Plumbing drafter vs mechanical design drafter

The differences between plumbing drafters and mechanical design drafters can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a plumbing drafter and a mechanical design drafter. Additionally, a mechanical design drafter has an average salary of $58,371, which is higher than the $51,774 average annual salary of a plumbing drafter.

The top three skills for a plumbing drafter include plumbing, HVAC and revit. The most important skills for a mechanical design drafter are design layouts, creo, and assembly drawings.

Plumbing drafter vs mechanical design drafter overview

	Plumbing Drafter	Mechanical Design Drafter
Yearly salary	$51,774	$58,371
Hourly rate	$24.89	$28.06
Growth rate	-3%	-3%
Number of jobs	3,227	54,189
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 74%	Associate Degree, 56%
Average age	45	45
Years of experience	4	4

Plumbing drafter vs mechanical design drafter salary

Plumbing drafters and mechanical design drafters have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Plumbing Drafter	Mechanical Design Drafter
Average salary	$51,774	$58,371
Salary range	Between $38,000 And $69,000	Between $45,000 And $75,000
Highest paying City	-	Fremont, CA
Highest paying state	-	California
Best paying company	-	Salt River Project
Best paying industry	-	Technology

Differences between plumbing drafter and mechanical design drafter education

There are a few differences between a plumbing drafter and a mechanical design drafter in terms of educational background:

	Plumbing Drafter	Mechanical Design Drafter
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 74%	Associate Degree, 56%
Most common major	Drafting And Design	Drafting And Design
Most common college	Northwestern University	Northwestern University

Plumbing drafter vs mechanical design drafter demographics

Here are the differences between plumbing drafters' and mechanical design drafters' demographics:

	Plumbing Drafter	Mechanical Design Drafter
Average age	45	45
Gender ratio	Male, 82.9% Female, 17.1%	Male, 87.7% Female, 12.3%
Race ratio	Black 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, 3.0% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 13.1% Asian, 5.7% White, 73.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between plumbing drafter and mechanical design drafter duties and responsibilities

Plumbing drafter example responsibilities.

Draft drawings on computer of the HVAC.
Create all require drawings necessary to the complete construction installation of the plumbing system in commercial buildings new and remodels.
Complete dimensional documentation, BOM, structural frame welding and assembly documentation.
Input bearings and points using LDD software.

Mechanical design drafter example responsibilities.

Calculate requirements and manage HVAC systems, including design, development, compliance, testing, troubleshooting and repair.
Incorporate ECO's to update and revise the drawings and BOM's on military aircraft antenna test equipment.
Generate ECR's and ECN's to accommodate customer's requirements.
Convert 2D drawings into 3D assemblies that can be include into SolidWork's PDM environment.
Train manufacturing employees on CNC tube benders and how to utilize manufacturing jig and fixtures.
Supervise 8-member shop including : 2 CNC lathes , 2 manual lathes , 1 milling machine and 3 motor technicians.

Plumbing drafter vs mechanical design drafter skills

Common plumbing drafter skills

Plumbing, 43%
HVAC, 21%
Revit, 19%
Engineering Drawings, 14%
Fire Protection, 3%

Common mechanical design drafter skills

Design Layouts, 6%
Creo, 6%
Assembly Drawings, 6%
Aided Design, 5%
GD, 5%
Auto CAD, 4%

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Plumbing Drafter vs Mechanical Design Drafter

Updated January 8, 2025

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