Steel welder vs combo welder

The differences between steel welders and combo 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 combo welder. Additionally, a combo welder has an average salary of $46,985, 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 combo welder are GMAW, FCAW, and arc welding.

Steel welder vs combo welder overview

	Steel Welder	Combo Welder
Yearly salary	$36,139	$46,985
Hourly rate	$17.37	$22.59
Growth rate	2%	2%
Number of jobs	7,242	8,266
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 45%	High School Diploma, 38%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	4	4

Steel welder vs combo welder salary

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

	Steel Welder	Combo Welder
Average salary	$36,139	$46,985
Salary range	Between $28,000 And $46,000	Between $34,000 And $64,000
Highest paying City	Bremerton, WA	Olympia, WA
Highest paying state	Wyoming	Massachusetts
Best paying company	GPAC	SpaceX
Best paying industry	Automotive	Construction

Differences between steel welder and combo welder education

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

	Steel Welder	Combo Welder
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 45%	High School Diploma, 38%
Most common major	Precision Metal Working	Precision Metal Working
Most common college	-	-

Steel welder vs combo welder demographics

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

	Steel Welder	Combo Welder
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 96.0% Female, 4.0%	Male, 96.2% Female, 3.8%
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, 9.1% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 25.2% Asian, 2.5% White, 57.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6%
LGBT Percentage	3%	3%

Differences between steel welder and combo 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.

Combo welder example responsibilities.

Certify GTAW & GMAW welding on aluminum casting in a production shop.
Weld structure and pipe FCAW and TIG (carbon steel, stainless steel and aluminum).
Perform full penetration welds with SMAW and flux core welding applications.
Have supervised a team of at least 6 skil TIG and MIG welders.
Start and complete x-ray welds correctly the first time using the GTAW and SMAW weld processes.
Certify SMAW & GTAW on boiler tube and heaters; blueprint reading and fitting on the boiler construction.

Steel welder vs combo welder skills

Common steel welder skills

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

Common combo welder skills

GMAW, 13%
FCAW, 10%
Arc Welding, 8%
Engineering Drawings, 7%
Carbon Steel, 7%
MIG, 5%