A rapid, nondestructive method of determining the moisture content of shielded metal arc welding (SMAW) electrodes was developed using the electrical capacitance of the welding consumable. Capacitance moisture contents for type ER7018, ER8018, and ER10018 electrodes were measured and correlated with the actual moisture content. Regression analysis work was carried out resulting in representation of the results by either linear correlation equations or by sigmoidal functions. The method was found to produce good results not only in moisture determination, but also in detecting possible electrode mix-up because of the different flux coating chemical composition. The technique may also be suitable for on site measurements.