How To Become A Materials Inspector: What It Is and Career Path

What is a materials inspector and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

Quoted expert

Robert Shepherd

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a materials inspector. For example, did you know that they make an average of $18.68 an hour? That's $38,864 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow -3% and produce -17,200 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a materials inspector?

Robert Shepherd

NAESA International

People entering the workforce for the first time and recent grads cannot become elevator inspectors do to prerequisites required, which cannot be attained in any sort of schooling supplied in the world, there is none in existence. Th only way you get to be a certified elevator inspector is by successfully attaining a diploma from the school of hard knocks, so OJT is the only way!

ScoreMaterials InspectorUS Average

Salary

3.0

Avg. Salary $38,864

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

8.2

Growth rate -3%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

7.8

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.78%

Asian 9.55%

Black or African American 11.23%

Hispanic or Latino 18.78%

Unknown 4.49%

White 55.18%

Gender

female 24.56%

male 75.44%

Age - 46

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 46

Stress level

8.2

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

5.3

Complexity level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work life balance

5.4

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a materials inspector

Explore materials inspector education requirements

Most common materials inspector degrees

Bachelor's

32.6 %

High School Diploma

28.7 %

Associate

21.5 %

Start to develop specific materials inspector skills

Skills	Percentages
Asphalt	23.23%
ACI	11.73%
Test Results	10.52%
Construction Materials	9.94%
Field Testing	8.34%

Complete relevant materials inspector training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New materials inspectors learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a materials inspector based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real materials inspector resumes.

Research materials inspector duties and responsibilities

Utilize micrometers and other precision measuring devices to assure appropriate quality and size of finish products per customer specifications.
Perform AQL inspection for the returned batches for their specify quality attributes and complete the necessary disposition documentation.

Prepare your materials inspector resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your materials inspector resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a materials inspector resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable materials inspector resume templates

Build a professional materials inspector resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your materials inspector resume.