Metal Fabricator job description: duties, skills and qualifications.

Core duties

15

O*NET task statements

O*NET occupation

Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters

O*NET-SOC 51-2041.00

Preparation

Job Zone 1-2 of 5

very little to some preparation

Typical entry education

High school diploma or equivalent

BLS 2025–35

Median pay

$51,330

BLS May 2025

Data Government data groups this job as Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters (O*NET-SOC 51-2041.00). O*NET 31.0 lists “Metal Fabricator” in its Sample of Reported Titles (the titles job holders report) for this occupation only (also listed from O*NET job-incumbent data and the U.S. Employment and Training Administration). 1 other occupation carries it only as an alternate title (from employer job postings), never as a reported title or a SOC Index title. Figures on this page are for that occupation. TryHired has no separate career page for this title yet.

1. Verify conformance of workpieces to specifications, using squares, rulers, and measuring tapes. importance 4.5 of 5
2. Study engineering drawings and blueprints to determine materials requirements and task sequences. importance 4.4 of 5
3. 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. importance 4.4 of 5
4. Lay out and examine metal stock or workpieces to be processed to ensure that specifications are met. importance 4.3 of 5
5. Tack-weld fitted parts together. importance 4.2 of 5
6. Move parts into position, manually or with hoists or cranes. importance 4.2 of 5
7. Set up and operate fabricating machines, such as brakes, rolls, shears, flame cutters, grinders, and drill presses, to bend, cut, form, punch, drill, or otherwise form and assemble metal components. importance 4.1 of 5
8. Position or tighten braces, jacks, clamps, ropes, or bolt straps, or bolt parts in position for welding or riveting. importance 4.1 of 5
9. Lift or move materials and finished products, using large cranes. importance 4.0 of 5
10. Set up face blocks, jigs, and fixtures. importance 4.0 of 5
11. Align and fit parts according to specifications, using jacks, turnbuckles, wedges, drift pins, pry bars, and hammers. importance 3.9 of 5
12. Hammer, chip, and grind workpieces to cut, bend, and straighten metal. importance 3.9 of 5
13. Locate and mark workpiece bending and cutting lines, allowing for stock thickness, machine and welding shrinkage, and other component specifications. importance 3.7 of 5
14. Remove high spots and cut bevels, using hand files, portable grinders, and cutting torches. importance 3.6 of 5
15. Smooth workpiece edges and fix taps, tubes, and valves. importance 3.5 of 5

Work activities O*NET rates most important here: Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Controlling Machines and Processes, Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Handling and Moving Objects and Performing General Physical Activities.

Also part of the job

Supplemental tasks O*NET lists for this occupation: less central than the core duties above, and not done in every job.

• Mark reference points onto floors or face blocks and transpose them to workpieces, using measuring devices, squares, chalk, and soapstone.
• Design and construct templates and fixtures, using hand tools.
• Direct welders to build up low spots or short pieces with weld.
• Heat-treat parts, using acetylene torches.
• Straighten warped or bent parts, using sledges, hand torches, straightening presses, or bulldozers.
• Erect ladders and scaffolding to fit together large assemblies.

Knowledge areas: Mathematics, Production and Processing, Mechanical and English Language.

Software O*NET lists for this occupation: Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Word, Computer aided design and drafting CADD software, Dassault Systemes CATIA. These are examples O*NET records for the job, not a list of tools every employer uses or a checklist of what you must know.

• Education: BLS lists a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education.
• Experience: BLS lists no work experience in a related occupation as typical to enter.
• Training on the job: BLS lists moderate-term on-the-job training as typical once hired.
• Preparation: O*NET places the job in Job Zone 1-2 of 5 (very little to some preparation). Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience.
• Licenses and certifications: not listed here. A license is a legal requirement set by a state; a certification is a credential from a private or professional body. Rules vary by state and employer, and a missing entry on this page does not mean none is required: check with your state's licensing board.

Most metal fabricators surveyed by O*NET (77%) name a high school diploma or equivalent as the education the job requires.

Job title: Metal Fabricator
[Company] · [City, State] · [Full-time or part-time] · [Pay range, where your state requires one]

About the role
[Company] is hiring a Metal Fabricator to fabricate, position, align, and fit parts of structural metal products.
[One sentence on your team and why this role matters.]

What you will do
- Verify conformance of workpieces to specifications, using squares, rulers, and measuring tapes.
- Study engineering drawings and blueprints to determine materials requirements and task sequences.
- 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.
- Lay out and examine metal stock or workpieces to be processed to ensure that specifications are met.
- Tack-weld fitted parts together.
- Move parts into position, manually or with hoists or cranes.
- Set up and operate fabricating machines, such as brakes, rolls, shears, flame cutters, grinders, and drill presses, to bend, cut, form, punch, drill, or otherwise form and assemble metal components.
- Position or tighten braces, jacks, clamps, ropes, or bolt straps, or bolt parts in position for welding or riveting.

What we are looking for
- [Education: BLS lists a high school diploma or equivalent as typical for this occupation; set the level this role truly needs]
- [Experience: BLS lists no related work experience as typical to enter; set what this role needs]
- Strength in reading comprehension, active listening and speaking
- Working knowledge of Mathematics and Production and Processing
- [Software your team uses, e.g. Microsoft Outlook or Microsoft Excel]
- [Any license or certification your state or company requires]

[Schedule, benefits and how to apply]

Illustrative: every name, employer, school, date and number in these samples is fictional or a bracketed placeholder. Replace each bracket with your own true details; never copy a result you did not achieve.

Not a real job posting. This template is TryHired's illustration built from government occupational data. It is not an opening at any employer, and no employer wrote it.

For Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters, the median annual wage was $51,330 in May 2025. The median hourly wage was $24.68. BLS estimates about 52,360 jobs in this occupation in the U.S.

BLS projects employment of Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters to decline 6.2% from 2025 to 2035, with about 4,800 openings a year over that period, including openings to replace workers who leave.

• Read a real metal fabricator posting next to the core duties above. Duties it repeats, such as “Verify conformance of workpieces to specifications, using squares…”, tell you what that employer weighs most; anything it adds is specific to that team.
• Tailor your resume to the posting, not to this page: describe only metal fabricator work you have actually done, with your own results.
• Prepare a story for each of the top-rated skills (reading comprehension and active listening): a real situation, what you did and what changed.