Abstract: In flux-cored wire electrodes for vertical automatic welding, from bottom to top, there is an electric arc under gaseous protection, the wires having diameters of 1 to 4 mm and generally shaped internally in any configuration, such as tubular, heart-shaped and composite, characterized by a sheath of steel strip, and a powdered filling flux most preferably including the following ingredients in qualitative and quantitative composition by powder weight:______________________________________ Iron powder 73% Silicofluoride of potassium (K.sub.2 SiF.sub.6) 4% Cryolite (Na.sub.3 AlF.sub.6) 2% Nickel powder 3% Ferro-molybdenum (at 65 up to 75%) 0.8% Refined ferromanganese (85 up to 90%) 9.9% Ferrosilicon (45%) 1% Ferrotitanium (30%) 0.5% Micaceous iron oxide 1% Fine silica 4% Silicocalcium (SiCa) 0.8% 100.0% ______________________________________The flux-cored wires most preferably have a filling coefficient of 32 grams of powder weight per 100 grams of strip.