Boilermakers

Construct, assemble, maintain, and repair stationary steam boilers and boiler house auxiliaries. Align structures or plate sections to assemble boiler frame tanks or vats, following blueprints. Work involves use of hand and power tools, plumb bobs, levels, wedges, dogs, or turnbuckles. Assist in testing assembled vessels. Direct cleaning of boilers and boiler furnaces. Inspect and repair boiler fittings, such as safety valves, regulators, automatic-control mechanisms, water columns, and auxiliary machines.

What you'd actually do

• Attach rigging and signal crane or hoist operators to lift heavy frame and plate sections or other parts into place.
• Study blueprints to determine locations, relationships, or dimensions of parts.
• Repair or replace defective pressure vessel parts, such as safety valves or regulators, using torches, jacks, caulking hammers, power saws, threading dies, welding equipment, or metalworking machinery.
• Locate and mark reference points for columns or plates on boiler foundations, following blueprints and using straightedges, squares, transits, or measuring instruments.
• Bolt or arc weld pressure vessel structures and parts together, using wrenches or welding equipment.
• Position, align, and secure structural parts or related assemblies to boiler frames, tanks, or vats of pressure vessels, following blueprints.

How you get there

Typical entry-level education: High school diploma. Overall preparation: medium preparation (Job Zone 3 of 5).

The feel of the work

Much of the work happens outdoors; much of the day is spent working solo. (Compared against the other 818 careers in the guide.)

Working for yourself

About 0% of boilermakers are self-employed.

Who it tends to fit

This work tends to fit people who are hands-on and organized and detail-focused.

Related careers

• Construction and Building Inspectors
• First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers
• Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters
• Electricians
• Structural Iron and Steel Workers
• Terrazzo Workers and Finishers

Quick questions

How much does a boilermaker make?

The median pay is $36.74 per hour — roughly $76,500 a year, with the real range running from about $24.28/hr (10th percentile) to $53.06/hr (90th percentile). Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Do you need a degree to be a boilermaker?

The typical entry-level education is: High school diploma. Overall preparation level: medium preparation (Job Zone 3 of 5).

What does a boilermaker actually do all day?

Attach rigging and signal crane or hoist operators to lift heavy frame and plate sections or other parts into place. Study blueprints to determine locations, relationships, or dimensions of parts. Repair or replace defective pressure vessel parts, such as safety valves or regulators, using torches, jacks, caulking hammers, power saws, threading dies, welding equipment, or metalworking machinery.