Steel welder vs welder fitter

The differences between steel welders and welder fitters 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 fitter. Additionally, a welder fitter has an average salary of $39,676, 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 fitter are MIG, hand tools, and arc welding.

Steel welder vs welder fitter overview

	Steel Welder	Welder Fitter
Yearly salary	$36,139	$39,676
Hourly rate	$17.37	$19.07
Growth rate	2%	2%
Number of jobs	7,242	8,022
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 fitter salary

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

	Steel Welder	Welder Fitter
Average salary	$36,139	$39,676
Salary range	Between $28,000 And $46,000	Between $28,000 And $55,000
Highest paying City	Bremerton, WA	Vancouver, WA
Highest paying state	Wyoming	Massachusetts
Best paying company	GPAC	Jefferson Lab
Best paying industry	Automotive	Energy

Differences between steel welder and welder fitter education

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

	Steel Welder	Welder Fitter
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 fitter demographics

Here are the differences between steel welders' and welder fitters' demographics:

	Steel Welder	Welder Fitter
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 96.0% Female, 4.0%	Male, 95.1% Female, 4.9%
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 fitter 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 fitter example responsibilities.

Manage and run production parts through the brake.
Align parts in relation to each other, using jacks, turnbuckles, clips, wedges, and mauls.
Align and fit according to specifications using jacks, turnbuckles, wedges, drift pins, pry bars and hammers.
Weld and fit per drawing: GTAW aluminum, stainless, steel, and copper-nickel pipe.
Fabricate parts and equipment using GTAW process on thin metals such as aluminum & other precious metals.
Manufacture mobile home frames using fixtures, heat beam for a perfect chamber while applying welding procedures of SMAW and GMAW.

Steel welder vs welder fitter skills

Common steel welder skills

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

Common welder fitter skills

MIG, 13%
Hand Tools, 7%
Arc Welding, 5%
GMAW, 5%
Aluminum, 5%
Stainless Steel, 5%