Steel welder vs lead welder

The differences between steel welders and lead 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 lead welder. Additionally, a lead welder has an average salary of $45,718, 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 lead welder are aluminum, stainless steel, and safety equipment.

Steel welder vs lead welder overview

	Steel Welder	Lead Welder
Yearly salary	$36,139	$45,718
Hourly rate	$17.37	$21.98
Growth rate	2%	2%
Number of jobs	7,242	8,274
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 45%	High School Diploma, 39%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	4	4

Steel welder vs lead welder salary

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

	Steel Welder	Lead Welder
Average salary	$36,139	$45,718
Salary range	Between $28,000 And $46,000	Between $33,000 And $62,000
Highest paying City	Bremerton, WA	-
Highest paying state	Wyoming	-
Best paying company	GPAC	-
Best paying industry	Automotive	-

Differences between steel welder and lead welder education

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

	Steel Welder	Lead Welder
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 45%	High School Diploma, 39%
Most common major	Precision Metal Working	Precision Metal Working
Most common college	-	-

Steel welder vs lead welder demographics

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

	Steel Welder	Lead Welder
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 96.0% Female, 4.0%	Male, 95.9% Female, 4.1%
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, 9.6% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.9% Asian, 2.9% White, 63.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.7%
LGBT Percentage	3%	3%

Differences between steel welder and lead 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.

Lead welder example responsibilities.

Create weekly work schedules, process payroll information, manage inventory counts and job cost for each project.
Certify in restaurant grade stainless steel and aluminum TIG welding, carbon stick welding and stainless and carbon MIG welding.
Weld with solid wire (GMAW), flux core (FCAW) and stick (SMAW).
Used MIG and TIG welding to fit electrical and mechanical components.
Execute daily operations of MIG, and TIG welding, and rework welding.
Develop and record documentation for PQR's and WPS's.

Steel welder vs lead welder skills

Common steel welder skills

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

Common lead welder skills

Aluminum, 7%
Stainless Steel, 7%
Safety Equipment, 6%
Blueprint Specifications, 5%
GMAW, 5%
Tig Welding, 5%