Welder

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.

Also called: Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers, Assembly Line Brazer, Brazer, Fabrication Welder, Maintenance Welder, MIG Welder (Metal Inert Gas Welder), Solderer, TIG Welder (Tungsten Inert Gas Welder), Welder Fitter, Wirer, Acetylene Burner, Acetylene Cutter, Acetylene Operator, Acetylene Torch Burner, Acetylene Torch Operator, Acetylene Torch Solderer, Aluminum Welder, Arc Cutter, Arc Wedler, Arc Welder, Assembler Brazer, Atomic Welder, Bar Welder, Barrel Ribs Solderer, Basin Finish Operator, Bit Welder, Blade Worker, Blow Torch Burner, Blow Torch Operator, Body Welder, Boiler Welder, Bonder, Brazing Furnace Operator, Burner, Butt Welder, Can Solderer, Certified Maintenance Welder, Combination Welder, Connector, Cutting Torch Operator, Deicer Finisher, Die Welder, Dip Brazier, Dipper, Electric Arc Welder, Electric Solderer, Electric Spot Welder, Electric Welder, Electrical Solderer, Experimental Welder, Filament Welder, Flame Burner, Flame Cutter, Flash Welder, Frame Welder, Gas Brazer, Gas Burner Operator, Gas Cutter, Gas Torch Brazier, Gas Torch Solderer, Gas Welder, Getter Welder, Gun Welder, Hand Thermal Cutter, Heliarc Welder, Helium Arc Welder, Induction Heating Equipment Setter, Industrial Welder, Iron Cutter, Lap Welder, Line Welder, Machine Operator, Metal Fabrication Welder, Metal Solderer, Metal Welder, Oxyacetylene Burner, Oxyacetylene Cutter, Oxyacetylene Torch Operator, Oxyacetylene Welder, Oxyhydrogen Welder, Pipe Welder, Production Line Solderer, Production Line Welder, Production Welder, Rail Bonder, Refrigeration Brazer, Refrigeration Solderer, Resistance Brazer, Retrofit Welder, Robotic Welder, Scrap Burner, Scrap Cutter, Scrap Iron Cutter, Scrap Metal Burner, Setup Welder, Sheet Metal Welder, Shotweld Operator, Silver Brazer, Silver Solderer, Solderer Dipper, Soldering Technician (Soldering Tech), Spot Welder, Steel Burner, Steel Cutter, Steel Welder, Stick Welder, Stitch Welder, Structural Welder, Sub Arc Operator, Tack Welder, Tank Welder, Thermite Welder, Torch Burner, Torch Cutter, Torch Heater, Torch Operator, Torch Shearer, Torch Solderer, Torch Straightener, Ultrasonic Hand Solderer, Ultrasonic Solderer, Underwater Welder, Unionmelt Operator, Weld Layout Worker, Welder Fabricator, Welder Operator, Welder Technician (Welder Tech), Welding Burner, Welding Setter, Welding Specialist, Welding Technician, Welding Tester, Wire Welder

This is a career information profile, not an advertised job opening.

What the worker does

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.

Skills, machines and equipment

Quality Control Analysis
Monitoring
Critical Thinking
Judgment and Decision Making
Operations Monitoring
Time Management
Active Listening
Speaking
Operation and Control
Reading Comprehension
Complex Problem Solving
Troubleshooting

Education and training

Most frequently reported education in the O*NET survey: High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED) (53.55% of responses). This is survey context, not a universal hiring requirement. Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.

O*NET Job Zone 2: Ranges from a few days to one year of on-the-job training. 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. This is broad occupational preparation context; confirm the requirements for a specific employer or apprenticeship.

Apprenticeships

Ask an employer or registered apprenticeship sponsor about current programs, eligibility, training and pay. A career profile does not confirm that a program is available.

Salary reference

46,790–63,010 USD per year · United States · 2025. Source: BLS OEWS via O*NET · 25th–75th percentiles · SOC 51-4121.

Occupational-group wage references are not guaranteed pay for this specialty or an employer's offer.

Career advancement

Develop additional welding processes, blueprint reading, and inspection skills; explore specialist fabrication, welding inspection, or team-lead paths where qualified.
Ask employers which demonstrated skills, education, or credentials are needed for the next role. Related careers are exploration options, not automatic promotions.

How Do I Get This Job?

Review the skills and responsibilities above.
Most frequently reported education in the O*NET survey: High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED) (53.55% of responses). This is survey context, not a universal hiring requirement. Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
O*NET Job Zone 2: Ranges from a few days to one year of on-the-job training. 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. This is broad occupational preparation context; confirm the requirements for a specific employer or apprenticeship.
Compare real openings and confirm requirements directly with the employer.

View available jobs — availability is not guaranteed; sample listings are not real openings.

Related career information

Sources and limitations

O*NET® 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, under CC BY 4.0. ShopFloor adapted occupational grouping, selected manufacturing-relevant occupations, and retained seven legacy guide titles. Specialties and alternative titles are grouped under O*NET occupations; these occupations can also occur outside manufacturing. Source: https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html. No wage, vacancy, certification, or video data is implied. ShopFloor advancement suggestions are general editorial guidance, not O*NET findings or guaranteed career progression. BLS wage ranges, when available, are national 25th–75th percentiles for the source occupational grouping, across industries; they are not local, apprentice, entry-level, or specialty-specific offers.

Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers