Welding helmet shade chart: minimum and suggested shade by amperage
Lens shade numbers for stick, mig, flux core, tig and plasma cutting by amperage: the OSHA minimum beside the AWS suggested shade, with sources.
An auto darkening helmet (how they work) has a dial marked with numbers, often 9 to 13. The manual tells you how to turn it. This page tells you where to set it.
Two numbers exist for every kind of welding: a legal minimum shade from OSHA and a darker suggested shade from the American Welding Society. For typical home mig or flux core work between 60 and 250 amps, the minimum is 10 and the suggestion is 11 or 12.
The chart
Shade numbers run from light to dark. Find your process and your welding current (the amps you have set, not the top of the machine’s range).
| Process | Arc current, amps | OSHA minimum shade | AWS suggested shade |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stick (SMAW) | Under 60 | 7 | Not given |
| 60 to 160 | 8 | 10 | |
| 160 to 250 | 10 | 12 | |
| 250 to 550 | 11 | 14 | |
| Mig and flux core (GMAW, FCAW) | Under 60 | 7 | Not given |
| 60 to 160 | 10 | 11 | |
| 160 to 250 | 10 | 12 | |
| 250 to 500 | 10 | 14 | |
| Tig (GTAW) | Under 50 | 8 | 10 |
| 50 to 150 | 8 | 12 | |
| 150 to 500 | 10 | 14 | |
| Plasma cutting | Under 300 | 8 | See below |
| 300 to 400 | 9 | 12 | |
| 400 to 800 | 10 | 14 |
Sources, checked 2026-09-19. Minimums: 29 CFR 1910.133(a)(5), “Filter Lenses for Protection Against Radiant Energy”. Suggested shades: AWS Safety and Health Fact Sheet No. 31 (November 2025), which says its chart is adapted from ANSI F2.2 and that shade numbers are a guide that may be varied to suit individual needs.
The regulation is written for employers. A home welder is not bound by it, but it is the most authoritative floor available, so we treat it as one.
Plasma cutting at home-shop currents
(New to the tool? See plasma cutters explained.)
The OSHA table has a single row for plasma cutting under 300 amps: minimum shade 8, where the arc is clearly seen. Home plasma cutters run far below that, typically 20 to 60 amps. AWS breaks that range down further and suggests lighter shades at low current: 4 under 20 amps, 5 from 20 to 40, 6 from 40 to 60, 8 from 60 to 80, and 9 from 80 to 300.
Those low numbers are AWS guidance and are below the OSHA minimum row. The OSHA footnote allows that lighter filters may be used when the arc is hidden by the workpiece. If you can see the arc, use at least shade 8.
How to choose within the range
Both sources give the same method. Start with a shade too dark to see the weld zone. Step lighter until you can see the joint and the puddle clearly. Stop there, and never go below the minimum.
Things that push you darker: higher amperage, tig’s small bright arc, reflective metal such as aluminum or stainless, and bright surroundings bouncing light under the helmet.
What the shade number does not cover
(The helmet’s wider blind spots are covered in what a welding helmet does not protect against.)
- Ultraviolet and infrared. A compliant filter blocks these at any shade, including the light state of an auto darkening lens. Shade is about visible brightness. This is why a helmet that fails to darken is dazzling and still much better than no helmet.
- The rest of you. The arc burns exposed skin. Cover your neck, arms and the gap at your collar.
- People nearby. Anyone who can see the arc needs protection or a screen.
- Grinding and chipping. Wear safety glasses under the helmet. Slag flies when the helmet is up.
- Fume. A helmet is not a respirator.
Checking a helmet
Our best welding helmet page compares five on exactly these points.
Look for a Z87.1 marking on the shell and the lens. It is the US standard for eye and face protection, and it covers welding helmets and auto darkening filters. Optical clarity is often quoted as four numbers such as 1/1/1/1. That rating comes from the European standard EN 379 and grades, in order: optical distortion, light scatter, evenness of shade across the lens, and how the shade holds when you look through at an angle. One is best, three is worst.
Before each session, check that an auto darkening lens switches by looking toward a bright light or using its test button, and check the battery if it has one. Replace scratched or pitted cover lenses.
If you are setting up from scratch, the full gear list is in welding for beginners, and the first session is covered in how to weld. To find the amps you will be running, start from your machine’s settings chart and its rated output.
Frequently asked questions
What shade should I use for mig welding?
For mig and flux core between 60 and 160 amps, the OSHA minimum is shade 10 and the AWS suggested shade is 11. From 160 to 250 amps the minimum is still 10 and the suggestion is 12. Most home mig welding falls in those two rows. Start darker and go lighter only as far as you need to see the weld zone, never below the minimum.
What shade should I use for tig welding?
For tig under 50 amps the OSHA minimum is shade 8 and AWS suggests 10. From 50 to 150 amps the minimum is 8 and the suggestion is 12. The tig arc is small and bright with little smoke to dim it, which is why the suggested shades run well above the minimums.
What is the difference between the minimum shade and the suggested shade?
The minimum comes from US federal regulation, 29 CFR 1910.133, and is the lightest filter an employer may allow for that work. The suggested shade comes from the American Welding Society and is a comfort recommendation, usually one to four shades darker. The regulation itself prints only minimums.
Is a darker shade always safer?
A lens that meets the standard blocks ultraviolet and infrared at every shade. The shade number sets how much visible light gets through. Too light and the arc is uncomfortably bright. Too dark and you cannot see the joint, which leads to poor welds and leaning in closer. Both the regulation and AWS say to start too dark and step lighter, without going below the minimum.
Do shade numbers apply to auto darkening helmets?
Yes. The dark state of an auto darkening helmet is a shade number, usually adjustable over a range such as 9 to 13. Set it from the chart for your process and amperage. Check that the helmet is marked Z87.1, and test that it darkens before each session.
What shade should I use for stick welding?
For stick between 60 and 160 amps the OSHA minimum is shade 8 and the AWS suggested shade is 10. From 160 to 250 amps the minimum is 10 and the suggestion is 12. Stick suggested shades run darker at high current, up to 14 above 250 amps.