What does weldment mean?
A weldment is a finished object or structure made by joining components through welding. The word is especially common in engineering and manufacturing, where it refers to a larger assembly such as a frame, machine housing, bracket, or other fabricated structure. Its name reflects the central process used to create it: individual parts are positioned and permanently fused at designated joints. A weldment should not be confused with a weld, which is the fused connection at one point in the assembly. This distinction makes weldment useful when discussing fabrication as a whole, including the design of the structure, the placement of its joints, and the drawings used to specify its construction. Although the term is sometimes used broadly for welded work in metals, it can technically include suitable assemblies made from other weldable materials. In professional prose, weldment emphasizes the completed construction rather than the act of welding or any single joint within it.
nounAn object, structure, or assembly whose components are joined by welding. The term especially denotes the completed welded construction rather than an individual fused joint.
- An object, structure, or assembly formed by joining components with welds.
"The engineers redesigned the steel weldment to reduce its weight without sacrificing structural strength."
"Each weldment was inspected for distortion after the final welding operation."
"The course explains how to prepare a fabrication drawing for a complex weldment."
The plural is regular. In technical writing, a collective reference to one or more completed welded assemblies may sometimes avoid the plural.
"Several weldments were stored on the workshop floor awaiting inspection."
A weld is the join; a weldment is everything the join holds together.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of weldment
Weldment is an English formation made by combining weld with the noun-forming suffix -ment. It developed from the older vocabulary of welding and fabrication, in which weld refers to a joint made by fusing materials, especially metals. Related formations include welder, weldable, and welding, all sharing the same verbal root.
How weldment is actually used
Weldment is chiefly a technical term used in engineering, manufacturing, construction, and fabrication. It refers to the resulting assembly and is less common in everyday speech.
Easily confused with weldment
A weld is the fused joint itself, whereas a weldment is the larger object or structure assembled from welded components.