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Solid wire · the default

STAHLWERK ER70S-6 (SG2) Ø 0.8 mm, 5 kg

The default steel MIG wire: 0.8 mm (0.03 in), ER70S-6, on a 200 mm (7.87 in) spool that most machines take.

STAHLWERK ER70S-6 (SG2) Ø 0.8 mm, 5 kg, product photograph

STAHLWERK ER70S-6 (SG2) Ø 0.8 mm, 5 kg

The default steel MIG wire: 0.8 mm (0.03 in), ER70S-6, on a 200 mm (7.87 in) spool that most machines take.

Grade
ER70S-6 (SG2, G3Si1)
Diameter
0.8 mm (0.03 in)
Weight
5 kg (11 lb)
Spool
D200 — 200 mm (7.87 in) diameter
Amazon reference
B07TLNMGGW
EAN
4260294085152
  • ER70S-6 is the general-purpose steel grade: it tolerates mill scale and rust better than ER70S-3
  • 0.8 mm (0.03 in) suits 1–5 mm (0.04 to 0.20 in) steel, which is most workshop work
  • D200 spools do not fit the smallest portable machines, which take D100 only

Best for: General steel welding on any machine that takes a 200 mm (7.87 in) spool

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Specifications

Grade
ER70S-6 (SG2, G3Si1)
Diameter
0.8 mm (0.03 in)
Weight
5 kg (11 lb)
Spool
D200 — 200 mm (7.87 in) diameter
Amazon reference
B07TLNMGGW
EAN
4260294085152

Why 0.8 mm (0.03 in)

It is the diameter that covers the widest useful range: down to about 1 mm (0.04 in) sheet with a machine that can be turned low enough, up to 5 mm (0.20 in) steel in a single pass. Thinner wire (0.6 mm (0.02 in)) is for car-body sheet; thicker (1.0 mm (0.04 in)) is for heavy section and struggles on thin material.

Storage matters more than people expect

Steel wire rusts, and rusty wire feeds badly and welds worse. Keep an opened spool in a sealed box or bag with a desiccant, especially in an unheated workshop — the commonest « my machine has stopped feeding » complaint is a corroded spool and a worn liner, in that order.

Sources

Every figure above comes from the manufacturer’s published specification for this reference. Fields the listing does not publish are left out rather than estimated. Market availability was verified per market on the EAN.

The questions welders ask

What does ER70S-6 mean, and does it matter?

It is the wire grade. The 6 denotes higher silicon and manganese content, which act as deoxidisers — they cope with the mill scale, light rust and surface contamination that real workshop steel carries. ER70S-3 is cleaner-burning on spotless material and less forgiving on everything else. For a home or repair workshop, ER70S-6 is the correct default.

Will a 5 kg (11 lb) spool fit my machine?

If it takes D200 spools, yes — check before ordering. Small portable machines often accept only D100 (1 kg (2.2 lb)) spools, and the difference is physical: the compartment is not deep enough. Buying 5 kg (11 lb) for a D100 machine means decanting it, which is a poor use of an evening.

Welders this fits

More mig wire

  • STM Schweißtechnik SG2 (G3Si1) Ø 1.0 mm, product photograph

    STM Schweißtechnik SG2 (G3Si1) Ø 1.0 mm

    One millimeter wire: more deposit per pass on thick steel, and unusable on car-body sheet.

    Grade
    SG2 / G3Si1
    Diameter
    1.0 mm (0.04 in)
    Spools
    D100, D200 and K300 sizes offered
    Amazon reference
    B083KFWQ27
    EAN
    0670036746151
    • More metal deposited per pass — fewer passes on 6 mm (0.24 in) and above
    • Available on K300 spools for machines that take them
    • Needs more current: a 160 A machine will struggle to run it properly

    Best for: Structural work in 5 mm steel and above, on a machine of 180 A or more

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  • DK-Parts SG2 Ø 0.8 mm, 5 kg D200, product photograph

    DK-Parts SG2 Ø 0.8 mm, 5 kg D200

    The cheapest branded 5 kg (11 lb) spool here, at €21 — six euros under the STAHLWERK equivalent.

    Grade
    SG2 (G3Si)
    Diameter
    0.8 mm (0.03 in)
    Weight
    5 kg (11 lb)
    Spool
    D200, 200 mm (7.87 in)
    Amazon reference
    B01AMONLYK
    EAN
    0705968739275
    • Same SG2 grade designation as the dearer spools
    • D200 fits most bench machines
    • Winding quality is what separates cheap wire from good wire, and it is not published

    Best for: Practice, tacking and non-critical work where a few dollars a spool matter

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  • BIG RED ER70S-6 solid MIG welding wire on an eleven-pound spool

    BIG RED AER70S602R, ER70S-6, 0.035 in, 11 lb

    The same AWS classification as six other wires on this shelf, in the same diameter and the same spool weight, at less than half the price of the most expensive.

    Amazon reference
    B0DNLM27PC
    EAN
    0810151423296
    • ER70S-6 to the same AWS classification as every other solid wire on this shelf
    • Eleven pounds, the largest spool weight here
    • Publishes nothing beyond the classification — no tensile figure, no copper coating statement, no deoxidiser levels

    Best for: General steel fabrication from 2 mm (0.08 in) upwards, bought on price with the classification understood

    ≈ $18
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Elsewhere in the workroom

  • E6010 stick electrodes in a five-pound box

    STARTECHWELD E6010, 3/32 in, 5 lb

    The pipe welder’s rod — fast freezing, deeply penetrating, usable vertical-down — on a listing that carries two different brand names.

    Amazon reference
    B0CYQ3M1QH
    EAN
    0818988019019
    • A fast-freeze coating, which is what makes vertical-down and overhead work possible
    • Stated for all positions including vertical-up, vertical-down, overhead, flat and horizontal
    • The brand on the listing is STARTECHWELD while the product title reads "Victory Welding Alloys 6010 Welding Rod"

    Best for: Pipe, pressure work and root passes, where the slag has to freeze before the metal runs

    ≈ $29
    Check price on Amazon
  • WISUNO E6013 stick electrodes in their one-pound pack

    WISUNO E6013, 3/32 in, 1 lb

    The cheapest rods on this shelf, and the only listing anywhere in this hub that publishes the current range for each diameter.

    Amazon reference
    B0DDJQZQ8V
    EAN
    0780745664575
    • Publishes a current table by diameter: 1/16 in at 25-40 A, 5/64 in at 40-60 A, 3/32 in at 50-80 A, 1/8 in at 100-125 A
    • E6013 rutile, which is the forgiving coating this hub recommends for occasional welding
    • One pound is perhaps twenty rods — a format for trying, not for a project

    Best for: A first pound of rods, or a small machine whose dial you are still learning

    ≈ $10
    Check price on Amazon
  • STM Der Meisterladen MB15/150 set with torch neck, product photograph

    STM Der Meisterladen MB15/150 set with torch neck

    The only set here that includes the torch neck — the part that gets bent and never gets replaced.

    Torch
    MB15 / type 150
    Contents
    Contact tips, gas nozzle, tip holder, torch neck (swan neck)
    Amazon reference
    B07BRH2453
    EAN
    0714637250317
    • Includes the swan neck, which nobody thinks to replace and everybody eventually needs
    • A bent neck causes feeding faults that look like machine faults
    • Not sold on the American, British or Italian stores at the time of checking

    Best for: A torch that has been dropped, trodden on, or used for three years

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All mig wire

Prices quoted in these summaries are dated readings. The live price is shown next to each product.