Shipfitter job description: duties, skills and qualifications.

Core duties

9

O*NET task statements

O*NET occupation

Layout Workers, Metal and Plastic

O*NET-SOC 51-4192.00

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

$63,870

BLS May 2025

Data Government data groups this job as Layout Workers, Metal and Plastic (O*NET-SOC 51-4192.00). O*NET 31.0 lists “Shipfitter” as a job title for this occupation only (evidence: the SOC Index, the U.S. Employment and Training Administration and employer job postings). Figures on this page are for that occupation. TryHired has no separate career page for this title yet.

1. Mark curves, lines, holes, dimensions, and welding symbols onto workpieces, using scribes, soapstones, punches, and hand drills. importance 4.4 of 5
2. Plan locations and sequences of cutting, drilling, bending, rolling, punching, and welding operations, using compasses, protractors, dividers, and rules. importance 4.4 of 5
3. Fit and align fabricated parts to be welded or assembled. importance 4.4 of 5
4. Locate center lines and verify template positions, using measuring instruments such as gauge blocks, height gauges, and dial indicators. importance 4.3 of 5
5. Plan and develop layouts from blueprints and templates, applying knowledge of trigonometry, design, effects of heat, and properties of metals. importance 4.2 of 5
6. Lay out and fabricate metal structural parts such as plates, bulkheads, and frames. importance 4.2 of 5
7. Compute layout dimensions, and determine and mark reference points on metal stock or workpieces for further processing, such as welding and assembly. importance 4.2 of 5
8. Lift and position workpieces in relation to surface plates, manually or with hoists, and using parallel blocks and angle plates. importance 4.1 of 5
9. Design and prepare templates of wood, paper, or metal. importance 3.8 of 5

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

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.

• Install doors, hatches, brackets, and clips.
• Brace parts in position within hulls or ships for riveting or welding.
• Inspect machined parts to verify conformance to specifications.
• Add dimensional details to blueprints or drawings made by other workers.
• Apply pigment to layout surfaces, using paint brushes.

Knowledge areas: Mathematics, Design, Mechanical, Production and Processing and Engineering and Technology.

Software O*NET lists for this occupation: Autodesk AutoCAD, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Word, Hexagon Metrology PC-DMIS. 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 shipfitters surveyed by O*NET (60%) name a high school diploma or equivalent as the education the job requires.

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

About the role
[Company] is hiring a Shipfitter to lay out reference points and dimensions on metal or plastic stock or workpieces, such as sheets, plates, tubes, structural shapes, castings, or machine parts, for further processing.
[One sentence on your team and why this role matters.]

What you will do
- Mark curves, lines, holes, dimensions, and welding symbols onto workpieces, using scribes, soapstones, punches, and hand drills.
- Plan locations and sequences of cutting, drilling, bending, rolling, punching, and welding operations, using compasses, protractors, dividers, and rules.
- Fit and align fabricated parts to be welded or assembled.
- Locate center lines and verify template positions, using measuring instruments such as gauge blocks, height gauges, and dial indicators.
- Plan and develop layouts from blueprints and templates, applying knowledge of trigonometry, design, effects of heat, and properties of metals.
- Lay out and fabricate metal structural parts such as plates, bulkheads, and frames.
- Compute layout dimensions, and determine and mark reference points on metal stock or workpieces for further processing, such as welding and assembly.
- Lift and position workpieces in relation to surface plates, manually or with hoists, and using parallel blocks and angle plates.

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 mathematics, complex problem solving and operations monitoring
- Working knowledge of Mathematics and Design
- [Software your team uses, e.g. Autodesk AutoCAD 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 Layout Workers, Metal and Plastic, the median annual wage was $63,870 in May 2025. The median hourly wage was $30.71. BLS estimates about 5,970 jobs in this occupation in the U.S.

BLS projects employment of Layout Workers, Metal and Plastic to decline 3.4% from 2025 to 2035, with about 500 openings a year over that period, including openings to replace workers who leave.

• Read a real shipfitter posting next to the core duties above. Duties it repeats, such as “Mark curves, lines, holes, dimensions, and welding symbols onto…”, 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 shipfitter work you have actually done, with your own results.
• Prepare a story for each of the top-rated skills (mathematics and complex problem solving): a real situation, what you did and what changed.