were used to investigate the effect of active flux on the depth/width ratio in SUS304 stainless steel. The flux quantity, stability, and particlesize effect on the weld-pool shape and oxygen content in the weld after welding was studied systematically. The results showed that the weld depth/width ratio initially increased, followed by a decrease with the increasing flux quantity of the Cu 2 O, NiO, and SiO 2 fluxes. The depth/width ratio is not sensitive to the CaO flux when the quantity is over 80 ϫ 10 Ϫ5 mol on the 5 ϫ 0.1 ϫ 50 mm slot. The Al 2 O 3 flux has no effect on the penetration. The oxygen content dissolved in the weld plays an important role in altering the liquid-pool surface-tension gradient and the weld penetration. The effective range of oxygen in the weld is between 70 and 300 ppm. A too-high or too-low oxygen content in the weld pool does not increase the depth/width ratio. The decomposition of the flux significantly depends on the flux stability and the particle size. Cu 2 O has a narrow effective flux-quantity range for the deep penetration, while the Al 2 O 3 flux has no effect. The SiO 2 flux with a small particle size (0.8 or 4 m) is a highly recommended active flux for deep penetration in actual gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) applications.