A force-displacement model (FDM) is introduced in this work to analyse pulsed gas metal arc welding (GMAW). The drop detaching criterion is established based on the displacement of the pendant drop instead of the previous force balance criterion. The displacement of the drop is calculated by integrating the acceleration of the drop, and the force exerted on the drop is predicted using the modified force balance model coupled with wire melting. When the peak current, base current and time of pulsed-GMAW are given, the peak time for the one-drop one-pulse condition is determined using the FDM. While the peak current has the most significant effect on drop detachment, the initial drop mass prior to the peak time also influences the drop transfer. The FDM is applied to the dc as well as pulsed-GMAW, and the calculated results show good agreement with the experimental data.