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Body shop technician vs refinish technician

The differences between body shop technicians and refinish technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a refinish technician has an average salary of $45,014, which is higher than the $42,116 average annual salary of a body shop technician.

The top three skills for a body shop technician include body shop, OSHA and refinish. The most important skills for a refinish technician are paint brushes, body shop, and stencils.

Body shop technician vs refinish technician overview

Body Shop TechnicianRefinish Technician
Yearly salary$42,116$45,014
Hourly rate$20.25$21.64
Growth rate3%3%
Number of jobs40,10728,813
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeHigh School Diploma, 47%High School Diploma, 37%
Average age4444
Years of experience--

Body shop technician vs refinish technician salary

Body shop technicians and refinish technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

Body Shop TechnicianRefinish Technician
Average salary$42,116$45,014
Salary rangeBetween $26,000 And $66,000Between $31,000 And $65,000
Highest paying CityMiddletown, CT-
Highest paying stateMaine-
Best paying companyDATTCO-
Best paying industryAutomotive-

Differences between body shop technician and refinish technician education

There are a few differences between a body shop technician and a refinish technician in terms of educational background:

Body Shop TechnicianRefinish Technician
Most common degreeHigh School Diploma, 47%High School Diploma, 37%
Most common majorAutomotive TechnologyAutomotive Technology
Most common college--

Body shop technician vs refinish technician demographics

Here are the differences between body shop technicians' and refinish technicians' demographics:

Body Shop TechnicianRefinish Technician
Average age4444
Gender ratioMale, 94.5% Female, 5.5%Male, 94.7% Female, 5.3%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 7.7% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 19.4% Asian, 1.8% White, 66.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%Black or African American, 7.6% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 19.4% Asian, 1.8% White, 66.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage4%4%

Differences between body shop technician and refinish technician duties and responsibilities

Body shop technician example responsibilities.

  • Perform panel repairs all around with the use of bondo and glaze.
  • Have worked with everything from bondo and paint prep all the way to welding support pieces together.
  • Maintain a safe, clean work area and follow all establish safety guidelines, ensuring conformance with OSHA.
  • Complete prep and refinish to factory or customer specifications.
  • Enter invoices electronically using CCC one and store invoices inside their specific file.

Refinish technician example responsibilities.

  • Apply all primers, sealers, basecoats and top coats as required.
  • Compose written reports of data collect from patient evaluation and present to department chief for thorough analysis of patient diagnosis.
  • Experience with both PPG and DuPont paint mixing systems, their applications, and all paint prep processes.

Body shop technician vs refinish technician skills

Common body shop technician skills
  • Body Shop, 24%
  • OSHA, 11%
  • Refinish, 10%
  • Hand Tools, 10%
  • Customer Service, 9%
  • Repair Orders, 6%
Common refinish technician skills
  • Paint Brushes, 38%
  • Body Shop, 20%
  • Stencils, 16%
  • I-Car, 9%
  • OEM, 8%
  • Coats, 3%

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