The experiments reported in this study involved using a new activated flux developed by the National Pingtung University of Science and Technology (NPUST) to systematically investigate the influence of oxide-based flux powder and carrier solvent composition on the surface appearance, geometric shape, angular distortion, and ferrite content of austenitic 316L stainless steel tungsten inert gas (TIC) welds. The flux powders comprising oxide, fluoride, and sulfide mixed with methanol or ethanol achieved good spreadability. For the investigated currents of 125 to 225 A, the maximum penetration of stainless steel activated TIC weld was obtained when the coating density was between 0.92 and 1.86 mg/cm(2). The depth of finger-like profile in the conventional TIC weld increased in conjunction with the current because of the induced strong arc pressure. The arc pressure also raised the penetration capability of activated TIC welds at high currents. The results show that higher current levels have lower ferrite content of austenitic 316L stainless steel weld metal than lower current levels. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.