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Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers

	Median Wage (USD, 2024)	Projected Job Openings (2024-2034)	Projected Growth (2024-2034)
National Statistics	$51000	45600	2.2%
State Statistics	-	-	-
City Statistics	-	-	-

Statistics

National

State

City

State

City

$51000

Median Wage (USD, 2024)

45600

Projected Job Openings (2024-2034)

2.2%

Projected Growth (2024-2034)

Use hand-welding, flame-cutting, hand-soldering, or brazing equipment to weld or join metal components or to fill holes, indentations, or seams of fabricated metal products.

Experience Requirements Overview

Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed
Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience. For example, landscaping and groundskeeping workers might require very little training or previous experience, while agricultural equipment operators can benefit from on-the job training.
Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
Ranges from a few days to one year of on-the-job training.

Education, Training and Experience

Required Level of Education: High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)

Related Work Experience: Over 1 year, up to and including 2 years

On-Site or In-Plant Training: Up to and including 1 month

On-the-Job Training: Over 1 month, up to and including 3 months

Detailed Work Activities

Operate welding equipment.
Maintain safety.
Measure dimensions of completed products or workpieces to verify conformance to specifications.
Select production equipment according to product specifications.
Ignite fuel to activate heating equipment.
Adjust equipment controls to regulate gas flow.
Determine metal or plastic production methods.
Monitor equipment operation to ensure that products are not flawed.
Mark products, workpieces, or equipment with identifying information.
Trim excess material from workpieces.
Operate grinding equipment.
Clean workpieces or finished products.
Heat material or workpieces to prepare for or complete production.
Align parts or workpieces to ensure proper assembly.
Design templates or patterns.
Mount materials or workpieces onto production equipment.
Watch operating equipment to detect malfunctions.
Notify others of equipment repair or maintenance needs.
Clean production equipment.
Melt metal, plastic, or other materials to prepare for production.
Solder parts or workpieces.
Reshape metal workpieces to established specifications.
Cut industrial materials in preparation for fabrication or processing.
Disassemble equipment for maintenance or repair.
Repair parts or assemblies.
Operate metal or plastic forming equipment.
Assemble temporary equipment or structures.
Shape metal workpieces with hammers or other small hand tools.
Operate firefighting equipment.
Review blueprints or other instructions to determine operational methods or sequences.

Work Values

Achievement

Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment. Corresponding needs are Ability Utilization and Achievement.

Working Conditions

Recognition

Relationships

Support

Independence

Tasks

Operate safety equipment and use safe work habits.
Examine workpieces for defects and measure workpieces with straightedges or templates to ensure conformance with specifications.
Weld components in flat, vertical, or overhead positions.
Detect faulty operation of equipment or defective materials and notify supervisors.
Recognize, set up, and operate hand and power tools common to the welding trade, such as shielded metal arc and gas metal arc welding equipment.
Select and install torches, torch tips, filler rods, and flux, according to welding chart specifications or types and thicknesses of metals.
Mark or tag material with proper job number, piece marks, and other identifying marks as required.
Determine required equipment and welding methods, applying knowledge of metallurgy, geometry, and welding techniques.
Prepare all material surfaces to be welded, ensuring that there is no loose or thick scale, slag, rust, moisture, grease, or other foreign matter.
Align and clamp workpieces together, using rules, squares, or hand tools, or position items in fixtures, jigs, or vises.
Connect and turn regulator valves to activate and adjust gas flow and pressure so that desired flames are obtained.
Position and secure workpieces, using hoists, cranes, wire, and banding machines or hand tools.
Melt and apply solder along adjoining edges of workpieces to solder joints, using soldering irons, gas torches, or electric-ultrasonic equipment.
Monitor the fitting, burning, and welding processes to avoid overheating of parts or warping, shrinking, distortion, or expansion of material.
Grind, cut, buff, or bend edges of workpieces to be joined to ensure snug fit, using power grinders and hand tools.
Weld separately or in combination, using aluminum, stainless steel, cast iron, and other alloys.
Chip or grind off excess weld, slag, or spatter, using hand scrapers or power chippers, portable grinders, or arc-cutting equipment.
Develop templates and models for welding projects, using mathematical calculations based on blueprint information.
Repair products by dismantling, straightening, reshaping, and reassembling parts, using cutting torches, straightening presses, and hand tools.
Clean or degrease parts, using wire brushes, portable grinders, or chemical baths.
Hammer out bulges or bends in metal workpieces.
Check grooves, angles, or gap allowances, using micrometers, calipers, and precision measuring instruments.
Melt and apply solder to fill holes, indentations, or seams of fabricated metal products, using soldering equipment.
Ignite torches or start power supplies and strike arcs by touching electrodes to metals being welded, completing electrical circuits.
Guide and direct flames or electrodes on or across workpieces to straighten, bend, melt, or build up metal.
Use fire suppression methods in industrial emergencies.
Preheat workpieces prior to welding or bending, using torches or heating furnaces.
Set up and use ladders and scaffolding as necessary to complete work.
Operate metal shaping, straightening, and bending machines, such as brakes and shears.
Analyze engineering drawings, blueprints, specifications, sketches, work orders, and material safety data sheets to plan layout, assembly, and operations.

Work Styles

Innovation

A tendency to be inventive, to be imaginative, and to adopt new perspectives on ways to accomplish work.

Innovation

Achievement Orientation

Intellectual Curiosity

Tolerance for Ambiguity

Initiative

Adaptability

Self-Confidence

Perseverance

Leadership Orientation

Humility

Sincerity

Empathy

Cooperation

Optimism

Social Orientation

Cautiousness

Attention to Detail

Dependability

Integrity

Stress Tolerance

Self-Control

Data Source: This page includes information from the O*NET 30.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. This page includes Employment Projections program, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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