What does a block mason do?

Updated January 8, 2025

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Block mason responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real block mason resumes:

Perform various household maintenance jobs including mowing and landscaping.
Perform various household maintenance jobs including mowing and landscaping.

Block mason skills and personality traits

We calculated that 52% of Block Masons are proficient in Hand Tools, Building Materials, and Block. They’re also known for soft skills such as Color vision, Dexterity, and Physical strength.

We break down the percentage of Block Masons that have these skills listed on their resume here:

Hand Tools, 52%
Demolish and/or repair existing brick structures Utilized machinery and hand tools to mix concrete and grout.
Building Materials, 15%
Fastened or fuse brick or other building material to structure with wire clamps, anchor holes, torch, or cement.
Block, 8%
Lay block foundation to build wall / pump wall /insert steel for inspection / safety rules maintain cleanliness
Brick, 8%
Worked side by side with head mason to assist with brick transportation and installation and other masonry tasks.
Bobcat, 7%
Operated backhoes, forklifts, bobcats, and tractors to complete all facets of construction.
Reference Points, 5%
Measured distance from reference points and marked guidelines on working surface to lay out work.

Most block masons use their skills in "hand tools," "building materials," and "block" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential block mason responsibilities here:

Color vision. One of the key soft skills for a block mason to have is color vision. You can see how this relates to what block masons do because "masonry workers need to be able to distinguish between small variations in color when setting terrazzo patterns in order to produce the best looking finish." Additionally, a block mason resume shows how block masons use color vision: "bring life back to old building by matching the mortar color and style and reshapomg stone along with repointing"

Dexterity. Many block mason duties rely on dexterity. "masonry workers must be able to place bricks, stones, and other materials with precision.," so a block mason will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways block mason responsibilities rely on dexterity: "operate jcb book forklift to place block and mortar mix where it is needed around jobsite. "

Physical strength. This is an important skill for block masons to perform their duties. For an example of how block mason responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "masonry workers should be able to lift more than 50 pounds." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a block mason: "provide physical labor including lifting/transferring masonry blocks and supplies. ".

All block mason skills

The three companies that hire the most block masons are:

DFI
1 block masons jobs

Choose from 10+ customizable block mason resume templates

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Compare different block masons

Block mason vs. Refractory bricklayer

If we compare the average block mason annual salary with that of a refractory bricklayer, we find that refractory bricklayers typically earn a $3,125 lower salary than block masons make annually.

There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, block mason responsibilities require skills like "clean outs," "building materials," "block," and "brick." Meanwhile a typical refractory bricklayer has skills in areas such as "safety procedures," "osha," "fall protection," and "space training." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.

On average, refractory bricklayers reach similar levels of education than block masons. Refractory bricklayers are 0.0% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.0% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Block mason vs. Bricklayer apprentice

A career as a bricklayer apprentice brings a higher average salary when compared to the average annual salary of a block mason. In fact, bricklayer apprentices salary is $721 higher than the salary of block masons per year.A few skills overlap for block masons and bricklayer apprentices. Resumes from both professions show that the duties of each career rely on skills like "building materials," "reference points," and "commercial buildings. "

In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, block mason responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "hand tools," "clean outs," "block," and "brick." Meanwhile, a bricklayer apprentice has duties that require skills in areas such as "scaffolding," "bricklaying," "caulking," and "sponges." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.

Average education levels between the two professions vary. Bricklayer apprentices tend to reach similar levels of education than block masons. In fact, they're 0.0% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.0% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Block mason vs. Mason apprentice

On average scale, mason apprentices bring in lower salaries than block masons. In fact, they earn a $2,702 lower salary per year.By looking over several block masons and mason apprentices resumes, we found that both roles require similar skills in their day-to-day duties, such as "building materials," "bobcat," and "reference points." But beyond that, the careers look very different.

The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, block masons are more likely to have skills like "hand tools," "clean outs," "block," and "brick." But a mason apprentice is more likely to have skills like "masonry," "scaffolding," "rebar," and "safety protocol."

Most mason apprentices achieve a similar degree level compared to block masons. For example, they're 0.0% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.0% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Block mason vs. Bricklayer

Bricklayers typically earn higher pay than block masons. On average, bricklayers earn a $4,699 higher salary per year.While their salaries may vary, block masons and bricklayers both use similar skills to perform their duties. Resumes from both professions include skills like "building materials," "reference points," and "commercial buildings. "While some skills are required in each professionacirc;euro;trade;s responsibilities, there are some differences to note. "hand tools," "clean outs," "block," and "brick" are skills that commonly show up on block mason resumes. On the other hand, bricklayers use skills like caulking, construction projects, bricklaying, and demo on their resumes.bricklayers reach similar levels of education compared to block masons, in general. The difference is that they're 1.7% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.0% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Types of block mason

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

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