Steel welder vs welder first class

The differences between steel welders and welders first class 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 welder first class. Additionally, a welder first class has an average salary of $45,016, 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 welder first class are flux core, arc welding, and SMAW.

Steel welder vs welder first class overview

	Steel Welder	Welder First Class
Yearly salary	$36,139	$45,016
Hourly rate	$17.37	$21.64
Growth rate	2%	2%
Number of jobs	7,242	38,450
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 45%	High School Diploma, 43%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	4	4

Steel welder vs welder first class salary

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

	Steel Welder	Welder First Class
Average salary	$36,139	$45,016
Salary range	Between $28,000 And $46,000	Between $33,000 And $60,000
Highest paying City	Bremerton, WA	-
Highest paying state	Wyoming	-
Best paying company	GPAC	-
Best paying industry	Automotive	-

Differences between steel welder and welder first class education

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

	Steel Welder	Welder First Class
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 45%	High School Diploma, 43%
Most common major	Precision Metal Working	Precision Metal Working
Most common college	-	-

Steel welder vs welder first class demographics

Here are the differences between steel welders' and welders first class' demographics:

	Steel Welder	Welder First Class
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 96.0% Female, 4.0%	Male, 92.7% Female, 7.3%
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, 10.7% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 17.6% Asian, 2.7% White, 63.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6%
LGBT Percentage	3%	3%

Differences between steel welder and welder first class 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.

Welder first class example responsibilities.

Manage and run production parts through the brake.
Programme and operate automatic GTAW, and GMAW machines.
Fuse metals together using GMAW and FCAW processes within code guidelines.
Apply repairs to various types of vessels, utilizing FCAW, and SMAW processes.
Operate brazing and soldering equipment.
Train in tig and stick pipe welding.

Steel welder vs welder first class skills

Common steel welder skills

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

Common welder first class skills

Flux Core, 9%
Arc Welding, 8%
SMAW, 6%
FCAW, 5%
GMAW, 5%
Stainless Steel, 5%