For analyzing the characteristics of arc welding processes, an algorithm is necessary to determine the metal transfer mode, arc stability and weld quality. In this study, the weight of spatter during welding was selected for determining the arc stability, which is very relevant to the occurrence of spatter. Weld spatter occurs mainly at the moment when the short circuit is formed and also when it is broken causing the arc to restrike. Based on this fact, the arc stability can be determined by finding the suitable parameters of welding current and arc voltage which influence the weight of spatter. Through various welding experiments, the peak current, the arcing time, the short circuit time, the current and its slope at the start of short circuit were found mainly to influence the weight of spatter. For the convenient usage, an index was proposed by combining all these parameters. It was found that the index is very effective for determining the arc stability.