There are five basic types of weld joints:

• Butt joint.
• T-joint.
• Lap joint.
• Corner joint.
• Edge joint.

Figure 1: The five basic types of joints used in welding.

Joint Preparation
Weld joints may be initially prepared in a number of ways. These include:
– Shearing.
– Casting.
– Forging.
–  Machining.
– Stamping.
– Filing.
– Routing.
– Oxyacetylene cutting (thermal cutting process).
– Plasma arc cutting (thermal cutting process).
– Grinding.