Bridge welder vs combination welder

The differences between bridge welders and combination 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 bridge welder and a combination welder. Additionally, a combination welder has an average salary of $45,432, which is higher than the $42,281 average annual salary of a bridge welder.

The top three skills for a bridge welder include AWS, arc welding and DOT. The most important skills for a combination welder are arc welding, tack, and minor maintenance.

Bridge welder vs combination welder overview

	Bridge Welder	Combination Welder
Yearly salary	$42,281	$45,432
Hourly rate	$20.33	$21.84
Growth rate	2%	2%
Number of jobs	7,835	7,117
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 55%	High School Diploma, 36%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	4	4

Bridge welder vs combination welder salary

Bridge welders and combination welders have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Bridge Welder	Combination Welder
Average salary	$42,281	$45,432
Salary range	Between $31,000 And $56,000	Between $32,000 And $62,000
Highest paying City	-	Bremerton, WA
Highest paying state	-	Wyoming
Best paying company	-	Maxum Enterprises, LLC
Best paying industry	-	Construction

Differences between bridge welder and combination welder education

There are a few differences between a bridge welder and a combination welder in terms of educational background:

	Bridge Welder	Combination Welder
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 55%	High School Diploma, 36%
Most common major	Precision Metal Working	Precision Metal Working
Most common college	-	-

Bridge welder vs combination welder demographics

Here are the differences between bridge welders' and combination welders' demographics:

	Bridge Welder	Combination Welder
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 98.3% Female, 1.7%	Male, 96.7% Female, 3.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.0% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 17.5% Asian, 2.8% White, 63.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6%	Black or African American, 9.8% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 24.3% Asian, 2.6% White, 57.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6%
LGBT Percentage	3%	3%

Differences between bridge welder and combination welder duties and responsibilities

Bridge welder example responsibilities.

Manage and run production parts through the brake.
use of cutting torches when need.
Operate various forms of welding machines to include FCAW, GTAW, SMAW as well as oxy-acetylene torches.
Weld mainly stick, but includes MIG and TIG.
Operate CNC drilling machines as needed.
Perform MIG and stick welds and erecting structural steel utilize for building skeletons including specific/ detail measurements for accuracy.

Combination welder example responsibilities.

Fitter-Qualify in SMAW, FCAW, GMAW, as per AWS D1.1.
Repair wrecked tank cars using plasma, torches, welders, and air arc.
Fabricate numerous shop projects using all processes in variety of positions on carbon, aluminum, and stainless.
Assist lead welder in various welding, brazing, grinding, thermal, gouging, and arc cutting operations.
Can position pieces to weld into jigs, holding fixtures, guides and steps using measuring instruments and hand tools.
Assemble or secure pipes, tubes, fittings, specifications, by welding, brazing, soldering, or threading joints.

Bridge welder vs combination welder skills

Common bridge welder skills

AWS, 64%
Arc Welding, 13%
DOT, 10%
Torches, 8%
SMAW, 5%

Common combination welder skills

Arc Welding, 14%
Tack, 10%
Minor Maintenance, 7%
MIG, 6%
Gmaw Welding, 5%
Engineering Drawings, 4%