Weld inspector vs certified welding inspector

The differences between weld inspectors and certified welding inspectors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a weld inspector has an average salary of $50,441, which is higher than the $47,494 average annual salary of a certified welding inspector.

The top three skills for a weld inspector include pipeline project, NDT and NDE. The most important skills for a certified welding inspector are CWI, PT, and structural steel.

Weld inspector vs certified welding inspector overview

	Weld Inspector	Certified Welding Inspector
Yearly salary	$50,441	$47,494
Hourly rate	$24.25	$22.83
Growth rate	-3%	-3%
Number of jobs	16,559	50,814
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 32%	Associate Degree, 31%
Average age	45	45
Years of experience	-	-

Weld inspector vs certified welding inspector salary

Weld inspectors and certified welding inspectors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Weld Inspector	Certified Welding Inspector
Average salary	$50,441	$47,494
Salary range	Between $33,000 And $77,000	Between $31,000 And $72,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between weld inspector and certified welding inspector education

There are a few differences between a weld inspector and a certified welding inspector in terms of educational background:

	Weld Inspector	Certified Welding Inspector
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 32%	Associate Degree, 31%
Most common major	Precision Metal Working	Precision Metal Working
Most common college	-	-

Weld inspector vs certified welding inspector demographics

Here are the differences between weld inspectors' and certified welding inspectors' demographics:

	Weld Inspector	Certified Welding Inspector
Average age	45	45
Gender ratio	Male, 90.3% Female, 9.7%	Male, 89.0% Female, 11.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.8% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.6% Asian, 8.1% White, 57.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%	Black or African American, 11.7% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 17.2% Asian, 8.1% White, 57.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	4%	4%

Differences between weld inspector and certified welding inspector duties and responsibilities

Weld inspector example responsibilities.

Inspect all coating application to ensure proper application and WFT is achieved per clients and manufacturers specifications and standards.
Instruct current and new welders in drawing and WPS reading.
Monitor compliance with WPS, specifications, codes, and standards.
Review shop drawings while performing tasks according to specifications of SMAW type welding
Record all detail defects for use in the future with FDA regulations.
Inspect FBE coating on final bench and calibrations of all test equipment.

Certified welding inspector example responsibilities.

Verify all welders are within approve WPS parameters using the GTAW, FCAW, SMAW and GMAW welding processes.
Inspect construction projects to ensure adherence to AISC requirements for clients of 3rd party NDT visual and ultrasonic testing company.
Experience welder in FCAW, TIG, SMAW with AWS D1.1 Certification.
Log all welds, schedule all NDE, develop weld procedures, test welders, perform all visual inspections on welds.
Qualify PQR's to the applicable codes.
Weld various types of metals using MIG and TIG.

Weld inspector vs certified welding inspector skills

Common weld inspector skills

Pipeline Project, 9%
NDT, 8%
NDE, 7%
Inspect Welds, 7%
PT, 6%
Tie-Ins, 5%

Common certified welding inspector skills

CWI, 10%
PT, 10%
Structural Steel, 9%
NDT, 8%
Inspection Reports, 6%
Level II, 5%

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Weld Inspector
Weld Inspector vs Certified Welding Inspector

Updated January 8, 2025

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