Maintenance welder vs welder first class

The differences between maintenance welders and welders first class can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a maintenance welder and a welder first class. Additionally, a welder first class has an average salary of $45,016, which is higher than the $40,659 average annual salary of a maintenance welder.

The top three skills for a maintenance welder include MIG, arc welding and hand tools. The most important skills for a welder first class are flux core, arc welding, and SMAW.

Maintenance welder vs welder first class overview

	Maintenance Welder	Welder First Class
Yearly salary	$40,659	$45,016
Hourly rate	$19.55	$21.64
Growth rate	2%	2%
Number of jobs	78,332	38,450
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 35%	High School Diploma, 43%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	4	4

Maintenance welder vs welder first class salary

Maintenance welders and welders first class have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Maintenance Welder	Welder First Class
Average salary	$40,659	$45,016
Salary range	Between $30,000 And $54,000	Between $33,000 And $60,000
Highest paying City	Renton, WA	-
Highest paying state	Washington	-
Best paying company	BNSF Railway	-
Best paying industry	Automotive	-

Differences between maintenance welder and welder first class education

There are a few differences between a maintenance welder and a welder first class in terms of educational background:

	Maintenance Welder	Welder First Class
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 35%	High School Diploma, 43%
Most common major	Precision Metal Working	Precision Metal Working
Most common college	-	-

Maintenance welder vs welder first class demographics

Here are the differences between maintenance welders' and welders first class' demographics:

	Maintenance Welder	Welder First Class
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 92.8% Female, 7.2%	Male, 92.7% Female, 7.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.3% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 17.7% Asian, 2.6% White, 63.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6%	Black or African American, 10.7% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 17.6% Asian, 2.7% White, 63.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6%
LGBT Percentage	3%	3%

Differences between maintenance welder and welder first class duties and responsibilities

Maintenance welder example responsibilities.

Manage and run production parts through the brake.
Experience in welding pressure tanks, stainless pipes and aluminum tanks using GMAW, FCAW, GTAW.
Perform rework utilizing SMAW and FCAW welding skills.
Perform TIG welding of stainless pipe and equipment repairs.
Certify students in weld processes SMAW, GMAW, GTAW.OAW, and both ferrous and non-ferrous metals.
Install duct work, blowers, dampers, flow boxes, and the structure the components set on.

Welder first class example responsibilities.

Manage and run production parts through the brake.
Programme and operate automatic GTAW, and GMAW machines.
Fuse metals together using GMAW and FCAW processes within code guidelines.
Apply repairs to various types of vessels, utilizing FCAW, and SMAW processes.
Operate brazing and soldering equipment.
Train in tig and stick pipe welding.

Maintenance welder vs welder first class skills

Common maintenance welder skills

MIG, 10%
Arc Welding, 8%
Hand Tools, 7%
GMAW, 7%
SMAW, 6%
GTAW, 5%

Common welder first class skills

Flux Core, 9%
Arc Welding, 8%
SMAW, 6%
FCAW, 5%
GMAW, 5%
Stainless Steel, 5%

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Maintenance Welder
Maintenance Welder vs Welder First Class

Updated January 8, 2025

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