BlissPoint Analytics

Occupation AtlasStructural Metal Fabricators and Fitters

O*NET · 51-2041.00

Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters

Fabricate, position, align, and fit parts of structural metal products.

Also called Component Fabricator · Fabricator · Fitter · Ground Support Equipment Assembler · Hand Former · Industrial Fabricator · Layout Man · Machine Cage Maker
37 more

Machine Shop Fitter · Metal Box Maker · Metal Fabricator · Metal Fabricator Apprentice · Metal Framer · Metal Products Assembler · Metal Products Fabricator · Mill Beam Fitter · Motorcycle Assembler · Motorcycle Fabricator · Motorcycle Maker · Ornamental Metal Worker · Ornamental Metal Worker Apprentice · Pneumatic Tool Op · Pneumatic Tool Operator (Pneumatic Tool Op) · Precision Structural Metal Fitter · Protector Plate Attacher · Sheet Metal Mechanic · Sheet Metal Tech · Sheet Metal Technician (Sheet Metal Tech) · Ship Fitter · Ship Propeller Finisher · Small Parts Fabricator · Steel Fabricator · Steel Fitter · Steelworker · Structural and Ornamental Metalwork Metal Fabricator · Structural and Ornamental Metalwork Steel Fabricator · Structural Fabricator · Structural Fitter · Structural Metal Fabricator · Structural Metal Fitter · Structural Planner · Structural Steel Fabricator · Structural Steel Fitter · Structures Mechanic · Weld Fitter

Job Zone 2 — Some Preparation NeededHolland code RCI35 skills on file

Compare with another occupationCompare with Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders

Job Zone

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5

Zone 2: Some Preparation Needed

Some preparation. Usually a high school diploma, some previous work-related skill or experience, and a few months to a year of training with experienced workers.

Job Zone is O*NET's rating of how much education, experience and training an occupation typically needs — a property of the work, not of anyone doing it.

Occupational interest profile

RCIRealistic · Conventional · Investigative — the three strongest interests, in order

  • R Realistic7.00
  • C Conventional3.91
  • I Investigative2.60
  • A Artistic1.73
  • E Enterprising1.12
  • S Social1.00

RIASEC (Holland) interests on O*NET's 0–7 scale: what the work draws on, not what any individual prefers. Hover a row for what each dimension means.

Education and experience

The education level respondents say the job requires, and the most common answer for experience and training.

  • Less than a High School Diploma18%
  • High School Diploma or the equivalent77%
  • Post-Secondary Certificate3%
  • Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree2%
Related work experience
None (43%)
On-site or in-plant training
None (26%)
On-the-job training
Over 1 month, up to and including 3 months (34%)

Typically associated skills

All 35 O*NET skills, most important first. Importance (1–5) says how much a skill matters here; level (0–7) says how much of it the work calls for, with O*NET's example of a nearby level. Neither is a proficiency rating of a person.

  • Active Listeningbasic3.03.0Level 2 looks like: Take a customer's order
  • Reading Comprehensionbasic3.02.6Level 2 looks like: Read step-by-step instructions for completing a form
  • Speakingbasic3.02.6Level 2 looks like: Greet tourists and explain tourist attractions
  • Critical Thinkingbasic3.02.4Level 2 looks like: Determine whether a subordinate has a good excuse for being late
  • Monitoringbasic2.92.6Level 2 looks like: Proofread and correct a letter
  • Operations Monitoring2.92.5Level 2 looks like: Monitor completion times while running a computer program
  • Social Perceptiveness2.62.4Level 2 looks like: Notice that customers are angry because they have been waiting too long
  • Time Management2.62.0Level 2 looks like: Keep a monthly calendar of appointments
  • Coordination2.42.8Level 2 looks like: Schedule appointments for a medical clinic
  • Judgment and Decision Making2.42.1Level 2 looks like: Decide how scheduling a break will affect work flow
  • Operation and Control2.42.1Level 2 looks like: Navigate the settings on an office printer to print on both sides of the paper
  • Quality Control Analysis2.32.5Level 2 looks like: Inspect a draft email for errors (e.g., grammar, punctuation)
Show the other 23

Tasks

15 core · 8 supplemental

What people in this occupation do, as O*NET records it, core tasks first by importance (1–5).

  1. Verify conformance of workpieces to specifications, using squares, rulers, and measuring tapes.4.5
  2. 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.4.4
  3. Study engineering drawings and blueprints to determine materials requirements and task sequences.4.4
  4. Lay out and examine metal stock or workpieces to be processed to ensure that specifications are met.4.3
  5. Tack-weld fitted parts together.4.2
  6. Move parts into position, manually or with hoists or cranes.4.2
  7. Position or tighten braces, jacks, clamps, ropes, or bolt straps, or bolt parts in position for welding or riveting.4.1
  8. 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.4.1
  9. Set up face blocks, jigs, and fixtures.4.0
  10. Lift or move materials and finished products, using large cranes.4.0
  11. Align and fit parts according to specifications, using jacks, turnbuckles, wedges, drift pins, pry bars, and hammers.3.9
  12. Hammer, chip, and grind workpieces to cut, bend, and straighten metal.3.9
Show the other 11
  1. Locate and mark workpiece bending and cutting lines, allowing for stock thickness, machine and welding shrinkage, and other component specifications.3.7
  2. Remove high spots and cut bevels, using hand files, portable grinders, and cutting torches.3.6
  3. Smooth workpiece edges and fix taps, tubes, and valves.3.5
  4. Mark reference points onto floors or face blocks and transpose them to workpieces, using measuring devices, squares, chalk, and soapstone.4.1
  5. Design and construct templates and fixtures, using hand tools.3.8
  6. Direct welders to build up low spots or short pieces with weld.3.7
  7. Heat-treat parts, using acetylene torches.3.6
  8. Straighten warped or bent parts, using sledges, hand torches, straightening presses, or bulldozers.3.5
  9. Preheat workpieces to make them malleable, using hand torches or furnaces.3.5
  10. Erect ladders and scaffolding to fit together large assemblies.3.5
  11. Install boilers, containers, and other structures.2.7

Knowledge

Bodies of knowledge the work draws on.

  • Mathematics3.43.3Level 4 looks like: Analyze data to determine areas with the highest sales
  • Mechanical3.33.4Level 4 looks like: Replace a valve on a steam pipe
  • Production and Processing3.32.9
  • English Language3.02.5Level 1 looks like: Write a thank you note
  • Administration and Management2.92.4Level 1 looks like: Approve a reimbursement request
  • Design2.82.9
  • Education and Training2.82.9
  • Public Safety and Security2.72.4Level 1 looks like: Use a seatbelt
Show all 33
  • Customer and Personal Service2.61.9Level 1 looks like: Process a customer's dry-cleaning drop off
  • Engineering and Technology2.62.4Level 1 looks like: Install a door lock
  • Administrative2.31.4Level 1 looks like: Direct phone calls to the appropriate staff member
  • Building and Construction2.32.0Level 1 looks like: Choose the proper type of wood for adding a deck onto a house
  • Computers and Electronics2.32.1Level 1 looks like: Operate a media player to watch a training video
  • Personnel and Human Resources2.11.3Level 1 looks like: Fill out a medical claim form
  • Physics2.01.7Level 1 looks like: Use a crowbar to pry open a box
  • Transportation2.01.0Level 1 looks like: Ride a train to work
  • Economics and Accounting1.81.2Level 1 looks like: Answer billing questions from credit card customers
  • Communications and Media1.71.0Level 1 looks like: Write a thank you note
  • Chemistry1.61.0Level 1 looks like: Use a common household bug spray
  • Sales and Marketing1.6—
  • Law and Government1.50.5Level 1 looks like: Describe the length of a U.S. presidential term
  • Foreign Language1.40.5Level 1 looks like: Say "please" and "thank you" in a foreign language
  • Psychology1.3—
  • Telecommunications1.3—
  • Geography1.2—
  • Medicine and Dentistry1.2—
  • Therapy and Counseling1.2—
  • Biology1.1—
  • Fine Arts1.1—
  • Food Production1.1—
  • History and Archeology1.1—
  • Philosophy and Theology1.1—
  • Sociology and Anthropology1.1—

Abilities

Enduring capacities the work calls for.

  • Arm-Hand Steadiness3.33.1Level 4 looks like: Thread a needle
  • Near Vision3.33.3Level 2 looks like: Read indicators on the dashboard of a car
  • Control Precision3.13.5Level 4 looks like: Adjust farm tractor controls
  • Manual Dexterity3.13.0Level 4 looks like: Pack oranges in crates as quickly as possible
  • Multilimb Coordination3.13.1Level 4 looks like: Operate a forklift truck in a warehouse
  • Static Strength3.13.1Level 4 looks like: Pull a 40-pound sack of fertilizer across the lawn
  • Visualization3.13.8Level 4 looks like: Follow a diagram to assemble a metal storage cabinet
  • Category Flexibility3.03.0Level 3 looks like: Classify flowers according to size, color, and smell
Show all 52
  • Deductive Reasoning3.03.0Level 2 looks like: Know that a stalled car can coast downhill
  • Finger Dexterity3.03.0Level 2 looks like: Put coins in a parking meter
  • Information Ordering3.03.1Level 2 looks like: Follow the correct steps to make change
  • Oral Expression3.03.0Level 2 looks like: Place an order at a restaurant drive-thru
  • Problem Sensitivity3.03.0Level 2 looks like: Recognize that an unplugged lamp won't work
  • Selective Attention3.03.0Level 2 looks like: Answer a business call with coworkers talking nearby
  • Trunk Strength3.03.0Level 2 looks like: Sit up in an office chair
  • Far Vision2.93.0Level 2 looks like: Read a roadside billboard
  • Inductive Reasoning2.92.9Level 2 looks like: Decide what to wear based on the weather report
  • Oral Comprehension2.93.0Level 2 looks like: Understand a television commercial
  • Speech Clarity2.92.3Level 1 looks like: Call numbers in a bingo game
  • Written Comprehension2.93.0Level 2 looks like: Understand signs on the highway
  • Reaction Time2.82.8Level 2 looks like: Start to slow down the car when a traffic light turns yellow
  • Time Sharing2.82.4Level 2 looks like: Listen to music while entering numbers into a spreadsheet
  • Depth Perception2.62.6Level 2 looks like: Merge a car into traffic on a city street
  • Speech Recognition2.62.4Level 2 looks like: Recognize the voice of a coworker
  • Rate Control2.52.0Level 1 looks like: Ride a bicycle alongside a jogger
  • Auditory Attention2.42.4Level 2 looks like: Listen to a lecture while people nearby are talking
  • Extent Flexibility2.42.6Level 2 looks like: Reach to adjust the radio in a car
  • Perceptual Speed2.42.3Level 2 looks like: Sort mail according to ZIP codes with no time pressure
  • Written Expression2.42.1Level 1 looks like: Write a note to remind someone to take food out of the freezer
  • Mathematical Reasoning2.31.6Level 1 looks like: Determine how much 20 oranges will cost when they are priced at 5 for 4 dollars
  • Response Orientation2.31.9Level 2 looks like: When a doorbell and phone ring at the same time, quickly select which to answer first
  • Explosive Strength2.11.3Level 2 looks like: Hit a nail with a hammer
  • Flexibility of Closure2.12.1Level 2 looks like: Detect that your phone is ringing while at a concert
  • Fluency of Ideas2.11.1Level 2 looks like: Name four different uses for a screwdriver
  • Gross Body Coordination2.12.1Level 2 looks like: Get in and out of a truck
  • Gross Body Equilibrium2.11.9Level 2 looks like: Stand on a ladder
  • Number Facility2.11.6Level 1 looks like: Add 2 and 7
  • Visual Color Discrimination2.12.1Level 1 looks like: Separate laundry into colors and whites
  • Dynamic Strength2.02.0Level 2 looks like: Use pruning shears to trim a bush
  • Glare Sensitivity2.01.1Level 2 looks like: Drive on a familiar road on a cloudy day
  • Hearing Sensitivity2.02.0Level 2 looks like: Notice a doorbell ringing
  • Memorization2.01.3Level 1 looks like: Remember the number on your bus to be sure you get back on the right one
  • Originality2.01.1Level 2 looks like: Use a credit card to open a locked door
  • Spatial Orientation2.01.1Level 2 looks like: Use the floor plan to locate a store in a mall
  • Speed of Closure2.01.3
  • Stamina2.02.0Level 1 looks like: Walk 1/4 mile
  • Dynamic Flexibility1.90.9
  • Wrist-Finger Speed1.91.6Level 2 looks like: Use a screwdriver to twist in a screw
  • Night Vision1.80.8
  • Peripheral Vision1.80.8
  • Speed of Limb Movement1.81.4Level 2 looks like: Saw through a thin piece of wood
  • Sound Localization1.60.6

Work activities

Kinds of activity the work is made of.

  • Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates4.24.3Level 4 looks like: Report the results of a sales meeting to a supervisor
  • Controlling Machines and Processes4.15.4Level 4 looks like: Operate a drilling rig
  • Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials4.14.0Level 4 looks like: Inspect equipment in a chemical processing plant
  • Handling and Moving Objects4.05.9
  • Getting Information3.92.6
  • Making Decisions and Solving Problems3.94.0Level 4 looks like: Select the location for a major retail store
  • Performing General Physical Activities3.94.5Level 4 looks like: Paint the outside of a house
  • Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge3.94.4Level 4 looks like: Keep current on changes in maintenance procedures for repairing sports cars
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  • Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events3.73.5Level 4 looks like: Judge the suitability of food products for an event
  • Processing Information3.74.0Level 4 looks like: Calculate the adjustments for insurance claims
  • Training and Teaching Others3.73.9Level 4 looks like: Teach a social sciences course to high school students
  • Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards3.63.7Level 4 looks like: Evaluate a complicated insurance claim for compliance with policy terms
  • Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings3.63.9Level 4 looks like: Test electrical circuits
  • Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work3.54.3Level 4 looks like: Plan and adjust a personal to-do list according to changing demands
  • Drafting, Laying Out, and Specifying Technical Devices, Parts, and Equipment3.43.6Level 4 looks like: Specify the furniture and equipment for a new school
  • Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others3.33.6Level 4 looks like: Organize the cleanup crew after a major sporting event
  • Repairing and Maintaining Mechanical Equipment3.34.0Level 4 looks like: Change the oil on a tractor
  • Judging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or People3.23.6Level 4 looks like: Determine the value of property lost in a fire
  • Thinking Creatively3.23.2Level 4 looks like: Adapt popular music for a high school marching band
  • Coaching and Developing Others3.13.0Level 4 looks like: Provide on-the-job training for administrative workers
  • Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others3.13.5Level 4 looks like: Interpret how foreign tax laws apply to U.S. exports
  • Documenting/Recording Information3.02.8
  • Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships3.03.7Level 4 looks like: Maintain good working relationships with almost all coworkers and clients
  • Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment3.03.2Level 4 looks like: Drive an 18-wheel tractor-trailer
  • Developing and Building Teams2.93.1Level 4 looks like: Lead an assembly team in an automobile plant
  • Developing Objectives and Strategies2.82.6
  • Analyzing Data or Information2.72.7
  • Assisting and Caring for Others2.72.8
  • Estimating the Quantifiable Characteristics of Products, Events, or Information2.72.9
  • Providing Consultation and Advice to Others2.72.8
  • Guiding, Directing, and Motivating Subordinates2.62.2Level 1 looks like: Work occasionally as a backup supervisor
  • Scheduling Work and Activities2.62.8
  • Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others2.52.3Level 1 looks like: Apologize to a customer who complains about waiting too long
  • Working with Computers2.52.6
  • Monitoring and Controlling Resources2.42.9
  • Repairing and Maintaining Electronic Equipment2.42.5Level 1 looks like: Use display settings to adjust a television picture
  • Performing Administrative Activities2.32.0Level 1 looks like: Complete routine paperwork
  • Staffing Organizational Units1.81.6Level 1 looks like: Work in a position that has minimal staffing requirements
  • Communicating with People Outside the Organization1.71.4Level 1 looks like: Have little contact with people outside the organization
  • Performing for or Working Directly with the Public1.71.5Level 1 looks like: Check tickets at a concert
  • Selling or Influencing Others1.71.2Level 1 looks like: Convince a coworker to assist with an assignment

Work context

The conditions most characteristic of the work, on O*NET's 1–5 context scale.

  • Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets5.0
  • Exposed to Sounds, Noise Levels that are Distracting or Uncomfortable4.6
  • Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams4.6
  • Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls4.6
  • Exposed to Contaminants4.5
  • Indoors, Not Environmentally Controlled4.4
  • Importance of Being Exact or Accurate4.3
  • Spend Time Standing4.3
  • Time Pressure4.3
  • Contact With Others4.2

Technology

8 tools

Software used in this work. In demand: among the tools job postings for this occupation name most. Hot: often named in job postings across the economy.

In demand (1)

  • Microsoft Outlookhot

Hot (3; 1 more marked hot above)

  • Microsoft Excel
  • Microsoft Office software
  • Microsoft Word
Other tools (4)
  • Computer aided design and drafting CADD software
  • Dassault Systemes CATIA
  • Tekla software
  • Three-dimensional modeling software

Related occupations

O*NET's own list of the occupations most related to this one, closest first.

  1. Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers
  2. Layout Workers, Metal and Plastic
  3. Sheet Metal Workers
  4. Structural Iron and Steel Workers
  5. Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
  6. Tool and Die Makers
  7. Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers
  8. Reinforcing Iron and Rebar Workers
  9. Millwrights
  10. Boilermakers

ESCO equivalents

From the official ESCO–O*NET crosswalk, strongest match first. A broader occupation takes in this one; a narrower one is a part of it.

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This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license; O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. ESCO occupations and skills are from the European Commission's ESCO classification, and the occupation crosswalk is the official ESCO–O*NET mapping by the ESCO Secretariat with USDOL/ETA. This service uses the ESCO classification of the European Commission. BlissPoint Analytics has modified all or some of this information: skill, task and descriptor ratings are rounded to one decimal, and ESCO occupations show Job Zone and interests copied from a crosswalked O*NET occupation. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.