Smelter operator vs arc furnace operator

The differences between smelter operators and arc furnace operators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an arc furnace operator has an average salary of $38,435, which is higher than the $32,894 average annual salary of a smelter operator.

The top three skills for a smelter operator include smelting, control room and end loaders. The most important skills for an arc furnace operator are cranes, , and .

Smelter operator vs arc furnace operator overview

	Smelter Operator	Arc Furnace Operator
Yearly salary	$32,894	$38,435
Hourly rate	$15.81	$18.48
Growth rate	-5%	-5%
Number of jobs	26,336	29,656
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 65%	Bachelor's Degree, 42%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	-	-

Smelter operator vs arc furnace operator salary

Smelter operators and arc furnace operators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Smelter Operator	Arc Furnace Operator
Average salary	$32,894	$38,435
Salary range	Between $25,000 And $43,000	Between $29,000 And $49,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between smelter operator and arc furnace operator education

There are a few differences between a smelter operator and an arc furnace operator in terms of educational background:

	Smelter Operator	Arc Furnace Operator
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 65%	Bachelor's Degree, 42%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Information Systems
Most common college	-	-

Smelter operator vs arc furnace operator demographics

Here are the differences between smelter operators' and arc furnace operators' demographics:

	Smelter Operator	Arc Furnace Operator
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 95.5% Female, 4.5%	Male, 97.1% Female, 2.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.9% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.2% Asian, 2.8% White, 67.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 9.9% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.2% Asian, 2.8% White, 67.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between smelter operator and arc furnace operator duties and responsibilities

Smelter operator example responsibilities.

Manage work and heater logs, overtime budget, project delegation and PPE gear inventory.
Demonstrate ability to troubleshoot creatively, solve problems effectively, and make inform decisions while successfully guiding others through constant change.
Assist in the process of extracting CO2 gas from molten copper ore.

Arc furnace operator example responsibilities.

Lead and coordinate team in all aspects of operation in an aluminum blast furnace.
Demonstrate ability to troubleshoot creatively, solve problems effectively, and make inform decisions while successfully guiding others through constant change.
Operate heavy machinery such as bobcat equipment and also operate and pave asphalt perform demolition work.

Smelter operator vs arc furnace operator skills

Common smelter operator skills

Smelting, 52%
Control Room, 28%
End Loaders, 13%
Fork-Lift, 7%

Common arc furnace operator skills

Cranes, 100%

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Smelter Operator
Smelter Operator vs Arc Furnace Operator

Updated January 8, 2025

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