What does a welder fitter do?
A Welder Fitter specializes in manipulating steel, aluminum, and other materials into various industries' structural forms. The majority of a welder's responsibilities are mostly manual work, which can have risks as they use torches or lasers for their daily tasks, and there are also instances when they have to climb high structures. Furthermore, a Welder Fitter must have keen attention to detail and communication skills as they must coordinate with fellow workers most of the time.
Welder fitter responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real welder fitter resumes:
- 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.
- Interpret engineering drawings to fit large scale pipe to specific requirements to be weld using GMAW hard wire and flux core.
- Install, maintain and repair HVAC, plumbing and sewer systems.
- Swarm up ladders or work on scaffolds to install pipes in the pipe rack.
- Used FCAW welding equipment to join, surface, fabricate and repair parts of metal.
- Repair decks, structures, and hulls by welding, brazing, riveting and caulking.
- Weld all types of material such as titanium, steel, stain steel and aluminum.
- Set up and operate CNC robotic welder for certain products while meeting and exceeding production goals.
- Install packing gaskets, liners and structural accessories such as doors, hatches brackets and clips.
- Perform any combination of duties to assist workers in welding, brazing, and arc cutting activities.
Welder fitter skills and personality traits
We calculated that 13% of Welder Fitters are proficient in MIG, Hand Tools, and Arc Welding. They’re also known for soft skills such as Detail oriented, Manual dexterity, and Physical strength.
We break down the percentage of Welder Fitters that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- MIG, 13%
Use of an Iron worker, MIG welder, oxygen/acetylene torches, track burners, forklifts and overhead cranes.
- Hand Tools, 7%
Set up, operation of, and maintenance of various welding equipment and hand tools, including air arc and grinder.
- Arc Welding, 5%
Experienced in arc welding and soldering mining equipment
- GMAW, 5%
Manufactured mobile home frames using fixtures, heat beam for a perfect chamber while applying welding procedures of SMAW and GMAW.
- Aluminum, 5%
Gathered data and information on the weld-ability of aluminum alloys, and tested welding equipment using various methods of aluminum welding technology
- Stainless Steel, 5%
Full penetration Pipe welder-fitter fabricator for refinery subcontractor per blueprint specifications stainless steel, chrome and carbon steel
"mig," "hand tools," and "arc welding" are among the most common skills that welder fitters use at work. You can find even more welder fitter responsibilities below, including:
Detail oriented. The most essential soft skill for a welder fitter to carry out their responsibilities is detail oriented. This skill is important for the role because "welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers perform precision work, often with straight edges." Additionally, a welder fitter resume shows how their duties depend on detail oriented: "worked from engineering drawings to determine required details for assembly. "
Manual dexterity. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling welder fitter duties is manual dexterity. The role rewards competence in this skill because "welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers must have a steady hand to hold a torch in place." According to a welder fitter resume, here's how welder fitters can utilize manual dexterity in their job responsibilities: "handle heavy materials manually and with overhead cranes in a safe and efficient manner. "
Physical strength. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of welder fitters is physical strength. This skill is critical to many everyday welder fitter duties, as "welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers must be able to lift heavy pieces of metal and move welding or cutting equipment." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "performed subarc welding of various sized plates assuring accuracy and strength of welds. "
The three companies that hire the most welder fitters are:
- HNI17 welder fitters jobs
- Aerotek15 welder fitters jobs
- Johnson Controls11 welder fitters jobs
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Compare different welder fitters
Welder fitter vs. Maintenance welder
A Maintenance Welder diagnoses and repairs a variety of metal work including construction vehicles and equipment. They cut, fit, and weld metal using gas and electric welding equipment.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a welder fitter are more likely to require skills like "flux core wire," "fitter," "tape measure," and "engineering drawings." On the other hand, a job as a maintenance welder requires skills like "safety procedures," "gearboxes," "tungsten arc," and "safety rules." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Maintenance welders really shine in the automotive industry with an average salary of $45,441. Comparatively, welder fitters tend to make the most money in the energy industry with an average salary of $44,148.maintenance welders tend to reach similar levels of education than welder fitters. In fact, maintenance welders are 0.0% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.1% more likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Welder fitter vs. Structural welder
The job of structural welders is to design, layout, and fabricate the metal framework for industrial and commercial buildings. They work for a wide variety of industries, including manufacturing, shipbuilding, and construction. Their duties and responsibilities include testing welding and safety equipment, cutting, assembling, repairing building components such as girders and beams, and checking for gap and angle allowances. They either use manual or automated equipment to perform some of these tasks, such as power saws for cutting metals. Structural welders are also responsible for assessing the condition of the equipment.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real welder fitter resumes. While welder fitter responsibilities can utilize skills like "fitter," "tape measure," "structural steel," and "cnc," structural welders use skills like "osha," "ladders," "electric arc welding," and "safety rules."
On average, structural welders earn a higher salary than welder fitters. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, structural welders earn the most pay in the construction industry with an average salary of $50,882. Whereas welder fitters have higher pay in the energy industry, with an average salary of $44,148.structural welders earn similar levels of education than welder fitters in general. They're 0.1% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Welder fitter vs. Pipefitter/welder
A Pipefitter Welder installs, assembles, fabricates, maintains, and repairs mechanical piping systems. They may also supervise a team of helpers or assistants, and might also be responsible for training them.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a welder fitter is likely to be skilled in "stainless steel," "jigs," "flux core wire," and "fitter," while a typical pipefitter/welder is skilled in "pipe systems," "plumbing," "hvac," and "osha."
Most pipefitter/welders achieve a similar degree level compared to welder fitters. For example, they're 0.8% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.0% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Welder fitter vs. Millwright/welder
A Millwright/Welder installs, dismantles, repairs, and moves machinery in factories, power plants, and construction sites. They cut and join metals and other materials.
Types of welder fitter
Updated January 8, 2025
