In practice, in the design stage of revitalization, renovation or reinforcement, there is often a need to determine the strength of steel as well as its weldability. The strength of steel can be determined in two ways: directly through destructive testing or indirectly - by the Brinell hardness test. In the case of weldability, this turns out to be much more difficult, because there are three groups of factors which determine this property, i.e.: local weldability, operative weldability, and overall weldability. This paper presents the results of the verification of the relationship between the hardness and strength of three grades of steel from the early twentieth century. The evaluation of the overall weldability of structural steels is discussed in an analytical approach preceding costly weldability tests. An assessment based on selected indicators of weldability can only lead to confusion.