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Weld all around symbol: what it means on a drawing

Fillet Gauge editorial teamSources checked 3 min read

The weld all around symbol is a small open circle drawn where the arrow meets the reference line. It tells the welder to carry the weld continuously around the whole joint, such as a tube, post or stiffener welded on every face, instead of stopping at the one face the arrow touches.

Top view of a square tube on a base plate, drawn twice. Without the circle the bead runs along one face. With a circle at the arrow bend the bead runs around all four faces
Same fillet, same size. The circle alone turns one face into all four.
Use this diagram

How to read it

  1. Look at the bend. The circle sits exactly at the junction of the arrow and the reference line. That position is what makes it the all-around mark.
  2. Read the weld symbol as usual. The triangle, groove mark or other symbol on the line still sets the weld type, the size and the side. A 3/16 fillet with the circle is a 3/16 fillet carried around the full perimeter.
  3. Apply it to the joint, not the part. The weld follows the joint the arrow points to all the way around, including the corners. On a rectangular tube that means four faces and four corners with no gaps.
  4. Check for a flag. A flag at the same bend adds field welding. Flag and circle together mean a field weld all around: welded on site, around the full joint. Our field weld symbol page covers the flag on its own.

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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

  • All around or both sides. Triangles above and below the line mean both sides of one joint, such as both toes of a T. The circle means around the perimeter. A drawing can call for either one, or both.
  • The all-around circle or a spot weld. A spot weld symbol is a circle on the reference line where a weld symbol would sit. The all-around circle is at the arrow bend, smaller, and always paired with another weld symbol.
  • Missing the circle. Without it, the weld goes only on the face the arrow touches. On a column base or a pipe support, that is a very different weld, so read the bend before you read the numbers.
  • Corners. The circle means the weld wraps the corners too. Stopping short of a corner and calling it done doesn't satisfy an all-around callout.

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On the CWI exam

Supplementary marks like this one fall under Symbols, Welding and NDE, which is at least 10% of CWI Part A, read from memory because Part A is closed book. Part B drawings use the same marks, and Utilization of Specifications and Drawings is at least 8% of that practical exam.

Practice it

Turn the circle on and off in the welding symbol builder and read the plain-words result each time. See it beside the other supplementary marks on the welding symbols chart, then read the fillet weld symbol page for the size and length rules it combines with. The welding symbols quiz mixes it in with the basic weld symbols.

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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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