Steel welder vs combination welder

The differences between steel welders and combination welders can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a steel welder and a combination welder. Additionally, a combination welder has an average salary of $45,432, which is higher than the $36,139 average annual salary of a steel welder.

The top three skills for a steel welder include MIG, arc welding and aluminum. The most important skills for a combination welder are arc welding, tack, and minor maintenance.

Steel welder vs combination welder overview

	Steel Welder	Combination Welder
Yearly salary	$36,139	$45,432
Hourly rate	$17.37	$21.84
Growth rate	2%	2%
Number of jobs	7,242	7,117
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 45%	High School Diploma, 36%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	4	4

Steel welder vs combination welder salary

Steel welders and combination welders have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Steel Welder	Combination Welder
Average salary	$36,139	$45,432
Salary range	Between $28,000 And $46,000	Between $32,000 And $62,000
Highest paying City	Bremerton, WA	Bremerton, WA
Highest paying state	Wyoming	Wyoming
Best paying company	GPAC	Maxum Enterprises, LLC
Best paying industry	Automotive	Construction

Differences between steel welder and combination welder education

There are a few differences between a steel welder and a combination welder in terms of educational background:

	Steel Welder	Combination Welder
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 45%	High School Diploma, 36%
Most common major	Precision Metal Working	Precision Metal Working
Most common college	-	-

Steel welder vs combination welder demographics

Here are the differences between steel welders' and combination welders' demographics:

	Steel Welder	Combination Welder
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 96.0% Female, 4.0%	Male, 96.7% Female, 3.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.3% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.9% Asian, 2.9% White, 64.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.7%	Black or African American, 9.8% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 24.3% Asian, 2.6% White, 57.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6%
LGBT Percentage	3%	3%

Differences between steel welder and combination welder duties and responsibilities

Steel welder example responsibilities.

Manage and run production parts through the brake.
Gas cutting, brazing, layout work, blueprint reading.
Operate brake press, drill press, and punch press in order to efficiently bend steel & aluminum.
Perform MIG and stick welds and erecting structural steel utilize for building skeletons including specific/ detail measurements for accuracy.
Blue print reading for all WPS orders.

Combination welder example responsibilities.

Fitter-Qualify in SMAW, FCAW, GMAW, as per AWS D1.1.
Repair wrecked tank cars using plasma, torches, welders, and air arc.
Fabricate numerous shop projects using all processes in variety of positions on carbon, aluminum, and stainless.
Assist lead welder in various welding, brazing, grinding, thermal, gouging, and arc cutting operations.
Can position pieces to weld into jigs, holding fixtures, guides and steps using measuring instruments and hand tools.
Assemble or secure pipes, tubes, fittings, specifications, by welding, brazing, soldering, or threading joints.

Steel welder vs combination welder skills

Common steel welder skills

MIG, 15%
Arc Welding, 10%
Aluminum, 9%
GMAW, 6%
FCAW, 6%
Hand Tools, 6%

Common combination welder skills

Arc Welding, 14%
Tack, 10%
Minor Maintenance, 7%
MIG, 6%
Gmaw Welding, 5%
Engineering Drawings, 4%