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A study was made to determine the arc and fusion-zone characteristics of rare earth metal (REM)-treated linepipe steel in the gas tungsten arc, gas metal arc, and fluxcored arc welding modes. Impulse decanting was used to study the fusion-zone characteristics for the welding processes studied. Varestraint tests were also made to study the effect of REM on hot-cracking susceptibility. The data obtained showed that at the usual levels of REM present in commercial steel, about 0.03 to 0.05 %, one can expect no significant adverse changes in the arc and fusion-zone characteristics of the steel. Moreover, the susceptibility to hot-cracking is actually reduced by small REM additions. Hence, REM additions to linepipe or high strength low alloy steels should not present any significant adverse problems in welding.