Building carpenter vs finish carpenter

The differences between building carpenters and finish carpenters can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a building carpenter and a finish carpenter. Additionally, a finish carpenter has an average salary of $46,987, which is higher than the $37,278 average annual salary of a building carpenter.

The top three skills for a building carpenter include hand tools, customer service and roofing. The most important skills for a finish carpenter are hand tools, custom cabinets, and safety rules.

Building carpenter vs finish carpenter overview

	Building Carpenter	Finish Carpenter
Yearly salary	$37,278	$46,987
Hourly rate	$17.92	$22.59
Growth rate	2%	2%
Number of jobs	9,530	11,653
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 40%	High School Diploma, 36%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	12	12

Building carpenter vs finish carpenter salary

Building carpenters and finish carpenters have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Building Carpenter	Finish Carpenter
Average salary	$37,278	$46,987
Salary range	Between $28,000 And $49,000	Between $34,000 And $63,000
Highest paying City	-	Boston, MA
Highest paying state	-	Massachusetts
Best paying company	-	Turner Construction
Best paying industry	-	Construction

Differences between building carpenter and finish carpenter education

There are a few differences between a building carpenter and a finish carpenter in terms of educational background:

	Building Carpenter	Finish Carpenter
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 40%	High School Diploma, 36%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Building carpenter vs finish carpenter demographics

Here are the differences between building carpenters' and finish carpenters' demographics:

	Building Carpenter	Finish Carpenter
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 95.7% Female, 4.3%	Male, 96.5% Female, 3.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 7.7% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 23.2% Asian, 1.6% White, 61.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%	Black or African American, 7.3% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 23.2% Asian, 1.6% White, 62.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%
LGBT Percentage	2%	2%

Differences between building carpenter and finish carpenter duties and responsibilities

Building carpenter example responsibilities.

General carpentry, painting, and plumbing to residential construction firm.
Build homes from the ground up, performing all tasks, excluding mechanical, electrical, and plumbing trades.
Coordinate with crane operators and heavy equipment operators for structural assembly/ material / scaffolding location.
Participate in process improvement and strategic planning initiatives with leadership team.

Finish carpenter example responsibilities.

Install cabinets, vinyl, FRP, carpet, windows, Sheetrock, painting, HVAC
Assist with electrical wiring and HVAC installation.
Operate tools like lather, drills, sanders and planers.
Demo rooms and add on with new framing Sheetrock and flooring.
Assist HVAC technicians with changing filters and belts on the air handler units.
Complete demo of existing cabinets, tile, drywall, electrical wirings, appliances etc.

Building carpenter vs finish carpenter skills

Common building carpenter skills

Hand Tools, 15%
Customer Service, 13%
Roofing, 12%
Plumbing, 8%
Safety Rules, 7%
Drywall Installation, 4%

Common finish carpenter skills

Hand Tools, 19%
Custom Cabinets, 13%
Safety Rules, 7%
Drywall Installation, 4%
Door Hardware, 4%
Window Installation, 3%