Plastic welder vs welder fitter

The differences between plastic welders and welder 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 welder fitter. Additionally, a plastic welder has an average salary of $44,588, which is higher than the $39,676 average annual salary of a welder fitter.

The top three skills for a plastic welder include water tanks, RAN and extrusion. The most important skills for a welder fitter are MIG, hand tools, and arc welding.

Plastic welder vs welder fitter overview

	Plastic Welder	Welder Fitter
Yearly salary	$44,588	$39,676
Hourly rate	$21.44	$19.07
Growth rate	2%	2%
Number of jobs	7,251	8,022
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 45%	High School Diploma, 43%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	4	4

Plastic welder vs welder fitter salary

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

	Plastic Welder	Welder Fitter
Average salary	$44,588	$39,676
Salary range	Between $33,000 And $59,000	Between $28,000 And $55,000
Highest paying City	-	Vancouver, WA
Highest paying state	-	Massachusetts
Best paying company	-	Jefferson Lab
Best paying industry	-	Energy

Differences between plastic welder and welder fitter education

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

	Plastic Welder	Welder Fitter
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 45%	High School Diploma, 43%
Most common major	Precision Metal Working	Precision Metal Working
Most common college	-	-

Plastic welder vs welder fitter demographics

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

	Plastic Welder	Welder Fitter
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 90.7% Female, 9.3%	Male, 95.1% Female, 4.9%
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, 10.7% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 17.6% Asian, 2.7% White, 63.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6%
LGBT Percentage	3%	3%

Differences between plastic welder and welder 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

Welder fitter example responsibilities.

Manage and run production parts through the brake.
Align parts in relation to each other, using jacks, turnbuckles, clips, wedges, and mauls.
Align and fit according to specifications using jacks, turnbuckles, wedges, drift pins, pry bars and hammers.
Weld and fit per drawing: GTAW aluminum, stainless, steel, and copper-nickel pipe.
Fabricate parts and equipment using GTAW process on thin metals such as aluminum & other precious metals.
Manufacture mobile home frames using fixtures, heat beam for a perfect chamber while applying welding procedures of SMAW and GMAW.

Plastic welder vs welder fitter skills

Common plastic welder skills

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

Common welder fitter skills

MIG, 13%
Hand Tools, 7%
Arc Welding, 5%
GMAW, 5%
Aluminum, 5%
Stainless Steel, 5%