How To Become A Steamfitter: What It Is and Career Path

What is a steamfitter and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a steamfitter. For example, did you know that they make an average of $33.43 an hour? That's $69,544 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 2% and produce 9,100 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreSteamfitterUS Average

Salary

5.4

Avg. Salary $69,544

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.8

Growth rate 2%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

8.3

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.04%

Asian 1.86%

Black or African American 9.14%

Hispanic or Latino 18.18%

Unknown 4.21%

White 65.57%

Gender

female 4.52%

male 95.48%

Age - 41

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 41

Stress level

7.8

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.7

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.4

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a steamfitter

Explore steamfitter education requirements

Most common steamfitter degrees

High School Diploma

55.4 %

Associate

24.1 %

Bachelor's

8.4 %

Start to develop specific steamfitter skills

Skills	Percentages
Brazing	16.04%
Hand Tools	15.98%
Carbon Steel	9.26%
Plumbing	7.70%
HVAC	6.80%

Complete relevant steamfitter training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 4-10 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New steamfitters learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a steamfitter based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real steamfitter resumes.

Research steamfitter duties and responsibilities

Manufacture piping sections and join pipes by brazing, soldering and threading.
Perform tasks using torches, power tools, gauges and oxygen lances.
Install and inspect new and existing plumbing lines up to inches in diameter.
Pass many welding tests in Stick-Tig.-and Mig for high pressure steam, amonia refrigeration, medical gas.

Prepare your steamfitter resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your steamfitter resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a steamfitter resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable steamfitter resume templates

Build a professional steamfitter resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your steamfitter resume.