Bench hand vs steel fabricator

The differences between bench hands and steel fabricators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a bench hand has an average salary of $36,500, which is higher than the $32,654 average annual salary of a steel fabricator.

The top three skills for a bench hand include hand tools, grinders and cranes. The most important skills for a steel fabricator are MIG, tape measure, and hand tools.

Bench hand vs steel fabricator overview

	Bench Hand	Steel Fabricator
Yearly salary	$36,500	$32,654
Hourly rate	$17.55	$15.70
Growth rate	-5%	2%
Number of jobs	5,097	3,063
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 46%	High School Diploma, 48%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	-	-

Bench hand vs steel fabricator salary

Bench hands and steel fabricators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Bench Hand	Steel Fabricator
Average salary	$36,500	$32,654
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $50,000	Between $24,000 And $44,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between bench hand and steel fabricator education

There are a few differences between a bench hand and a steel fabricator in terms of educational background:

	Bench Hand	Steel Fabricator
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 46%	High School Diploma, 48%
Most common major	Business	Precision Metal Working
Most common college	-	-

Bench hand vs steel fabricator demographics

Here are the differences between bench hands' and steel fabricators' demographics:

	Bench Hand	Steel Fabricator
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 90.9% Female, 9.1%	Male, 94.2% Female, 5.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.2% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 14.3% Asian, 8.8% White, 61.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 12.1% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 14.9% Asian, 8.1% White, 60.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	5%	5%

Differences between bench hand and steel fabricator duties and responsibilities

Bench hand example responsibilities.

Operate various machines including; hones, lathes and surface grinders.
Execute bench, machine and hand tool work in shaping, fitting and assembling forging dies, jigs and fixtures.
Perform all machining operations necessary to build production machinery and tooling to manufacture a wide selection of aerospace fasteners.
Unload trucks using forklift and overhead crane.
Perform in-house calibration on rulers, calipers, digital indicators and leak tester following the approved calibration procedure.

Steel fabricator example responsibilities.

Achieve welding certifications in pipe, structural steel, MIG, TIG and by the state of Maryland.
Programme and operate CNC press brake as necessary.
Weld and cut steel using MIG/ARC welders and cutting torches.
Work with various CNC machines, metal saws, drill presses and punches, press break, and forklift certify.
Weld, tack, and fit uprights that go on mods, fab and repair any projects using FCAW welding techniques.
Assemble fiberglass aircraft louvers in accordance with standard operating procedures while adhering to applicable safety regulations.

Bench hand vs steel fabricator skills

Common bench hand skills

Hand Tools, 48%
Grinders, 19%
Cranes, 14%
Drill Presses, 10%
Manual Lathes, 6%
Visual Inspections, 2%

Common steel fabricator skills

MIG, 11%
Tape Measure, 10%
Hand Tools, 10%
Stainless Steel, 7%
Steel Fabrication, 6%
Aluminum, 5%