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Bevel groove weld symbol: what it means on a drawing

Fillet Gauge editorial teamSources checked 4 min read

The bevel groove weld symbol is one upright stroke and one sloping stroke meeting on the reference line. It calls for a groove weld where only one member is beveled and the other keeps a square edge. When the drawing doesn't make it obvious which member gets the bevel, the arrow has a break that points at that member.

A butt joint drawn end on: the left plate square, the right plate beveled at 45 degrees and filled with weld metal. The bevel symbol's arrow has a bend partway along, and its last segment points at the beveled plate
The break in the arrow, not the shape of the mark, tells you which plate to bevel.
Use this diagram

How to read it

  1. Find the side. Below the line, the bevel is on the arrow side of the joint. Above the line, the other side. On both sides, a double-bevel groove.
  2. Find the member. If the arrow has a break, a bend partway along its length, the segment after the break points at the member that gets beveled. If there's no break, the symbol shows no preference, so either member may be prepared; if it matters, ask the drawing's owner.
  3. Read the left side. Groove depth, then weld size in parentheses, as for any groove weld.
  4. Read inside and outside. The root opening goes inside the mark. The angle goes beyond its open end. With only one member prepared, the groove angle and the bevel angle are the same number.
  5. Look opposite. A filled half-circle is melt-through. An open half-circle is a back or backing weld.

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Symbols - Welding and NDE

On a welding symbol, what does a circle at the junction of the arrow and the reference line indicate?

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Common mix-ups

  • The upright stroke. It is always drawn on the left, like the fillet's vertical leg. It does not tell you that the left plate is the square one. Only the arrow does.
  • Bevel or fillet. The bevel mark meets the reference line at a point and opens away from it. A fillet triangle sits with its flat edge on the line. In a T-joint both can appear, so read the shape first.
  • Bevel or V. A bevel has one sloping stroke, so one member is prepared. A V-groove has two, so both are.
  • Bevel or J. A J-groove also prepares one member, but with a curved face. The J mark has a curve where the bevel has a straight slope, and the arrow break works the same way.
  • Bevel or flare-bevel. A flare-bevel pairs the upright stroke with a curve, because the groove comes from a rounded member such as a bar or tube corner, not from a cut edge.
  • Ignoring the break. Beveling the wrong member can make the joint impossible to fit up as drawn. If the break is missing and the choice isn't obvious, it's a question for the drawing's owner.

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On the CWI exam

Groove shapes, the arrow break and groove dimensions belong to Symbols, Welding and NDE, which is at least 10% of CWI Part A, read from memory. Part B drawings test the same reading under Utilization of Specifications and Drawings, at least 8% of the practical exam.

Practice it

The welding symbols quiz puts the bevel next to the fillet, V, U and J shapes so you learn to tell them apart quickly. Build the bevel on each side of the line in the welding symbol builder, then check it against every other mark on the welding symbols chart.

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Take the free 10-question check. It's weighted to the Part A outline, scored by domain and needs no signup, so you see whether symbols or another domain costs you the most points. The Part A course gives you a lesson on reading welding and NDE symbols and on every other exam subject, two full-length timed practice exams, and a worked explanation with every answer.

Sources

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Facts checked 24 October 2026 against the sources listed above. If something has changed, tell us and we will correct it within 2 business days.

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