Expander vs cold header operator

The differences between expanders and cold header operators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a cold header operator has an average salary of $62,538, which is higher than the $40,248 average annual salary of an expander.

The top three skills for an expander include hand tools, and . The most important skills for a cold header operator are calipers, grinders, and SPC.

Expander vs cold header operator overview

	Expander	Cold Header Operator
Yearly salary	$40,248	$62,538
Hourly rate	$19.35	$30.07
Growth rate	-5%	-5%
Number of jobs	306	25,851
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 48%	High School Diploma, 48%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	-	-

Expander vs cold header operator salary

Expanders and cold header operators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Expander	Cold Header Operator
Average salary	$40,248	$62,538
Salary range	Between $23,000 And $68,000	Between $39,000 And $99,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between expander and cold header operator education

There are a few differences between an expander and a cold header operator in terms of educational background:

	Expander	Cold Header Operator
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 48%	High School Diploma, 48%
Most common major	Business	Mechanical Engineering
Most common college	-	-

Expander vs cold header operator demographics

Here are the differences between expanders' and cold header operators' demographics:

	Expander	Cold Header Operator
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 83.3% Female, 16.7%	Male, 98.5% Female, 1.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.7% Unknown, 2.8% Hispanic or Latino, 12.1% Asian, 2.3% White, 72.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 9.7% Unknown, 2.8% Hispanic or Latino, 12.1% Asian, 2.3% White, 72.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	3%	3%

Differences between expander and cold header operator duties and responsibilities

Expander example responsibilities.

Review loan documents including preliminary title report and appraisal for accurate property information.
Acquire experience within the heat treat department and also perform inspection, gauging of parts and SPC charting.

Cold header operator example responsibilities.

Use measuring equipment (calipers, micrometers, etc . )
Enforce QMS compliance fulfilling BSI regulate certification.
Maintain parts to blue-print specifications using micrometers, vernier calipers and measuring gages.
Enforce QMS compliance fulfilling BSI regulate certification.

Expander vs cold header operator skills

Common expander skills

Hand Tools, 100%

Common cold header operator skills

Calipers, 62%
Grinders, 19%
SPC, 17%
Formax, 2%

Updated January 8, 2025

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