Brazing vs soldering vs welding: when to use each
In HVAC, plumbing, and mechanical applications, metal is a critical material used for piping, refrigeration lines, structural supports, and equipment connections. When two pieces of metal must be joined, the method selected—welding, brazing, or soldering—depends on the application, operating conditions, and required joint strength. These three similar, yet distinct methods are each useful in different instances, and it’s a great idea to know what those instances are.
What is welding?
Welding involves taking strong base metals and applying high heat with a welding tool, commonly a torch with a welding tip for precise application, to the edges of the metals at temperatures that match or exceed their melting points—then, in their melted states, bonding the edges together and allowing them to solidify into one metal as they cool.
Welding is ideal for commercial building construction and other large, sizable structures. The metals needed to support such structures are some of the most solid and heat-resistant of all, as these applications require extremely high-strength joints and high-temperature processes.
Welding applications
HVAC equipment
Refrigeration systems
Pipe fabrication
What is brazing?
The process of brazing involves taking two or more base metals and joining them by melting a filler material. For example, if you were trying to join two copper pieces together, you’d take a brazing rod—an essential brazing tool made of filler metals with a lower melting point than copper—and apply enough heat to melt it, allowing the joint to form without melting the copper. As the melted metals cool, the joint solidifies and the copper pieces are firmly bonded together.
This is a technique suitable for day-to-day, ground-level applications like cars, HVAC, and plumbing—environments with components that don’t need to be quite as strong a bond as the applications where welding is necessary.
Brazing applications
HVAC systems
Refrigeration
Copper piping
What is soldering?
When you’re trying to join materials in environments with components that can’t withstand high temperatures without suffering damage—soldering is the way to go. The soldering process involves melting a filler metal with a much lower melting point than brazing or welding and bonding it with the base materials as it cools. Because of the low temperatures necessary, soldering is best for electrical wiring and other applications with materials that could easily become unusable if excessive temperatures were applied, and a great soldering tool to have on hand is a heat shield, as it allows you to further protect those delicate materials from the blazing temperatures.
Soldering applications
Plumbing systems
Water lines
Copper fittings
Brazing vs soldering
What is the difference between brazing and soldering? The brazing process is typically applied when metal joints need to be quite strong, so in comparison to soldering, it requires a lot more heat—the kind of heat that, if applied to the soldering process, would melt more than just the filler metal.
Welding vs brazing vs soldering
| What is it? | Common applications | |
|---|---|---|
| Welding | Melting base metals together. | * Construction |
| Brazing | Melting a filler metal to join two or more base materials at temperatures over 840°F, but lower than the melting point of the base materials. | * HVAC |
| Soldering | Melting a filler metal to join two or more base materials at temperatures under 840°F. | * Plumbing |
Now that you know when you should be brazing vs soldering copper pipe —shop brazing and soldering tools with Ferguson to start your contract with confidence. Your welding tool, your brazing tool, your soldering tool—it’s all here at Ferguson.