Lumber inspector vs mechanical inspector

The differences between lumber inspectors and mechanical inspectors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a mechanical inspector has an average salary of $49,727, which is higher than the $43,538 average annual salary of a lumber inspector.

The top three skills for a lumber inspector include equipment maintenance, shop safety and hardwood. The most important skills for a mechanical inspector are calipers, micrometers, and mechanical inspection.

Lumber inspector vs mechanical inspector overview

	Lumber Inspector	Mechanical Inspector
Yearly salary	$43,538	$49,727
Hourly rate	$20.93	$23.91
Growth rate	-3%	-3%
Number of jobs	16,889	33,863
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 47%	Associate Degree, 30%
Average age	45	45
Years of experience	-	-

Lumber inspector vs mechanical inspector salary

Lumber inspectors and mechanical inspectors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Lumber Inspector	Mechanical Inspector
Average salary	$43,538	$49,727
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $67,000	Between $36,000 And $67,000
Highest paying City	-	Omaha, NE
Highest paying state	-	Connecticut
Best paying company	-	PBF Energy
Best paying industry	-	Government

Differences between lumber inspector and mechanical inspector education

There are a few differences between a lumber inspector and a mechanical inspector in terms of educational background:

	Lumber Inspector	Mechanical Inspector
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 47%	Associate Degree, 30%
Most common major	Property Management	Mechanical Engineering
Most common college	-	-

Lumber inspector vs mechanical inspector demographics

Here are the differences between lumber inspectors' and mechanical inspectors' demographics:

	Lumber Inspector	Mechanical Inspector
Average age	45	45
Gender ratio	Male, 96.6% Female, 3.4%	Male, 91.8% Female, 8.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 12.8% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 12.6% Asian, 6.6% White, 63.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 9.8% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 20.4% Asian, 8.1% White, 56.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	4%	4%

Differences between lumber inspector and mechanical inspector duties and responsibilities

Lumber inspector example responsibilities.

Operate and maintain planers, saws, and kiln dryers.
Contract with local hardwood lumber production facilities to grade and upgrade rough green lumber to be sell.
Supervise 5 people (green chain) / inspecting & grading multiple hardwood species, segregation by dimension/species, up to 40Kbf/day
Conduct dimensional and visual inspections procedures on CMM machines to ensure geometrical characteristics of the product are in specification.
Inspect, monitor and GPS recording of all water installations to ensure compliance with requirements and specifications.

Mechanical inspector example responsibilities.

Inspect parts to blueprints using all measuring equipment; micrometer, surface plate, calipers, customer certifications and P.O.
Review vendor supply certifications and first article inspection reports for accurate completion of documentation.
Draft ISO's as needed.
Adhere to FDA and ISO compliance.
Assemble composite assemblies in jigs.
Program and operate Mitutoyo CMM.

Lumber inspector vs mechanical inspector skills

Common lumber inspector skills

Equipment Maintenance, 32%
Shop Safety, 27%
Hardwood, 21%
Quality Standards, 10%
Band Saws, 6%
Customer Specifications, 5%

Common mechanical inspector skills

Calipers, 10%
Micrometers, 9%
Mechanical Inspection, 8%
GD, 6%
Engineering Drawings, 6%
Aerospace, 4%

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Lumber Inspector
Lumber Inspector vs Mechanical Inspector

Updated January 8, 2025

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