Tower crane operator vs steel crane operator

The differences between tower crane operators and steel crane operators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a tower crane operator and a steel crane operator. Additionally, a tower crane operator has an average salary of $44,595, which is higher than the $38,900 average annual salary of a steel crane operator.

The top three skills for a tower crane operator include cranes, hoisting and hand signals. The most important skills for a steel crane operator are hand tools, customer orders, and torches.

Tower crane operator vs steel crane operator overview

	Tower Crane Operator	Steel Crane Operator
Yearly salary	$44,595	$38,900
Hourly rate	$21.44	$18.70
Growth rate	7%	7%
Number of jobs	30,816	30,309
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 47%	High School Diploma, 54%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	4	4

Tower crane operator vs steel crane operator salary

Tower crane operators and steel crane operators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Tower Crane Operator	Steel Crane Operator
Average salary	$44,595	$38,900
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $73,000	Between $25,000 And $59,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between tower crane operator and steel crane operator education

There are a few differences between a tower crane operator and a steel crane operator in terms of educational background:

	Tower Crane Operator	Steel Crane Operator
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 47%	High School Diploma, 54%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Tower crane operator vs steel crane operator demographics

Here are the differences between tower crane operators' and steel crane operators' demographics:

	Tower Crane Operator	Steel Crane Operator
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 99.3% Female, 0.7%	Male, 98.5% Female, 1.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.1% Unknown, 3.6% Hispanic or Latino, 19.8% Asian, 0.7% White, 65.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5%	Black or African American, 11.6% Unknown, 3.6% Hispanic or Latino, 15.4% Asian, 0.7% White, 67.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5%
LGBT Percentage	2%	2%

Differences between tower crane operator and steel crane operator duties and responsibilities

Tower crane operator example responsibilities.

Train and supervise other employees to achieve significant improvements in their crane operating productivity.
Inspect mechanisms such as cables, pulleys, grappling devices, and lifting accessories in order to prevent malfunctions and damage.
Coordinate all safety efforts with management to meet or exceed requirements of client specifications and OSHA regulations.
Set aluminum panels to pour concrete foundation.

Steel crane operator example responsibilities.

Certify with Hilti nail guns and oxygen torches.
Perform specialized production line and quality control duties in a professional production environment specializing in plastic extrusion.
Operate Kone overhead cranes to offload railcars, load CTL line with steel coils and fix coil rows.
Perform specialized production line and quality control duties in a professional production environment specializing in plastic extrusion.

Tower crane operator vs steel crane operator skills

Common tower crane operator skills

Cranes, 55%
Hoisting, 25%
Hand Signals, 8%
Pulleys, 4%
Construction Materials, 4%
Building Materials, 3%

Common steel crane operator skills

Hand Tools, 76%
Customer Orders, 11%
Torches, 7%
CNC, 6%

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Transportation Industry
Tower Crane Operator
Tower Crane Operator vs Steel Crane Operator

Updated January 8, 2025

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