Points out that the pitting resistance of welds in stainless steels is often inferior to the parent metals, and is an important factor to consider during the selection of materials of service in corrosive environments. Notes that an empirical pitting resistance equivalent (PRE), often expressed as PRE = % Cr + 3.3 × % Mo + 16 × % N, is used to rank different parent metals and that during welding, a number of metallurgical‐and surface‐related reactions take place locally, which make it impossible to predict the pitting corrosion resistance by a single expression. Reviews the effects of oxides, slag and other weld defects on the pitting resistance of welds in stainless steels, and highlights the importance of including the properties of fabricated areas into the life cycle cost (LCC) analyses.