Back Gouging involves removing metal from which location?

• A. The weld face
• B. The heat-affected zone
• C. The opposite side of the welded joint
• D. The root of the weld

Answer: (C)

Back gouging means removing metal from the side of the joint that is opposite the weld face—the back side. This is done so you can expose and clean up the weld root, allowing you to verify penetration and fusion at the root, or to prepare the root for additional weld passes if needed. It’s not about removing metal from the weld face, the heat-affected zone, or specifically from the root area inside the joint—the term describes working from the reverse side of the joint to reach the root.