Weldments are generally made from product such as bar, tubing and plate. Part shapes are economically made by burning, laser cutting, shearing or sawing, depending on complexity and thickness. Individual parts in a weldment can be made of different alloys, within the limits dictated by welding parameters. Tooling cost is very low, but the process is labor intensive.

Weldments may offer an advantage over forgings in low production quantities. The economic advantage of weldments decreases as production quantities increase and the economic advantage shifts to forgings. Applications where production volumes are initially low and growth is anticipated can often be introduced as weldments and converted to forgings with minimal development cost and no compromise in product integrity.