Understanding the behaviour of weldment at elevated temperatures and especially their corrosion behaviour has become an object of scientific investigation recently. Investigation has been carried out on friction-welded AISI 4140 and AISI 304 under molten salt of Na2SO4 + V2O5 (60%) environment at 500 and 550 °C under cyclic condition. The influences of welding parameters on the hot corrosion have been discussed. The resulting oxide scales in the weldment have been characterized systematically using surface analytical techniques. Scale thickness on low alloy steel side was found to be more and was prone to spalling. Weld region has been found to be more prone to degradation than base metals due to inter diffusion of element across the interface and the formation of intermetallic compound. © 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.