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Lead drafter vs draftsman/designer

The differences between lead drafters and draftsman/designers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a lead drafter and a draftsman/designer. Additionally, a draftsman/designer has an average salary of $52,529, which is higher than the $47,538 average annual salary of a lead drafter.

The top three skills for a lead drafter include construction drawings, autocad and engineering drawings. The most important skills for a draftsman/designer are design layouts, solidworks, and shop drawings.

Lead drafter vs draftsman/designer overview

Lead DrafterDraftsman/Designer
Yearly salary$47,538$52,529
Hourly rate$22.85$25.25
Growth rate-3%-3%
Number of jobs3,26647,341
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 65%Associate Degree, 51%
Average age4545
Years of experience1212

Lead drafter vs draftsman/designer salary

Lead drafters and draftsman/designers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Lead DrafterDraftsman/Designer
Average salary$47,538$52,529
Salary rangeBetween $35,000 And $63,000Between $30,000 And $89,000
Highest paying City-Washington, DC
Highest paying state-New Jersey
Best paying company-TalentBurst
Best paying industry-Technology

Differences between lead drafter and draftsman/designer education

There are a few differences between a lead drafter and a draftsman/designer in terms of educational background:

Lead DrafterDraftsman/Designer
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 65%Associate Degree, 51%
Most common majorDrafting And DesignDrafting And Design
Most common collegeCarnegie Mellon UniversityCarnegie Mellon University

Lead drafter vs draftsman/designer demographics

Here are the differences between lead drafters' and draftsman/designers' demographics:

Lead DrafterDraftsman/Designer
Average age4545
Gender ratioMale, 83.6% Female, 16.4%Male, 92.2% Female, 7.8%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 11.7% Asian, 7.0% White, 72.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 11.7% Asian, 7.0% White, 72.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage6%6%

Differences between lead drafter and draftsman/designer duties and responsibilities

Lead drafter example responsibilities.

  • Lead and train a drafting team in order to transfer all hand drawn layouts to a digital copy using AutoCAD.
  • Maintain ECO's numbers and BOM's.
  • Create and revise BOM's as required per drawings and specifications.
  • Program and operate CNC routers, including maintenance and general care of the machine.
  • Design with sheet metal, aluminum, and parts to be mill by a CNC machine.
  • Provide support regarding AutoCAD operation.
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Draftsman/designer example responsibilities.

  • Manage and supervise other draftsmen.
  • Assist with structural steel detailing, machine design, CNC graphics and ceramics machine design projects.
  • Detail preliminary design drawings to create BOM's, production use shop layouts, and specific details.
  • Travele to various work sites to dimension and sketch details of the projects.
  • Develop and maintain current Revit templates for consistency and overall visual quality of projects.
  • Design and draft building components from red lines create by MEP engineers with revit software.
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Lead drafter vs draftsman/designer skills

Common lead drafter skills
  • Construction Drawings, 18%
  • Autocad, 18%
  • Engineering Drawings, 16%
  • Aided Design, 14%
  • Product Line, 10%
  • CAD Tech, 3%
Common draftsman/designer skills
  • Design Layouts, 16%
  • Solidworks, 10%
  • Shop Drawings, 5%
  • R, 4%
  • HVAC, 4%
  • Customer Specifications, 3%

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