Tank welder vs ship fitter

The differences between tank welders and ship 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 tank welder and a ship fitter. Additionally, a ship fitter has an average salary of $45,247, which is higher than the $35,819 average annual salary of a tank welder.

The top three skills for a tank welder include tig welding, carbon steel and ground storage tanks. The most important skills for a ship fitter are hand tools, tack-weld, and tack welding.

Tank welder vs ship fitter overview

	Tank Welder	Ship Fitter
Yearly salary	$35,819	$45,247
Hourly rate	$17.22	$21.75
Growth rate	2%	2%
Number of jobs	11,165	9,742
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 45%	High School Diploma, 40%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	4	4

Tank welder vs ship fitter salary

Tank welders and ship fitters have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Tank Welder	Ship Fitter
Average salary	$35,819	$45,247
Salary range	Between $25,000 And $50,000	Between $31,000 And $64,000
Highest paying City	-	Mount Laurel, NJ
Highest paying state	-	New Jersey
Best paying company	-	BWX Technologies
Best paying industry	-	Technology

Differences between tank welder and ship fitter education

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

	Tank Welder	Ship Fitter
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 45%	High School Diploma, 40%
Most common major	Precision Metal Working	Business
Most common college	-	-

Tank welder vs ship fitter demographics

Here are the differences between tank welders' and ship fitters' demographics:

	Tank Welder	Ship Fitter
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 95.8% Female, 4.2%	Male, 87.7% Female, 12.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.5% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 21.3% Asian, 2.7% White, 60.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6%	Black or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 17.7% Asian, 2.7% White, 63.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6%
LGBT Percentage	3%	3%

Differences between tank welder and ship fitter duties and responsibilities

Tank welder example responsibilities.

Manage and run production parts through the brake.
Fit and weld storage tanks, stacks using see, fcaw, & Gmaw processes
Weld tanks using GMAW process ensuring no leaks in weldments.
Rig and install boiler sections and associate pumps and equipment.
Maintain PPE, proper safety policy, and procedures and keep.
Rig material to be hoist by crane and set into place.

Ship fitter example responsibilities.

Achieve x-ray certification on aluminum using MIG process.
Lead and assist in executing pipefitting/welding of steel, copper, PVC, and flange piping.
Cut materials with various tools including torches, reciprocating saws, grinders and plasma cutters to ensure exact measurements.
Work includes using torches, grinders and other power tools to cut material to size and prep to weld and paint.
Assemble hoisting and rigging equipment.
Repair and re-fit oil rig platforms.

Tank welder vs ship fitter skills

Common tank welder skills

Tig Welding, 12%
Carbon Steel, 10%
Ground Storage Tanks, 9%
Cranes, 9%
Arc Welding, 8%
Stainless Steel, 8%

Common ship fitter skills

Hand Tools, 14%
Tack-Weld, 10%
Tack Welding, 7%
Tape Measure, 6%
Cranes, 6%
Safety Rules, 5%