Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters

Assemble, install, alter, and repair pipelines or pipe systems that carry water, steam, air, or other liquids or gases. May install heating and cooling equipment and mechanical control systems. Includes sprinkler fitters.

What you'd actually do

• Shut off steam, water, or other gases or liquids from pipe sections, using valve keys or wrenches.
• Install underground storm, sanitary, or water piping systems, extending piping as needed to connect fixtures and plumbing.
• Assemble pipe sections, tubing, or fittings, using couplings, clamps, screws, bolts, cement, plastic solvent, caulking, or soldering, brazing, or welding equipment.
• Locate and mark the position of pipe installations, connections, passage holes, or fixtures in structures, using measuring instruments such as rulers or levels.
• Cut, thread, or hammer pipes to specifications, using tools such as saws, cutting torches, pipe threaders, or pipe benders.
• Lay out full scale drawings of pipe systems, supports, or related equipment, according to 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; time pressure is a real part of the job; it rewards working independently. (Compared against the other 818 careers in the guide.)

Working for yourself

About 7.8% of plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters 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

• Electricians
• Structural Iron and Steel Workers
• Construction and Building Inspectors
• First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers
• Brickmasons and Blockmasons
• Continuous Mining Machine Operators

Quick questions

How much does a plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitter make?

The median pay is $30.67 per hour — roughly $64,000 a year, with the real range running from about $21.22/hr (10th percentile) to $52.13/hr (90th percentile). Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Do you need a degree to be a plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitter?

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

What does a plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitter actually do all day?

Shut off steam, water, or other gases or liquids from pipe sections, using valve keys or wrenches. Install underground storm, sanitary, or water piping systems, extending piping as needed to connect fixtures and plumbing. Assemble pipe sections, tubing, or fittings, using couplings, clamps, screws, bolts, cement, plastic solvent, caulking, or soldering, brazing, or welding equipment.