In the present study, the welding defects are divided into two types, i.e. the crack-like defect and the uncrack-like defect, based on the experimental and analytical results, and the criterion for distinguishing the defect type is tentatively proposed. The life predicting methods are given to accurately compute the fatigue life of butt welds containing different types of defect. The computation and the experiments show that the fatigue crack propagation life of the butt welds containing the crack-like defect is approximately equal to the total fatigue life and the fatigue crack initiation life can be. neglected. Therefore, the fatigue life of this kind of welds is greatly decreased. Gn the other hand, the fatigue life of the butt welds containing uncrack-like defect consists of two phases, i.e. the fatigue crack initiation life and the fatigue crack propagation life and the fatigue crack initiation life occupies a greater portion, which cannot be neglected. In order to accurately predict the fatigue life of welded elements, not only the defect size but also the defect type should be determined. Consequently, the technology and the equipment for the nondestructive detection need to be highly developed.