The installation and renovation works of steel structures are often performed using gas metal arc welding. Thereby, the welded elements of these structures are frequently protected by a variety of primers and coatings, especially in shipbuilding. Complex nonequilibrium physical and chemical processes occurring under the influence of high temperatures and electric arc discharge, as well as the presence of the products that affect the welding parameters, have a significant impact on the joints’ quality. Experimental studies on the coatings’ breakdown products influence on the gas metal arc welding parameters were performed with epoxy, alkyd, polyacrylate, polyvinyl butyral primers, epoxy zinc filled, vinyl chloride, vinyl isobutyl, and organosilicate coatings. The peculiarity of welding current waveform parameters was studied using oscillograms processing. It was found that the main coatings breakdown products that influence the current waveform are oxygen and carbon monoxide.