Chapter 1
Welding in Build 42
Build 41 called it Metalworking. Build 42 split it in 2. Welding is the torch half: cut, join, barricade, repair. No forge, no charcoal.
Welding builds metal walls, crates, frames, fences and gates, puts metal barricades on doors and windows, dismantles car wrecks for sheets and pipes, and repairs car bodies when Mechanics allows.
Metal walls
Stronger than wood. Faster than stone. Built from scrap.
Wire fences
Cheap perimeter from wire, pipe and scrap. Magazine required.
Wrecks
The one dismantle that still gives XP by default.
The welder's loop
- LootTorch, mask, rods, tanks.
- ReadWelder Monthly issues.
- CutWrecks into sheets and pipes.
- WeldWalls, crates, fences.
- RefillThe torch from a tank.
Why it matters
Welding pays off first. It turns the car graveyard outside town into a fence around your base while the smith is still digging clay.
Chapter 2
Build your welder
One job gives both levels and recipes. Everyone else needs the magazines.
Welder (job)
+4 Welding and the welding recipes already known. The only job with a recipe head start. It used to be called Metalworker.
Mechanic (job)
+1 Welding, no recipes.
Crafty, Fast Learner (traits)
130% XP each.
Slow Learner
70%. Avoid it if you plan to weld.
Watch out: point costs change
The game makers still tune traits and jobs. Always read the numbers on your own character screen.
Welding has 5 books at 3, 5, 8, 12 and 16 times XP: Basics of Welding, Building with Metal, Machining Metal, Ore to Sheets, and Technological Fundamentals of Metal Fabrication.
Watch out: TV does not teach Welding
Life and Living covers other skills. For Welding, look for the Home Welding Guide VHS and Welder Monthly magazines.
Chapter 3
The kit: torch, mask, rods, propane
No torch and mask, no menu. This is the rule everything else hangs on.
| Item | Where | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| Welding torch | Garages, tool crates, welding shops, mechanic shelves, army hangars | Every welding action. Holds 10 uses. |
| Welding mask | Same places | Every welding action. Wear it or carry it. |
| Welding rods | Hardware stores, industrial shelves | Building only. Not cutting or dismantling. |
| Propane tank | Barbecue grills in back yards, hardware stores, industrial sites | Refills the torch. About 70 torch refills per tank by one count. |
Open the metalwork menu
With the torch and mask in your inventory, right-click the ground. Choose Metalwork. Or use the Build menu's metal tab.
Secret: carry 2 torches
A torch runs dry mid-wall. A second one finishes the job.
Chapter 4
Welding versus Blacksmithing
The 2 metal skills solve different problems.
Welding
Torch and propane. Defenses, storage, car repairs, stripping wrecks. Quick to start with loot. Dies when propane runs out.
Blacksmithing
Forge and charcoal. Tool heads, blades, nails, anvils. Slow to start. Never runs out.
Secret: Welding feeds the forge
Cutting wrecks is the fastest way to get scrap for the furnace. The welder supplies the smith.
Watch out: if it mentions an anvil, it is the other skill
Anvil, charcoal, crucible: Blacksmithing. Torch, mask, rods: Welding.
Chapter 5
Welder Monthly: the magazines
Every welding structure needs its recipe learned. Magazines teach them. The Welder job already knows.
- Welder Monthly issues teach metal walls, crates, frames and more. Several issues exist.
- Welder Monthly April 1993 teaches the wire fence and gate recipes.
- Home Welding Guide VHS gives Welding XP for early levels.
Watch out: magazines unlock, books multiply
Reading Welder Monthly gives no XP. Reading Welding I triples your XP for 2 levels.
Chapter 6
Where XP comes from now
Build 42 nerfed the old grind. Know what still counts.
| Action | XP on default settings |
|---|---|
| Building welded structures | Yes |
| Metal barricades on doors and windows | Yes |
| Dismantling car wrecks | Yes |
| Dismantling metal furniture and objects | No, unless the sandbox option is on |
| Car body repairs | Yes, when Mechanics allows |
Watch out: the Build 41 fence grind is dead
Old guides say dismantle every metal fence and shelf. In Build 42 that gives materials but no XP by default. Sandbox: Maximum Dismantling XP Level Wrecks and building are the grind now.
Chapter 7
Metal walls, crates and frames
The bread and butter. Sheets, rods and pipes from wrecks become the base.
| Build | Typical needs |
|---|---|
| Metal wall frame | Metal pipes or bars, rods, torch uses |
| Metal wall | Sheets, rods, torch uses, a known recipe |
| Metal crate | Sheets and rods. Big, sturdy storage. |
| Metal door and window frames | Sheets and pipes |
Secret: higher level, stronger wall
Like Carpentry and Masonry, a wall built at a higher Welding level has more health. Build the outer walls last.
Watch out: rods and torch uses are both spent
Each build burns welding rods and torch charges. Count both before a long session.
Chapter 8
Wire fences and gates
The cheapest perimeter in the game, once you have read one magazine.
Read Welder Monthly April 1993
It teaches wire mesh fences and gates.
Build the fence
Wire, metal pipe and scrap metal, with torch and mask. Gates the same, plus hinges.
Secret: wire from fences
Electrical wire and wire spools come from dismantling and from garages. A welder with an electrician has endless fence.
Chapter 9
Metal barricades
The strongest barricade you can put on a door or window.
Barricade with metal
Right-click a door or window with a torch, mask and a metal sheet or metal bars in your inventory. Choose the metal barricade option.
Secret: metal bars keep the view
Bars let you see out. Sheets block the window completely. Bars on watch windows, sheets on the rest.
Chapter 10
Cars: dismantle and repair
Wrecks are the welder's mine and the welder's training ground.
Dismantle a wreck
Right-click a burnt or wrecked car with torch and mask. Dismantle. Several operations, each giving sheets, pipes, scrap and XP.
Repair car body parts
Hood, trunk lid and doors can be welded back up from the mechanics menu when your Mechanics level allows. Uses sheets and torch charges.
Secret: the wreck at the crash site is worth more than the car
A destroyed car cannot be driven. It can be cut into a whole wall's worth of sheets.
Chapter 11
Propane logistics
Propane is finite. It is the welder's real clock.
- A torch holds 10 uses.
- A full tank refills a torch many times. One count says about 70.
- Every action costs uses: building, cutting and dismantling alike.
- Tanks are also fuel for propane barbecues. Decide who gets them.
Secret: back yards
Suburban barbecue grills often hide a tank. Check every patio on your loot route.
Watch out: no propane, no welding
There is no way to make propane. When the tanks are gone, the torch is a paperweight. Plan for Blacksmithing to take over.
Chapter 12
Training plan: 0 to 10
Cut wrecks, build what you know, barricade what you own.
Levels 0 to 2: wrecks and the VHS
Read Basics of Welding. Watch the Home Welding Guide. Dismantle every wreck on the highway. Keep the sheets.
Levels 2 to 5: barricades and frames
Read Building with Metal. Metal barricade every window on the base. Build frames and crates with the magazines you have.
Levels 5 to 10: the perimeter
Read III to V. Wire fence the property. Metal walls at the weak points. Build the outer walls last for maximum health.
Watch out: the sandbox switch
If you want the Build 41 furniture grind back, raise the sandbox option called Maximum Dismantling XP Level. On default, it is off.
Level by level: Welding
The best single thing to do at each level. Read the matching book first when one exists.
| Level | Do this for most of your XP | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 0 to 1 | Watch Home Welding Guide. Read Welding I. Dismantle wrecks | The only dismantle that pays by default |
| 1 to 2 | Every wreck on the highway | Sheets and XP |
| 2 to 3 | Metal barricades on base windows | Each one is XP |
| 3 to 4 | Read Welding II. Frames and crates from magazines | Builds pay more than cutting |
| 4 to 5 | Wire fences after April 1993 | Cheap perimeter, lots of segments |
| 5 to 6 | Read Welding III. Metal walls | Big builds |
| 6 to 7 | Car body repairs when Mechanics allows | New XP source |
| 7 to 8 | Read Welding IV. Metal walls at weak points | Higher level, stronger wall |
| 8 to 9 | Full metal perimeter | Volume, propane permitting |
| 9 to 10 | Read Welding V. Finish before the propane runs out | It is finite |
Welding kit checklist
Must have
Materials
Knowledge
Your ticks are saved in this browser, on this device only.
Chapter 13
Tips, tricks and fixes
20 tips from the torch
Setup
- Take Welder. Level 4 and all the recipes.
- Torch and mask in the bag before anything.
- Carry 2 torches.
- Grab every Welder Monthly.
- Check patios for propane.
Working
- Wrecks give XP. Fences and shelves do not.
- Rods are for building only.
- Count torch uses before a wall.
- Bars on watch windows, sheets elsewhere.
- Outer walls last, at high level.
- April 1993 for wire fences.
- Weld car bodies when Mechanics allows.
Planning
- Propane is finite. Ration it.
- Do not burn propane on the barbecue if you weld.
- Cut wrecks for the smith's scrap.
- If it mentions an anvil, that is Blacksmithing.
- Books multiply, magazines unlock.
- Crafty or Fast Learner speeds it.
- Metal crates are the best storage.
- Check the craft panel for exact costs.
Fix-it table
| Problem | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| No Metalwork menu. | No torch or no mask. | Both in inventory. |
| The wall recipe is missing. | Magazine not read. | Read the right Welder Monthly, or play Welder. |
| The torch is empty. | 10 uses spent. | Refill from a propane tank. |
| I cannot build the fence. | April 1993 not read. | Find it. |
| Dismantling shelves gives no XP. | Build 42 default. | Wrecks and building. Or the sandbox option. |
| Out of rods. | Building eats them. | Hardware stores. |
| Cannot repair the car hood. | Mechanics too low. | Level Mechanics. |
| Recipe wants an anvil. | Blacksmithing. | See that guide. |
| TV gives no Welding XP. | Life and Living does not cover it. | Home Welding Guide VHS. |
| All the propane is gone. | It is finite. | Switch to Blacksmithing. |
Chapter 14
Welder's test
7 questions. Get them all right and you can weld a fortress.
Chapter 15
Words and sources
Welder's word list
- Welding torch
- The propane tool. Every action needs it.
- Welding mask
- Required alongside the torch.
- Welding rods
- Consumed when building.
- Torch uses
- Charges in the torch. 10 when full.
- Welder Monthly
- The magazine series that teaches recipes.
- Metal barricade
- A sheet or bars welded over a window or door.
- Wreck
- A destroyed car. Cut it for sheets.
- Metalworking
- The old Build 41 name for Welding plus Blacksmithing.
How sure are we?
Every fact here was checked in September 2026 for game version 42.20.4. Order of trust: the official wiki, then well-sourced fan guides, then player reports.
- Torch and mask for the menu, XP sources and the furniture nerf, magazine-gated recipes, rods per build. Confirmed on the official wiki.
- Welder +4 and recipes, book names, rods for building only. A fan guide citing the wiki.
- 10 torch uses and tank refill counts. A fan guide's data for 42.19.
- April 1993 fence recipes. Fan guide verified against 42.20.4 scripts.
- Exact material counts per wall. Not listed. Trust the craft panel.
Sources
- PZwiki (the official wiki): Welding, Welding Torch
- Guides-factory welding guide for Build 42, cross-checked against the wiki
- PZfans welding hub and propane guide for 42.19 and 42.20.4
- Gamers.wiki Welding versus Blacksmithing guide
- Projectzomboid.wiki welding page (TV, VHS, loot spots)