Tack welder vs structural welder

The differences between tack welders and structural 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 tack welder and a structural welder. Additionally, a structural welder has an average salary of $42,868, which is higher than the $30,795 average annual salary of a tack welder.

The top three skills for a tack welder include tack welding, tape measure and FCAW. The most important skills for a structural welder are SMAW, FCAW, and MIG.

Tack welder vs structural welder overview

	Tack Welder	Structural Welder
Yearly salary	$30,795	$42,868
Hourly rate	$14.81	$20.61
Growth rate	2%	2%
Number of jobs	7,051	9,651
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 54%	High School Diploma, 46%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	4	4

Tack welder vs structural welder salary

Tack welders and structural welders have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Tack Welder	Structural Welder
Average salary	$30,795	$42,868
Salary range	Between $23,000 And $40,000	Between $31,000 And $58,000
Highest paying City	-	Philadelphia, PA
Highest paying state	-	Massachusetts
Best paying company	-	Turner Construction
Best paying industry	-	Construction

Differences between tack welder and structural welder education

There are a few differences between a tack welder and a structural welder in terms of educational background:

	Tack Welder	Structural Welder
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 54%	High School Diploma, 46%
Most common major	Precision Metal Working	Precision Metal Working
Most common college	-	-

Tack welder vs structural welder demographics

Here are the differences between tack welders' and structural welders' demographics:

	Tack Welder	Structural Welder
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 93.2% Female, 6.8%	Male, 94.9% Female, 5.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.5% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 19.4% Asian, 2.7% White, 62.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5%	Black or African American, 10.1% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 22.1% Asian, 2.6% White, 59.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6%
LGBT Percentage	3%	3%

Differences between tack welder and structural welder duties and responsibilities

Tack welder example responsibilities.

Manage and run production parts through the brake.
Clean room tig welding of semiconductor gas lines.
Heated, form and dresses metal parts using torches or arc welding equipment.
Tack together pipe with tig rig.
Work in prefab assembly line in steal and aluminum shops.
Assist lead welder in welding, brazing and arc cutting activities.

Structural welder example responsibilities.

Manage and run production parts through the brake.
Fabricate and assemble small parts and components with the GMAW, SMAW, FCAW and aluminum weld process.
Bound structural as well as nonstructural parts by means of welding according to drawings using MIG and TIG welding of steel.
Weld, and fabricate pressure vessels using GMAW process.
Fix various stock trailers and other equipment that come in for repairs using FCAW, and GMAW.
Weld separately or in combination using aluminum, stainless steel, cast iron, and other alloys.

Tack welder vs structural welder skills

Common tack welder skills

Tack Welding, 21%
Tape Measure, 19%
FCAW, 16%
PPE, 9%
Tack-Weld, 6%
Blueprint Specifications, 6%

Common structural welder skills

SMAW, 9%
FCAW, 8%
MIG, 8%
Arc Welding, 8%
GMAW, 6%
Hand Tools, 5%