Steel inspector vs quality assurance inspector

The differences between steel inspectors and quality assurance inspectors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a steel inspector has an average salary of $46,375, which is higher than the $36,842 average annual salary of a quality assurance inspector.

The top three skills for a steel inspector include AWS, PT and level ii. The most important skills for a quality assurance inspector are calipers, micrometers, and corrective action.

Steel inspector vs quality assurance inspector overview

	Steel Inspector	Quality Assurance Inspector
Yearly salary	$46,375	$36,842
Hourly rate	$22.30	$17.71
Growth rate	-3%	-3%
Number of jobs	16,750	74,410
Job satisfaction	-	3
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 35%	Bachelor's Degree, 34%
Average age	45	45
Years of experience	-	-

Steel inspector vs quality assurance inspector salary

Steel inspectors and quality assurance inspectors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Steel Inspector	Quality Assurance Inspector
Average salary	$46,375	$36,842
Salary range	Between $29,000 And $71,000	Between $27,000 And $49,000
Highest paying City	-	Renton, WA
Highest paying state	-	Washington
Best paying company	-	Los Alamos National Laboratory
Best paying industry	-	Government

Differences between steel inspector and quality assurance inspector education

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

	Steel Inspector	Quality Assurance Inspector
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 35%	Bachelor's Degree, 34%
Most common major	Civil Engineering	Business
Most common college	-	-

Steel inspector vs quality assurance inspector demographics

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

	Steel Inspector	Quality Assurance Inspector
Average age	45	45
Gender ratio	Male, 91.5% Female, 8.5%	Male, 71.7% Female, 28.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.3% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 15.7% Asian, 7.9% White, 60.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	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%
LGBT Percentage	4%	4%

Differences between steel inspector and quality assurance inspector duties and responsibilities

Steel inspector example responsibilities.

Check and verify MTR'S of every material to be weld, as well as verifying WPS compatibility with base metals.
Coordinate customer interaction, providing direction and oversight in regard to maintenance, safety, quality assurance and training.
Perform system upgrades several times on steam lines, condensers, air, gas and oil lines.

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.

Steel inspector vs quality assurance inspector skills

Common steel inspector skills

AWS, 26%
PT, 24%
Level II, 14%
AISC, 12%
NDT, 8%
NDE, 6%

Common quality assurance inspector skills

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

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Steel Inspector
Steel Inspector vs Quality Assurance Inspector

Updated January 8, 2025

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