Cold cracking susceptibility of the weld metal made with a 16 %Cr-7 %Ni wire was investigated using the y groove weld cracking test. This wire was made on an experimental basis to be applied to 980 MPa grade steel without preheating. The welding was conducted at the condition of 260 A-26 V-23 cm/min with no preheating. The test results show that no cracking was observed when the diffusible hydrogen was 1.5 ml/100 g, while some cracks were found when the diffusible hydrogen was 4 ml/100 g. And the acoustic emission monitoring showed that the cracks occurred in the weld metal after the temperature decreased below 100 °C. Since the strength of the weld metal made with this prototype wire is over 980 MPa, this wire can be a candidate for the application of 980 MPa grade steel without preheating.