Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between metal fabricators and fabrication technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a metal fabricator has an average salary of $38,047, which is higher than the $35,582 average annual salary of a fabrication technician.
The top three skills for a metal fabricator include MIG, hand tools and aluminum. The most important skills for a fabrication technician are hand tools, math, and customer service.
| Metal Fabricator | Fabrication Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $38,047 | $35,582 |
| Hourly rate | $18.29 | $17.11 |
| Growth rate | -6% | 14% |
| Number of jobs | 4,868 | 109,734 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 46% | Associate Degree, 29% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
A metal fabricator manipulates metal for construction and manufacturing companies. They are required to cut, shape, position and align different metals. They must also understand assembly instructions, ensure required parts are available, and ensure parts meet quality control standards. They attend product development meetings, test products for functionality, troubleshoot and stress test products to determine possible shortcomings, make detailed reports outlining product malfunctions, verify product dimensions, and maintain the product schedule.
Fabrication technicians are skilled employees who are responsible for using specialized equipment to assemble components for a variety of products or finished products. These technicians are required to perform inspections on the tools and mechanical equipment as well as provide maintenance and repair. They are required to complete the assembly of equipment by following the engineering drawings and specifications. Fabrication technicians must also follow established safety procedures when maintaining work areas and troubleshooting problems with machinery.
Metal fabricators and fabrication technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Metal Fabricator | Fabrication Technician | |
| Average salary | $38,047 | $35,582 |
| Salary range | Between $29,000 And $48,000 | Between $26,000 And $47,000 |
| Highest paying City | Clifton, NJ | San Jose, CA |
| Highest paying state | Nevada | North Dakota |
| Best paying company | Halliburton | Westinghouse Appliances Australia |
| Best paying industry | Automotive | Finance |
There are a few differences between a metal fabricator and a fabrication technician in terms of educational background:
| Metal Fabricator | Fabrication Technician | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 46% | Associate Degree, 29% |
| Most common major | Precision Metal Working | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between metal fabricators' and fabrication technicians' demographics:
| Metal Fabricator | Fabrication Technician | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 94.1% Female, 5.9% | Male, 85.1% Female, 14.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 12.0% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 17.2% Asian, 8.1% White, 58.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% | Black or African American, 12.9% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 17.5% Asian, 9.6% White, 55.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |