Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers
Career, Salary and Education Information
What They Do: Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers use hand-held or remotely controlled equipment to join, repair, or cut metal parts and products.
Work Environment: Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers may work outdoors, often in inclement weather, or indoors, sometimes in a confined area. They may work on a scaffold, high off the ground, and they occasionally must lift heavy objects and work in awkward positions. Most work full time and overtime is common.
How to Become One: A high school diploma or equivalent, combined with technical and on-the-job training, is typically required for anyone to become a welder, cutter, solderer, or brazer.
Salary: The median annual wage for welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers is $47,010.
Job Outlook: Employment of welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers is projected to grow 2 percent over the next ten years, slower than the average for all occupations.
Related Careers: Compare the job duties, education, job growth, and pay of welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers with similar occupations.
Following is everything you need to know about a career as a welder, cutter, solderer, or brazer with lots of details. As a first step, take a look at some of the following jobs, which are real jobs with real employers. You will be able to see the very real job career requirements for employers who are actively hiring. The link will open in a new tab so that you can come back to this page to continue reading about the career:
Top 3 Welder Jobs
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Welder
- Conductix-Wampfler
- Harlan, IA
Welder - Harlan Conductix-Wampfler, a growing industrial products manufacturer is looking for a qualified welder to join their fabrication team. Qualified candidates will possess the following: ...
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Welder/Fabricator
- Dogwood Industries LLC
- Sedro-Woolley, WA
Certified welder holding current WABO or AWS certification (FCAW) * Skillful operation of most non-specialized metal working equipment * Understands and applies visual inspection criteria in pre-QC ...
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Stainless Steel TIG Welder - Day Shift
- Express Employment
- Canby, OR
DOEA client of ours in Canby is looking to add a TIG Welder to their team. The ideal candidate for this role would have some experience with some TIG Welding or working with Stainless steel tubing ...
What Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers Do[About this section] [To Top]
Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers use hand-held or remotely controlled equipment to join or cut metal parts. They also fill holes, indentations, or seams in metal products.
Duties of Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers
Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers typically do the following:
- Study blueprints, sketches, or specifications
- Calculate the dimensions of parts to be welded
- Inspect structures or materials to be welded
- Ignite torches or start power supplies
- Monitor the welding process to avoid overheating
- Maintain equipment and machinery
Welding is the most common way of permanently joining metal parts. In this process, heat is applied to metal pieces, melting and fusing them to form a permanent bond. Because of its strength, welding is used in shipbuilding, automobile manufacturing and repair, aerospace applications, and thousands of other manufacturing activities. Welding also is used to join steel beams in the construction of buildings, bridges, and other structures and to join pipes in pipelines, power plants, and refineries.
Welders work in a wide variety of industries, from car racing to manufacturing. The work that welders do and the equipment they use vary with the industry. Arc welding, the most common type of welding today, uses electrical currents to create heat and bond metals together—but there are more than 100 different processes that a welder can use. The type of weld is usually determined by the types of metals being joined and the conditions under which the welding is to take place.
Cutters use heat to cut and trim metal objects to specific dimensions. Their work is closely related to that of welders. However, instead of joining metals, cutters use the heat from an electric arc, a stream of ionized gas called plasma, or burning gases to cut and trim metal objects to specific dimensions. Cutters also dismantle large objects, such as ships, railroad cars, automobiles, buildings, and aircraft. Some operate and monitor cutting machines similar to those used by welding machine operators.
Solderers and brazers also use heat to join two or more metal objects together. Soldering and brazing are similar, except that the temperature used to melt the filler metal is lower in soldering. Soldering uses metals with a melting point below 840 degrees Fahrenheit. Brazing uses metals with a higher melting point.
Soldering and brazing workers use molten metal to join two pieces of metal. However, the metal added during the soldering or brazing process has a melting point lower than that of the piece, so only the added metal is melted, not the piece. Therefore, these processes normally do not create distortions or weaknesses in the piece, as can occur with welding.
Soldering commonly is used to make electrical and electronic circuit boards, such as computer chips. Soldering workers tend to work with small pieces that must be positioned precisely.
Brazing often is used to connect cast iron and thinner metals that the higher temperatures of welding would warp. Brazing also can be used to apply coatings to parts in order to reduce wear and protect against corrosion.
Work Environment for Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers[About this section] [To Top]
Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers hold about 428,000 jobs. The largest employers of welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers are as follows:
| Manufacturing | 64% |
| Specialty trade contractors | 7% |
| Self-employed workers | 5% |
| Repair and maintenance | 4% |
Welders and cutters may work outdoors, often in inclement weather, or indoors, sometimes in a confined area designed to contain sparks and glare. When working outdoors, they may work on a scaffold or platform high off the ground.
In addition, they may have to lift heavy objects and work in awkward positions while bending, stooping, or standing to work overhead.
Injuries and Illnesses for Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers
Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers risk injury on the job. They may be exposed to a number of hazards, including fumes, very hot materials, and intense light created by the arc. Workers avoid injuries by following safety procedures and using personal protective equipment, such as welding helmets, hearing protection, and heat-resistant gloves.
Welder, Cutter, Solderer, and Brazer Work Schedules
Most welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers work full time, and overtime is common. Many manufacturing firms have two or three 8- to 12-hour shifts each day, allowing the firm to continue production around the clock if needed. As a result, welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers may work evenings and weekends.
How to Become a Welder, Cutter, Solderer, or Brazer[About this section] [To Top]
Get the education you need: Find schools for Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers near you!
A high school diploma or equivalent, combined with technical and on-the-job training, is typically required for anyone to become a welder, cutter, solderer, or brazer.
Education and Training for Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers
A high school diploma or equivalent, combined with technical and on-the-job training, is typically required for anyone to become a welder, cutter, solderer, or brazer. High school technical education courses and postsecondary institutions, such as vocational-technical institutes, community colleges, and private welding, soldering, and brazing schools offer formal technical training. In addition, the various branches of the U.S. Armed Forces operate welding and soldering schools.
Courses in blueprint reading, shop mathematics, mechanical drawing, physics, chemistry, and metallurgy are helpful.
An understanding of electricity also is helpful, and knowledge of computers is gaining importance as welding, soldering, and brazing machine operators become more responsible for programming robots and other computer-controlled machines.
Although numerous employers are willing to hire inexperienced entry-level workers and train them on the job, many prefer to hire workers who have been through training or credentialing programs. Even entry-level workers with formal technical training still receive several months of on-the-job training.
Licenses, Certifications, and Registrations for Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers
Courses leading to certification are offered at many welding schools. For example, the American Welding Society offers the Certified Welder designation.
Some welding positions require general certification in welding or certification in specific skills, such as Certified Welding Inspector and Certified Robotic Arc Welding.
The Institute for Printed Circuits offers certification and training in soldering. In industries such as aerospace and defense, which need highly skilled workers, many employers require these certifications. Certification can show mastery of lead-free soldering techniques, which are important to many employers.
Some employers pay the cost of training and testing for employees.
Important Qualities for Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers
Detail oriented. Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers perform precision work, often with straight edges and minimal flaws. The ability to see details and characteristics of the joint and detect changes in molten metal flows requires good eyesight and attention to detail.
Manual dexterity. Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers must have a steady hand to hold a torch in one place. Workers must also have good hand-eye coordination.
Physical stamina. The ability to endure long periods of standing and repetitious movements is important for welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers.
Physical strength. Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers must be in good physical condition. They often must lift heavy pieces of metal and move welding or cutting equipment, and they sometimes bend, stoop, or reach while working.
Spatial-orientation skills. Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers must read, understand, and interpret two- and three-dimensional diagrams in order to fit metal products correctly.
Technical skills. Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers must operate manual or semiautomatic welding equipment to fuse metal segments.
Welder, Cutter, Solderer, and Brazer Salaries[About this section] [More salary/earnings info] [To Top]
The median annual wage for welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers is $47,010. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $31,350, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $63,660.
The median annual wages for welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers in the top industries in which they work are as follows:
| Specialty trade contractors | $48,020 |
| Repair and maintenance | $47,530 |
| Manufacturing | $46,630 |
Wages for welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers vary with the worker's experience and skill level, the industry, and the size of the company.
Most welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers work full time, and overtime is common. Many manufacturing firms have two or three 8- to 12-hour shifts each day, allowing the firm to continue production around the clock if needed. As a result, welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers may work evenings and weekends.
Job Outlook for Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers[About this section] [To Top]
Employment of welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers is projected to grow 2 percent over the next ten years, slower than the average for all occupations.
Despite limited employment growth, about 47,600 openings for welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers are projected each year, on average, over the decade. Most of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.
See all manufacturing jobs.
Employment of Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers
The nation's aging infrastructure will require the expertise of welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers to help rebuild bridges, highways, and buildings. These workers also will be in demand in manufacturing plants that produce metal parts and products like transportation equipment.
| Occupational Title | Employment, 2021 | Projected Employment, 2031 | Change, 2021-31 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Percent | Numeric | |||
| Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers | 428,000 | 434,900 | 2 | 6,900 |
More Welder, Cutter, Solderer, and Brazer Information[About this section] [To Top]
For more information about welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers, visit
Fabricators & Manufacturers Association, International
A portion of the information on this page is used by permission of the U.S. Department of Labor.