Gas welding goggles
Updated: October 2026
You have an oxy-acetylene or oxy-propane torch ready, and the listing says gas welding goggles without a shade number. A gas flame needs a filter that cuts infrared and glare, and the product has to say how dark that filter is. This page covers why shade 5 is the usual UK gas lens, when a flow table allows one step either way, and which amazon.co.uk pairs here actually print the number. Compare the listings, in GBP, on our [welding goggles comparison](/hub/soldering-and-welding/welding-goggles). If you strike an arc instead, shade 5 is the wrong filter. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
You have an oxy-acetylene or oxy-propane torch ready, and the listing says gas welding goggles without a shade number.
You have an oxy-acetylene or oxy-propane torch ready, and the listing says gas welding goggles without a shade number. A gas flame needs a filter that cuts infrared and glare, and the product has to say how dark that filter is. This page covers why shade 5 is the usual UK gas lens, when a flow table allows one step either way, and which amazon.co.uk pairs here actually print the number. Compare the listings, in GBP, on our welding goggles comparison. If you strike an arc instead, shade 5 is the wrong filter. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Shade 5 evidence | Process | Check before use | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  Laser Laser 6724 | Maker page says shade 5 | Passive gas | Nose seal and lens seating | 9.2 | about £16.75 | View offer |
| Alternative |  YESWELDER YESWELDER LYG-R100A | 4/5-9/9-13, not a gas lens | Tight-access arc | Wrong default for oxy-fuel | 9.0 | about £37.99 | View offer |
| Preis-Tipp |  Portwest Portwest PW60BGR | Datasheet says shade 5 | Short gas jobs | PW60BGR marking in hand | 8.8 | about £7.28 | View offer |
On this page
Gas welding uses a filter, not a clear safety lens
A gas flame throws infrared that a clear workshop spec does not filter. Sunglasses and ordinary safety glasses can cut glare or stop a chip, and they still leave the welding wavelengths largely unfiltered. Gas welding goggles hold a dark filter against both eyes, with a seal around the frame. The job is optical protection for the flame, not impact protection for grinding. HSE's motor-vehicle guidance says chipping slag needs impact goggles, not the dark welding lens, so you change eyewear when you stop welding and start cleaning the bead.
Colour is a poor guide. Bottle green describes appearance. Shade is a numbered darkness, so a green lens with no number is not shade 5. A Laser 6724 reviewer reported a gap at the nose that let light in, even though the amazon.co.uk bullets claim a fit over prescription spectacles. If your glasses force that gap, the shade number does not help.
Shade 5 is the usual UK gas lens
UK trade sellers treat shade 5 as the default gas-welding goggle. BOC's UK shop lists shade 5 flip goggles and a ski-type shade 5 for gas welding, from about £4.08 to £16.07. SGS Gases states that shade 5 is for oxy-fuel work and not for MIG or TIG.
A circulated HSE welding-PPE note reproduces the EN 169 gas table for acetylene flow on heavy metals. Under 70 litres per hour it gives shade 4. From 71 to 200 litres per hour it gives shade 5. From 201 to 800 it gives shade 6, and above 800 it gives shade 7. The note allows one shade either way for conditions. Treat that as the guide's rule of thumb, not as text copied from the standard, and do not turn the bands into a nozzle size. If you do not know your flow, shade 5 is the figure the catalogues print. A small brazing flame can sit lighter and a heavy cutting flame darker, but only when you know the flow. The welding goggles buying guide separates those markings from a title that only says welding.
Flip-up is for looking, not for a live flame
A flip-up hinge lets you see the joint with the filter raised, then drop it before the flame is doing work. BOC sells shade 5 flip goggles for that reason. The hinge is a viewing aid between operations, not a licence to watch the flame through the clear lens. If it sticks half-open, stop. A half-raised filter is a gap, not a shade.
Three amazon.co.uk two-packs flip up and still omit the shade. XZSKD is about £12.99 with no reviews. Toddmomy is about £15.79, and an unanswered question asks whether they suit gas welding. Warmhm is about £58.89, with a 2.6 average from three ratings and no review text. None states a shade or a welding standard. Buy a flip-up only when the lens is marked, and keep it down while the flame is lit.
What this amazon set actually prints
Two gas-titled pairs are worth opening, and neither amazon extract prints shade 5. The Laser 6724 is about £16.75, rated 4.4 from 128 ratings, and the bullets claim EN 166 plus a fit over spectacles. Laser Tools' page for model 6724 identifies it as shade 5. One reviewer found a nose gap, and another reported the lens coming loose from the rubber housing. It needs no battery, which suits a gas torch once the delivered filter matches the maker page.
The Portwest PW60BGR is about £7.28, rated 4.2 from 163 ratings. Reviews call it handy for short gas work, nose discomfort comes up often, and one UK buyer limits it to burning gear rather than welding. Portwest's datasheet and a UKCA declaration dated 24 September 2024, certificate UKCA 764127, name shade 5 with EN 166:2001 (1 F), EN 169:2002 and EN 175:1997 (F). The amazon extract does not. The file also shows B008510J2U in the URL and B0H3WX8WTP in the technical block, so confirm the model in your hand. You cannot copy that declaration onto a different green goggle. Smallterm at about £9.89 omits the shade entirely.
Shade 5 is the wrong lens for MIG
SGS states that shade 5 is for oxy-fuel, not MIG or TIG. JSP's UK guide puts MIG on steel at about shade 10 or darker from roughly 80 to 100 amps, on a face shield rather than a gas goggle. A shade 5 lens looks too light for that arc and still leaves the cheeks and neck open. For MIG, TIG or MMA, use welding goggles versus a helmet and keep shade 5 for the torch.
Common questions
What shade are gas welding goggles?
For ordinary UK oxy-fuel welding, the trade default is a lens marked shade 5. BOC sells shade 5 gas-welding goggles, and SGS Gases describes that shade as an oxy-fuel filter. A green lens, or a title that only says gas, is not the marking. Read the number on the filter, or on the manufacturer page for that exact model, before you treat the pair as specified.
Is shade 5 right for oxy-acetylene?
Shade 5 matches the middle band in the HSE note's acetylene table, about 71 to 200 litres per hour on heavy metals. It is what UK gas catalogues print when they do not ask for your flow. Outside that band the table steps to shade 4, 6 or 7, and it allows one shade either way for conditions. Do not invent a nozzle size from those litre figures.
When would I need shade 4 or shade 6?
Shade 4 is the step for acetylene under 70 litres per hour. Shade 6 covers about 201 to 800 litres per hour, and shade 7 is for flow above that. A small brazing flame can justify the lighter step, and a heavy cutting flame the darker one, only if you know the flow. Flame colour is not a substitute for that figure.
Are flip-up goggles better for gas?
A flip-up helps when you need to see the joint between operations and the filter is a marked gas shade. Lower it before the flame is working. The three amazon.co.uk flip-up packs here, from about £12.99 to £58.89, do not state a shade, so the hinge does not make them shade 5. A fixed shade 5 goggle is the simpler buy if you do not need to raise the lens.
Can I use shade 5 for MIG?
No. Shade 5 is the oxy-fuel figure. MIG on steel is around shade 10 or darker on a face shield in JSP's UK guidance, depending on current. A gas goggle at shade 5 is too light for that arc and does not cover the face. Use a helmet or a welding shield for open-bench arc work, and keep shade 5 for the torch.
Does the Portwest on amazon state shade 5?
The amazon.co.uk extract for the PW60BGR does not print a shade. Portwest's datasheet and UKCA declaration identify shade 5, with EN 166, EN 169 and EN 175. Confirm the delivered goggles match that model and that the lens is marked. The comparison file also shows two ASIN strings, so check the product in your hand rather than the title alone.
What if the lens only says green?
Treat the shade as unknown. Green describes how many welding filters look, and it does not say whether the lens is shade 4, 5 or 6. Ask for the marked shade, or choose a listing whose maker page names shade 5 for that exact model. A star rating does not fill in a missing number.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources named in the research digest, plus the amazon.co.uk listings in this set. BOC UK goggle prices were noted on 16 October 2026. No laboratory test was run.
- HSE, Controlling the risks from welding (retrieved 16 October 2026)
- HSE, Health risks from welding (retrieved 16 October 2026)
- NHS 111 Wales, arc eye (retrieved 16 October 2026)
- PPE at Work Regulations 1992 (retrieved 16 October 2026)
- BSI, EN ISO 16321 eye protection (retrieved 16 October 2026)
- BOC UK, safety specs and goggles (retrieved 16 October 2026)
- JSP Safety UK, MIG shade on steel (retrieved 16 October 2026)
- 3M UK, welding eye and face protection (retrieved 16 October 2026)