Sources and scope for this page: Industry convention — no single governing standard (conventional usage, definitions vary between sources), covering the definition of as-welded. No independent source check is recorded for this page: the content rests on the sources listed and on the working shown on the page. How sources, methods and updates are recorded.
Definition
As-welded covers a great deal: the weld metal, the heat-affected zone, the base metal, residual stresses from contraction, and any distortion the welding caused. It is a specification of condition, not just of surface.
Machining an as-welded assembly is difficult for exactly these reasons — hardness varies across the heat-affected zone, residual stresses release as material is removed and the part moves, and distortion may have to be corrected before anything can be set up.
Common misuse
Machining a welded assembly to a tight tolerance without stress-relieving it first. The residual stresses release during cutting and the part moves after the last pass.