Body welder vs structural welder

The differences between body welders and structural welders can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a body welder and a structural welder. Additionally, a structural welder has an average salary of $42,868, which is higher than the $32,146 average annual salary of a body welder.

The top three skills for a body welder include assembly line, toyota and quality inspection. The most important skills for a structural welder are SMAW, FCAW, and MIG.

Body welder vs structural welder overview

	Body Welder	Structural Welder
Yearly salary	$32,146	$42,868
Hourly rate	$15.45	$20.61
Growth rate	2%	2%
Number of jobs	11,289	9,651
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 50%	High School Diploma, 46%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	4	4

Body welder vs structural welder salary

Body welders and structural welders have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Body Welder	Structural Welder
Average salary	$32,146	$42,868
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $41,000	Between $31,000 And $58,000
Highest paying City	-	Philadelphia, PA
Highest paying state	-	Massachusetts
Best paying company	-	Turner Construction
Best paying industry	-	Construction

Differences between body welder and structural welder education

There are a few differences between a body welder and a structural welder in terms of educational background:

	Body Welder	Structural Welder
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 50%	High School Diploma, 46%
Most common major	Business	Precision Metal Working
Most common college	-	-

Body welder vs structural welder demographics

Here are the differences between body welders' and structural welders' demographics:

	Body Welder	Structural Welder
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 87.9% Female, 12.1%	Male, 94.9% Female, 5.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.0% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 17.9% Asian, 3.4% White, 64.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6%	Black or African American, 10.1% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 22.1% Asian, 2.6% White, 59.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6%
LGBT Percentage	3%	3%

Differences between body welder and structural welder duties and responsibilities

Body welder example responsibilities.

Perform preventive maintenance, electronic robotic operation, pneumatic system operation, and initial quality control.
Recommend and implement cost reductive measures on the Tacoma front door and hood shell-body weld jig designs.
Use a power tugger to move parts to other departments.
Perform preventive maintenance, electronic robotic operation, pneumatic system operation, and initial quality control.

Structural welder example responsibilities.

Manage and run production parts through the brake.
Fabricate and assemble small parts and components with the GMAW, SMAW, FCAW and aluminum weld process.
Bound structural as well as nonstructural parts by means of welding according to drawings using MIG and TIG welding of steel.
Weld, and fabricate pressure vessels using GMAW process.
Fix various stock trailers and other equipment that come in for repairs using FCAW, and GMAW.
Weld separately or in combination using aluminum, stainless steel, cast iron, and other alloys.

Body welder vs structural welder skills

Common body welder skills

Assembly Line, 29%
Toyota, 20%
Quality Inspection, 17%
Quality Checks, 16%
Hand Tools, 10%
Jigs, 7%

Common structural welder skills

SMAW, 9%
FCAW, 8%
MIG, 8%
Arc Welding, 8%
GMAW, 6%
Hand Tools, 5%