches is the standard length. The amperage each diameter carries, from Miller’s manual, is in the welding amps chart. Check it against your machine’s rated output before buying 1/8 inch.

Grinding the tip

• DC (steel, stainless): CK publishes a taper 2 to 3 times the diameter, with a small flat of 1/4 to 1/2 the diameter at the end.
• Grind lengthwise, with the scratches running toward the point, never around it. CK: grind longitudinally, never radially.
• AC on an inverter: Miller recommends a truncated point rather than a needle point.
• AC on a transformer: CK shows a balled end, no bigger than the electrode diameter.

Thoriated tungsten and grinding dust

From AWS Safety and Health Fact Sheet 27 (November 2024): thoriated electrodes contain thorium, a radioactive material. Grinding dust can cause internal exposure if inhaled or swallowed; external exposure from the electrodes is minimal, and their use is exempt from Nuclear Regulatory Commission licensing. AWS’s first advice is to choose thorium-free electrodes, and to use dust collection when grinding. A US Department of Energy bulletin adds that estimated doses from AC welding with thoriated tungsten are significantly higher than from DC.

Every job red thoriated does on a home machine, a lanthanated or blend electrode does too. We list no thoriated packs.

Source: AWS Fact Sheet 27.

Six packs that match their maker’s specs

All are 10 packs of 3/32 by 7 inch, buyable when checked on 2026-09-27, with the listing matched to the maker’s part number.

Pack	Type	Why it is here
CK Worldwide T3327GL2	2% lanthanated, blue	The all-purpose pick; CK publishes the oxide range
Lincoln KP4721-332	2% lanthanated, blue	Same type from Lincoln, which rates it for DC and AC
Lincoln WX KP4723-332	Multi-oxide, purple	Lincoln publishes the blend and calls it non-radioactive, for all amperages
ARCCAPTAIN purple EWG	Rare-earth blend	Sold as non-radioactive EWG; the blend’s composition is Not published
CK Worldwide T3327GC2	2% ceriated, grey	For low-amp DC work on thin sheet
Lincoln KP4722-332	2% ceriated, grey	Lincoln says primarily DC, low to medium amps

Tig runs on pure argon; Miller calls 100 percent argon the best all-around tig gas. The mix used for mig is covered in mig welding gas. Choosing the machine itself is in tig welders.