Quality assurance inspector vs weld inspector

The differences between quality assurance inspectors and weld inspectors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a weld inspector has an average salary of $50,441, which is higher than the $36,842 average annual salary of a quality assurance inspector.

The top three skills for a quality assurance inspector include calipers, micrometers and corrective action. The most important skills for a weld inspector are pipeline project, NDT, and NDE.

Quality assurance inspector vs weld inspector overview

	Quality Assurance Inspector	Weld Inspector
Yearly salary	$36,842	$50,441
Hourly rate	$17.71	$24.25
Growth rate	-3%	-3%
Number of jobs	74,410	16,559
Job satisfaction	3	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 34%	High School Diploma, 32%
Average age	45	45
Years of experience	-	-

Quality assurance inspector vs weld inspector salary

Quality assurance inspectors and weld inspectors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Quality Assurance Inspector	Weld Inspector
Average salary	$36,842	$50,441
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $49,000	Between $33,000 And $77,000
Highest paying City	Renton, WA	-
Highest paying state	Washington	-
Best paying company	Los Alamos National Laboratory	-
Best paying industry	Government	-

Differences between quality assurance inspector and weld inspector education

There are a few differences between a quality assurance inspector and a weld inspector in terms of educational background:

	Quality Assurance Inspector	Weld Inspector
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 34%	High School Diploma, 32%
Most common major	Business	Precision Metal Working
Most common college	-	-

Quality assurance inspector vs weld inspector demographics

Here are the differences between quality assurance inspectors' and weld inspectors' demographics:

	Quality Assurance Inspector	Weld Inspector
Average age	45	45
Gender ratio	Male, 71.7% Female, 28.3%	Male, 90.3% Female, 9.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.0% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 21.2% Asian, 9.1% White, 53.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 11.8% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.6% Asian, 8.1% White, 57.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage	4%	4%

Differences between quality assurance inspector and weld inspector duties and responsibilities

Quality assurance inspector example responsibilities.

Coordinate joint surveys with SATORP inspectors and manage clearance of all issue active LBE and NCR.
Work with IPC and ISO regulations.
Examine parts for damage or excessive wear using micrometers and gauges and other specialize test equipment.
Measure dimensions of products to verify conformance to specifications, using measuring instruments such as rulers, calipers or micrometers.
Inspect and measure surgical steel medical devices for critical dimensions, checking tolerance using micrometers and calipers reading from blueprint designs.
Qualify coating systems and painters to ASTM standards.

Weld inspector example responsibilities.

Inspect all coating application to ensure proper application and WFT is achieved per clients and manufacturers specifications and standards.
Instruct current and new welders in drawing and WPS reading.
Monitor compliance with WPS, specifications, codes, and standards.
Review shop drawings while performing tasks according to specifications of SMAW type welding
Record all detail defects for use in the future with FDA regulations.
Inspect FBE coating on final bench and calibrations of all test equipment.

Quality assurance inspector vs weld inspector skills

Common quality assurance inspector skills

Calipers, 7%
Micrometers, 6%
Corrective Action, 5%
Safety Standards, 5%
Inspection Reports, 4%
Quality Standards, 4%

Common weld inspector skills

Pipeline Project, 9%
NDT, 8%
NDE, 7%
Inspect Welds, 7%
PT, 6%
Tie-Ins, 5%

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Quality Assurance Inspector
Quality Assurance Inspector vs Weld Inspector

Updated January 8, 2025

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