Post job

Mechanical draftsman vs draftsman/designer

The differences between mechanical draftsmen and draftsman/designers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a mechanical draftsman, becoming a draftsman/designer takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a draftsman/designer has an average salary of $52,529, which is higher than the $40,926 average annual salary of a mechanical draftsman.

The top three skills for a mechanical draftsman include auto cad, assembly drawings and HVAC. The most important skills for a draftsman/designer are design layouts, solidworks, and shop drawings.

Mechanical draftsman vs draftsman/designer overview

Mechanical DraftsmanDraftsman/Designer
Yearly salary$40,926$52,529
Hourly rate$19.68$25.25
Growth rate-3%-3%
Number of jobs17,51647,341
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 54%Associate Degree, 51%
Average age4545
Years of experience412

Mechanical draftsman vs draftsman/designer salary

Mechanical draftsmen and draftsman/designers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Mechanical DraftsmanDraftsman/Designer
Average salary$40,926$52,529
Salary rangeBetween $33,000 And $50,000Between $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 mechanical draftsman and draftsman/designer education

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

Mechanical DraftsmanDraftsman/Designer
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 54%Associate Degree, 51%
Most common majorDrafting And DesignDrafting And Design
Most common collegeNorthwestern UniversityCarnegie Mellon University

Mechanical draftsman vs draftsman/designer demographics

Here are the differences between mechanical draftsmen' and draftsman/designers' demographics:

Mechanical DraftsmanDraftsman/Designer
Average age4545
Gender ratioMale, 94.1% Female, 5.9%Male, 92.2% Female, 7.8%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 3.0% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 13.1% Asian, 5.7% White, 73.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%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 mechanical draftsman and draftsman/designer duties and responsibilities

Mechanical draftsman example responsibilities.

  • Manage ECR and ECO packets to alter documentation specifications.
  • Manage document collation for field distribution of MEP plans to shop and field.
  • Manage and supervise other draftsmen.
  • Design, revise and update mechanical drawings for an automate trash baler, HVAC and conveyor systems.
  • Coordinate between MEP and prepare project deliverables.
  • Revise and update mechanical drawing and BOM as required.
  • Show more

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.
  • Show more

Mechanical draftsman vs draftsman/designer skills

Common mechanical draftsman skills
  • Auto CAD, 12%
  • Assembly Drawings, 8%
  • HVAC, 7%
  • R, 5%
  • Mechanical Drawings, 5%
  • BOM, 5%
Common draftsman/designer skills
  • Design Layouts, 16%
  • Solidworks, 10%
  • Shop Drawings, 5%
  • R, 4%
  • HVAC, 4%
  • Customer Specifications, 3%

Browse architecture and engineering jobs