Plastic welder vs ship fitter

The differences between plastic welders and ship fitters can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a plastic welder and a ship fitter. Additionally, a ship fitter has an average salary of $45,247, which is higher than the $44,588 average annual salary of a plastic welder.

The top three skills for a plastic welder include water tanks, RAN and extrusion. The most important skills for a ship fitter are hand tools, tack-weld, and tack welding.

Plastic welder vs ship fitter overview

	Plastic Welder	Ship Fitter
Yearly salary	$44,588	$45,247
Hourly rate	$21.44	$21.75
Growth rate	2%	2%
Number of jobs	7,251	9,742
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 45%	High School Diploma, 40%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	4	4

Plastic welder vs ship fitter salary

Plastic welders and ship fitters have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Plastic Welder	Ship Fitter
Average salary	$44,588	$45,247
Salary range	Between $33,000 And $59,000	Between $31,000 And $64,000
Highest paying City	-	Mount Laurel, NJ
Highest paying state	-	New Jersey
Best paying company	-	BWX Technologies
Best paying industry	-	Technology

Differences between plastic welder and ship fitter education

There are a few differences between a plastic welder and a ship fitter in terms of educational background:

	Plastic Welder	Ship Fitter
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 45%	High School Diploma, 40%
Most common major	Precision Metal Working	Business
Most common college	-	-

Plastic welder vs ship fitter demographics

Here are the differences between plastic welders' and ship fitters' demographics:

	Plastic Welder	Ship Fitter
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 90.7% Female, 9.3%	Male, 87.7% Female, 12.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.1% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 18.3% Asian, 2.9% White, 65.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5%	Black or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 17.7% Asian, 2.7% White, 63.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6%
LGBT Percentage	3%	3%

Differences between plastic welder and ship fitter duties and responsibilities

Plastic welder example responsibilities.

Perform TPM using companies' procedures.
Fabricate plastic pickling tanks using extrusion guns, drills, saws and other power tools
Perform MIG and stick welds and erecting structural steel utilize for building skeletons including specific/ detail measurements for accuracy.
Fabricate and repair of down hole tools, support for machine shops NDT testing
Assign and assist welders, NDT technicians, machinist and helpers with daily job assignments.
Operate the robotic welding machine which make the seat frame for all Honda vehicles

Ship fitter example responsibilities.

Achieve x-ray certification on aluminum using MIG process.
Lead and assist in executing pipefitting/welding of steel, copper, PVC, and flange piping.
Cut materials with various tools including torches, reciprocating saws, grinders and plasma cutters to ensure exact measurements.
Work includes using torches, grinders and other power tools to cut material to size and prep to weld and paint.
Assemble hoisting and rigging equipment.
Repair and re-fit oil rig platforms.

Plastic welder vs ship fitter skills

Common plastic welder skills

Water Tanks, 61%
RAN, 15%
Extrusion, 15%
Torches, 9%

Common ship fitter skills

Hand Tools, 14%
Tack-Weld, 10%
Tack Welding, 7%
Tape Measure, 6%
Cranes, 6%
Safety Rules, 5%