The paper deals with the method to identify internal stresses in two-dimensional steel members. Steel members were investigated in the delivery stage and after assembly, by means of electric-arc welding. In order to perform the member assessment two methods to identify the stress variation were applied. The first is a non-destructive measurement method employing local external magnetic field and to detecting the induced voltage, including Barkhausen noise The analysis of the latter allows to assess internal stresses in a surface layer of the material. The second method, essential in the paper, is a semi-trepanation Mathar method of tensometric strain variation measurement in the course of a controlled void-making in the material. Variation of internal stress distribution in the material led to the choice of welding technology to join. The assembly process altered the actual stresses and made up new stresses, triggering post-welding stresses as a response for the excessive stress variation.