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Skilled Trades

Structural Iron and Steel Workers

Raise, place, and unite iron or steel girders, columns, and other structural members to form completed structures or structural frameworks. May erect metal storage tanks and assemble prefabricated metal buildings.

Median salary

$62,700

Typical range

$42k – $108k

Job outlook

+4% (faster than average)

AI exposure

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Education

Typical entry: No degree required

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Typical progression

  1. Junior Structural Iron and Steel Workers

    Entry / Junior

    $42,000

    ~2 yrs to advance

  2. Structural Iron and Steel Workers

    Established

    $62,700

    ~3 yrs to advance

  3. Senior Structural Iron and Steel Workers

    Senior

    $85,110

Key skills

A typical day

  • Read specifications or blueprints to determine the locations, quantities, or sizes of materials required.
  • Connect columns, beams, and girders with bolts, following blueprints and instructions from supervisors.
  • Bolt aligned structural steel members in position for permanent riveting, bolting, or welding into place.
  • Fasten structural steel members to hoist cables, using chains, cables, or rope.
  • Hoist steel beams, girders, or columns into place, using cranes or signaling hoisting equipment operators to lift and position structural steel members.

Fields of study

Any field

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