Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters
Fabricate, position, align, and fit parts of structural metal products.
- Median pay
- $51,330
- Doing it now
- 52,300
- By 2035
- Down 6.2%
- Usually needs
- High school diploma or equivalent
a year
across the country
4,800 openings a year
to get in
What the work involves
- 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.
- Verify conformance of workpieces to specifications, using squares, rulers, and measuring tapes.
- Tack-weld fitted parts together.
- Lay out and examine metal stock or workpieces to be processed to ensure that specifications are met.
- Align and fit parts according to specifications, using jacks, turnbuckles, wedges, drift pins, pry bars, and hammers.
- Locate and mark workpiece bending and cutting lines, allowing for stock thickness, machine and welding shrinkage, and other component specifications.
- Position or tighten braces, jacks, clamps, ropes, or bolt straps, or bolt parts in position for welding or riveting.
What to study
The fields of study the Department of Education links to this occupation, most widely taught first.
- Precision Metal WorkingSee 4 colleges that teach it
Who it suits
O*NET scores every occupation on six interest dimensions. This one leans hardest on these three.
Hands-on and practical
Organised and precise
Analytical and curious
Careers like this one
- Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers$53,750
- Sheet Metal Workers$61,800
- Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$46,330
- Machinists$58,750
- Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$46,550
- Tool and Die Makers$64,050
Where this comes from: the description and the task list are O*NET, which the Department of Labor maintains. Pay, workforce size, outlook and the education normally needed are the Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections programme, 2025 wages and 2025 to 2035 projections. Half of them earn more than $51,330 a year, which means half earn less, and what you would earn depends on where you work and how long you have been doing it. The fields of study come from the National Center for Education Statistics crosswalk.