Crane operator vs steel crane operator

The differences between crane operators and steel crane operators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a crane operator and a steel crane operator. Additionally, a crane operator has an average salary of $54,275, which is higher than the $38,900 average annual salary of a steel crane operator.

The top three skills for a crane operator include cranes, NCCCO and CDL. The most important skills for a steel crane operator are hand tools, customer orders, and torches.

Crane operator vs steel crane operator overview

	Crane Operator	Steel Crane Operator
Yearly salary	$54,275	$38,900
Hourly rate	$26.09	$18.70
Growth rate	7%	7%
Number of jobs	34,918	30,309
Job satisfaction	4.67	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 56%	High School Diploma, 54%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	4	4

Crane operator vs steel crane operator salary

Crane operators and steel crane operators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Crane Operator	Steel Crane Operator
Average salary	$54,275	$38,900
Salary range	Between $35,000 And $83,000	Between $25,000 And $59,000
Highest paying City	Vancouver, WA	-
Highest paying state	Washington	-
Best paying company	Katerra	-
Best paying industry	Energy	-

Differences between crane operator and steel crane operator education

There are a few differences between a crane operator and a steel crane operator in terms of educational background:

	Crane Operator	Steel Crane Operator
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 56%	High School Diploma, 54%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Crane operator vs steel crane operator demographics

Here are the differences between crane operators' and steel crane operators' demographics:

	Crane Operator	Steel Crane Operator
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 95.5% Female, 4.5%	Male, 98.5% Female, 1.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.5% Unknown, 3.6% Hispanic or Latino, 18.3% Asian, 0.7% White, 65.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5%	Black or African American, 11.6% Unknown, 3.6% Hispanic or Latino, 15.4% Asian, 0.7% White, 67.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5%
LGBT Percentage	2%	2%

Differences between crane operator and steel crane operator duties and responsibilities

Crane operator example responsibilities.

Perform preventive maintenance on cranes in accordance with manufacturer and OSHA requirements.
Train, test and certify to run all small and large hydraulic cranes through NCCCO.
Operate LBT and TLL cranes, loading and unloading concrete bridge girders in a precast yard in a production setting.
Rig cranes to handle constriction materials using appropriate nylon and wire rope slings, shackles and other material handling equipment.
Arch, MIG, and TIG welding.
Maintain and use appropriate PPE.

Steel crane operator example responsibilities.

Certify with Hilti nail guns and oxygen torches.
Perform specialized production line and quality control duties in a professional production environment specializing in plastic extrusion.
Operate Kone overhead cranes to offload railcars, load CTL line with steel coils and fix coil rows.
Perform specialized production line and quality control duties in a professional production environment specializing in plastic extrusion.

Crane operator vs steel crane operator skills

Common crane operator skills

Cranes, 25%
NCCCO, 7%
CDL, 7%
OSHA, 4%
Hoisting, 4%
Safety Rules, 3%

Common steel crane operator skills

Hand Tools, 76%
Customer Orders, 11%
Torches, 7%
CNC, 6%

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Crane Operator
Crane Operator vs Steel Crane Operator

Updated January 8, 2025

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