Materials inspector vs quality assurance inspector

The differences between materials inspectors and quality assurance inspectors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a materials inspector has an average salary of $38,864, which is higher than the $36,842 average annual salary of a quality assurance inspector.

The top three skills for a materials inspector include asphalt, ACI and test results. The most important skills for a quality assurance inspector are calipers, micrometers, and corrective action.

Materials inspector vs quality assurance inspector overview

	Materials Inspector	Quality Assurance Inspector
Yearly salary	$38,864	$36,842
Hourly rate	$18.68	$17.71
Growth rate	-3%	-3%
Number of jobs	20,168	74,410
Job satisfaction	-	3
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 33%	Bachelor's Degree, 34%
Average age	45	45
Years of experience	-	-

Materials inspector vs quality assurance inspector salary

Materials inspectors and quality assurance inspectors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Materials Inspector	Quality Assurance Inspector
Average salary	$38,864	$36,842
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $55,000	Between $27,000 And $49,000
Highest paying City	-	Renton, WA
Highest paying state	-	Washington
Best paying company	-	Los Alamos National Laboratory
Best paying industry	-	Government

Differences between materials inspector and quality assurance inspector education

There are a few differences between a materials inspector and a quality assurance inspector in terms of educational background:

	Materials Inspector	Quality Assurance Inspector
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 33%	Bachelor's Degree, 34%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Materials inspector vs quality assurance inspector demographics

Here are the differences between materials inspectors' and quality assurance inspectors' demographics:

	Materials Inspector	Quality Assurance Inspector
Average age	45	45
Gender ratio	Male, 75.4% Female, 24.6%	Male, 71.7% Female, 28.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.2% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 18.8% Asian, 9.5% White, 55.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 11.0% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 21.2% Asian, 9.1% White, 53.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	4%	4%

Differences between materials inspector and quality assurance inspector duties and responsibilities

Materials inspector example 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.

Quality assurance inspector example responsibilities.

Coordinate joint surveys with SATORP inspectors and manage clearance of all issue active LBE and NCR.
Work with IPC and ISO regulations.
Examine parts for damage or excessive wear using micrometers and gauges and other specialize test equipment.
Measure dimensions of products to verify conformance to specifications, using measuring instruments such as rulers, calipers or micrometers.
Inspect and measure surgical steel medical devices for critical dimensions, checking tolerance using micrometers and calipers reading from blueprint designs.
Qualify coating systems and painters to ASTM standards.

Materials inspector vs quality assurance inspector skills

Common materials inspector skills

Asphalt, 23%
ACI, 12%
Test Results, 11%
Construction Materials, 10%
Field Testing, 8%
Construction Sites, 6%

Common quality assurance inspector skills

Calipers, 7%
Micrometers, 6%
Corrective Action, 5%
Safety Standards, 5%
Inspection Reports, 4%
Quality Standards, 4%

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Materials Inspector
Materials Inspector vs Quality Assurance Inspector

Updated January 8, 2025

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