Steel welder vs maintenance welder

The differences between steel welders and maintenance 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 maintenance welder. Additionally, a maintenance welder has an average salary of $40,659, 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 maintenance welder are MIG, arc welding, and hand tools.

Steel welder vs maintenance welder overview

	Steel Welder	Maintenance Welder
Yearly salary	$36,139	$40,659
Hourly rate	$17.37	$19.55
Growth rate	2%	2%
Number of jobs	7,242	78,332
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 45%	High School Diploma, 35%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	4	4

Steel welder vs maintenance welder salary

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

	Steel Welder	Maintenance Welder
Average salary	$36,139	$40,659
Salary range	Between $28,000 And $46,000	Between $30,000 And $54,000
Highest paying City	Bremerton, WA	Renton, WA
Highest paying state	Wyoming	Washington
Best paying company	GPAC	BNSF Railway
Best paying industry	Automotive	Automotive

Differences between steel welder and maintenance welder education

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

	Steel Welder	Maintenance Welder
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 45%	High School Diploma, 35%
Most common major	Precision Metal Working	Precision Metal Working
Most common college	-	-

Steel welder vs maintenance welder demographics

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

	Steel Welder	Maintenance Welder
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 96.0% Female, 4.0%	Male, 92.8% Female, 7.2%
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, 10.3% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 17.7% Asian, 2.6% White, 63.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6%
LGBT Percentage	3%	3%

Differences between steel welder and maintenance 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.

Maintenance welder example responsibilities.

Manage and run production parts through the brake.
Experience in welding pressure tanks, stainless pipes and aluminum tanks using GMAW, FCAW, GTAW.
Perform rework utilizing SMAW and FCAW welding skills.
Perform TIG welding of stainless pipe and equipment repairs.
Certify students in weld processes SMAW, GMAW, GTAW.OAW, and both ferrous and non-ferrous metals.
Install duct work, blowers, dampers, flow boxes, and the structure the components set on.

Steel welder vs maintenance welder skills

Common steel welder skills

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

Common maintenance welder skills

MIG, 10%
Arc Welding, 8%
Hand Tools, 7%
GMAW, 7%
SMAW, 6%
GTAW, 5%