Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters
Fabricate, position, align, and fit parts of structural metal products.
What it pays
Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters earn a median of $24.68/hr — about $51,500 a year. The lowest-paid 10% earn $18.25/hr; the top 10% earn $34.75/hr. (Annual figures are approximate: hourly × 2,080.)
Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters earn a median of $24.68/hr — about $51,500 a year. The lowest-paid 10% earn $18.25/hr; the top 10% earn $34.75/hr. (Annual figures are approximate: hourly × 2,080.)
What you'd actually do
- Verify conformance of workpieces to specifications, using squares, rulers, and measuring tapes.
- Study engineering drawings and blueprints to determine materials requirements and task sequences.
- Position, align, fit, and weld parts to form complete units or subunits, following blueprints and layout specifications, and using jigs, welding torches, and hand tools.
- Lay out and examine metal stock or workpieces to be processed to ensure that specifications are met.
- Tack-weld fitted parts together.
- Move parts into position, manually or with hoists or cranes.
How you get there
Typical entry-level education: High school diploma. Overall preparation: some preparation (Job Zone 2 of 5).
The feel of the work
Time pressure is a real part of the job. (Compared against the other 818 careers in the guide.)
Working for yourself
About 0.8% of structural metal fabricators and fitters are self-employed.
Who it tends to fit
This work tends to fit people who are hands-on and organized and detail-focused.
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Quick questions
- How much does a structural metal fabricators and fitter make?
- The median pay is $24.68 per hour — roughly $51,500 a year, with the real range running from about $18.25/hr (10th percentile) to $34.75/hr (90th percentile). Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- Do you need a degree to be a structural metal fabricators and fitter?
- The typical entry-level education is: High school diploma. Overall preparation level: some preparation (Job Zone 2 of 5).
- What does a structural metal fabricators and fitter actually do all day?
- Verify conformance of workpieces to specifications, using squares, rulers, and measuring tapes. Study engineering drawings and blueprints to determine materials requirements and task sequences. Position, align, fit, and weld parts to form complete units or subunits, following blueprints and layout specifications, and using jigs, welding torches, and hand tools.
Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS. Tasks & interests: O*NET. Career pathways shown in the app are draft archetypes — verify before relying on them. Trailhead is a free career guide for students — honest numbers, no hype.
Trailhead is operated by FLEXVermont LLC. It is intended for high-school students age 13 and older, and the educators and families who support them, and is not directed to children under 13. Trailhead is provided for general informational and educational purposes only. It does not offer professional, financial, or career advice, and its wage figures and pathways are estimates that may not fit your situation — they should not be relied on as the sole basis for any decision.
Trailhead is operated by FLEXVermont LLC. It is intended for high-school students age 13 and older, and the educators and families who support them, and is not directed to children under 13. Trailhead is provided for general informational and educational purposes only. It does not offer professional, financial, or career advice, and its wage figures and pathways are estimates that may not fit your situation — they should not be relied on as the sole basis for any decision.