Welder Job Description: Duties, Requirements, Template & Pay (2026)
A welder joins metal parts using MIG, TIG, stick or flux-core processes, reads prints and weld symbols, and produces joints that pass visual and destructive or non-destructive inspection. This page covers the duties employers actually hire for, a copy-paste welder job description template with production, fabrication and structural versions, the requirements that are real versus habitual, and what skilled trades applicants cost on social media from Boostpoint's 2026 benchmark.
Welder duties and responsibilities
Welding jobs split by process, position and setting, and the posting should name all three. A production welder in a manufacturing plant runs MIG or flux-core on the same parts all shift, often in fixtures, and is measured on throughput and reject rate. A fabrication welder reads prints, fits and tacks assemblies, and welds in all positions on a variety of jobs. A structural or pipe welder works to a code — AWS D1.1 for structural steel, ASME Section IX or API 1104 for pipe — and passes a qualification test for each process and position before touching a job. Pay rises in that order, and so does the difficulty of hiring.
Day to day, welder responsibilities include:
- Read blueprints, weld symbols and work orders to determine joint design, process, filler metal and sequence
- Set up and operate MIG (GMAW), flux-core (FCAW), TIG (GTAW) and stick (SMAW) equipment; select wire, rod, gas and parameters for the material and thickness
- Weld carbon steel, stainless and aluminum in flat, horizontal, vertical and overhead positions to print and code requirements
- Fit, clamp, tack and align parts using jigs, fixtures, squares and levels; measure with tapes, calipers and gauges
- Cut and prepare material with plasma, oxy-fuel, saws and grinders; bevel, clean and preheat as required
- Inspect completed welds visually and prepare them for NDT; grind, repair and rework defects
- Maintain welding equipment, consumables and the work area; report faulty equipment or material
- Follow safety procedures for fumes, hot work, confined spaces and PPE; hold fire watch when required
- Record production counts, part numbers and inspection results
The BLS counted about 457,300 welders, cutters, solderers and brazers in 2024, most of them in manufacturing and construction, with roughly 45,600 openings a year through 2034 — nearly all replacement openings, since the workforce is older than the average trade and growth is slow. The median wage was $25.84 an hour in 2025, or $53,750 a year; certified pipe and structural welders, and welders willing to travel, earn well above that. Our welder shortage and recruiting page covers why local pools run dry and what employers do about it.
Welder job description template
Copy this into your ATS or job board, replace the bracketed fields, and cut what doesn't apply. It leads with pay, shift, process and material — the four things a working welder checks before reading a duty list.
Job title
Welder — [MIG / TIG / Structural / Pipe], [1st / 2nd shift], [Full-time], [City, State]
Summary
[Company] is hiring welders for our [fabrication shop / production line / field crew] in [City]. Pay is $[XX]–$[XX]/hour based on your weld test and experience, [plus $X/hour shift differential], with a $[X,XXX] sign-on bonus. You'll weld [carbon steel / stainless / aluminum] in [MIG / flux-core / TIG] on [structural assemblies / pressure vessels / trailers / custom fabrications], [flat and horizontal / all positions], to [AWS D1.1 / customer print] requirements. [Climate-controlled shop, new Miller/Lincoln machines, overhead cranes.] Weld test on the first day; [we pay for AWS certification].
Responsibilities
- Weld [process] on [material] per prints, weld symbols and [code / WPS]
- Fit, tack and assemble parts using fixtures, jigs and hand tools
- Set machine parameters; select wire, gas and consumables for the job
- Inspect your own welds; grind and rework as needed; prepare for [visual / UT / X-ray] inspection
- Cut and prep material with plasma, oxy-fuel and grinders
- Keep equipment and work area clean and safe; follow hot-work and PPE procedures
- Record production and inspection results
Requirements
- Pass our weld test: [process, position, material, thickness — e.g., 3G MIG on 3/8" carbon steel]
- [1+] year of welding experience, or completion of a welding program
- Able to read prints and weld symbols; use tapes, squares and calipers
- Able to lift [50] lbs, stand for a full shift, and work with heat, fumes and PPE
- Able to pass a background check [and drug screen]
- [Steel-toe boots and welding hood required; we provide gloves, jackets and consumables]
Preferred
- AWS certification ([D1.1 / D1.2 / D1.6]) or ASME Section IX qualification
- Experience with [stainless / aluminum / pipe / overhead work]
- Forklift or overhead crane experience; OSHA 10
- [Fitting and layout experience]
Schedule and pay
- $[XX]–$[XX]/hour depending on weld test results and experience
- [Shift differential $X/hour for 2nd/3rd shift]; [per diem $X/day for field work]
- [Sign-on bonus $X,XXX]; [attendance bonus]
- Schedule: [Mon–Thu, 4x10s, 6am–4:30pm]; [overtime available]
Benefits
- Medical, dental and vision after [30/60] days
- [401(k) with X% match]
- Paid time off and [X] paid holidays
- Paid AWS certification testing and [pipe / TIG] training; pay increases with each qualification
- [Boot and hood allowance]; uniforms provided
Requirements: what's required, what's preferred, and what kills applications
Welding has no state license, which means the weld test is the only requirement that actually screens. Skilled trades postings convert 15% of clicks into applications when the form is short and the test is described; postings that ask for certification cards and résumés before the test convert a fraction of that.
| Requirement | What to know |
|---|---|
| Weld test | The real requirement. Describe it in the posting — process, position, material, thickness, acceptance criteria. Welders self-screen accurately on a specific test and not at all on "must be a skilled welder." |
| AWS certification | Certifications are per process, position and material, and most employer tests supersede them. List AWS as preferred unless a customer or code requires it, and offer to pay for it. |
| Experience | Say what kind. Two years of production MIG in fixtures is not two years of all-position fabrication. If your test tells you what you need, "1+ year or welding program" is enough. |
| Print reading | Required for fabrication and structural work; less so for fixtured production. Say which, and consider a short print-reading question in the application. |
| Own tools and PPE | Most shops expect boots and a hood; some expect a full kit. State what you provide — it decides whether entry-level welders apply. |
| Physical requirements | Include them: lifting, standing, heat, fumes, overhead work, confined spaces where applicable. They're legally useful and don't deter welders. |
| Degree or welding program | Not required. A program certificate is a plus for entry-level roles; the test is what matters. |
| Résumé and cover letter | Not needed to schedule a weld test. Collect them afterward if at all. |
How to customize it for your setting
Production welding (manufacturing)
Fixtured MIG or flux-core, shift work, throughput targets. Lead with shift, pay and climate control; say whether it's the same part all day. The manufacturing hiring picture is on our manufacturing recruiting page.
Fabrication shop
Variety is the draw: all-position work, fitting, custom jobs. Name the equipment (machines, cranes, plasma table) and the mix of materials.
Structural and pipe (construction, energy)
Code work, certifications funded, per diem and travel. State the code, the qualification test and the pay steps per qualification; these welders move for the next certification as much as for the next dollar. See how to recruit construction workers for the field-crew version.
Entry-level and trainee welders
Lead with training: "welding program graduates welcome, TIG training on the job, raise at 90 days." This posting draws career-changers and is the cheapest to fill.
What it costs to reach welders on social
Skilled trades campaigns ran a median of $14.14 per applicant across our 2026 Social Job Advertising Benchmark, with the middle half between $7.58 and $21.49, a blended figure of $10.74, and 15% of clickers finishing the application. The skilled trades and field service sector as a whole — 335 campaign-months — ran an $11.89 median with 18% completion.
Welders are a textbook case for social: most are employed, few are on job boards, and a 15-second video of the shop with the pay and the test on screen reaches every welder within commuting distance whether or not they're looking. The trades-wide comparison with search advertising, where clicks are cheap and completion is the constraint, is in what it costs to recruit skilled trades workers, and the age and gender breakdown is on the skilled trades recruiting page.
Writing the ad version
The ad is not the job description. It answers pay, shift, process and material in the first two lines: "MIG welders — $24–$32/hr + $2 2nd shift, 4x10s, carbon steel fab, A/C shop, weld test same day. [Company], [City]. Apply in 60 seconds." Knockout questions: processes you weld (multiple choice), years of experience, positions you're comfortable in, shift availability. No résumé, no certification upload.
A 15-second video of the shop floor, the machines and a welder saying why he moved there beats any stock photo of sparks. Welders judge a shop by its equipment and its fume extraction, and they'll change shops for a better one.
Frequently asked questions
What are the duties and responsibilities of a welder?
Reading prints and weld symbols; setting up and operating MIG, TIG, stick or flux-core equipment; fitting, tacking and welding parts in the required positions to print or code; cutting and preparing material; inspecting and reworking welds; maintaining equipment and following hot-work and PPE safety procedures; and recording production and inspection results.
What qualifications does a welder need?
No state license. Employers hire on a weld test — a specific process, position, material and thickness — plus experience or a welding program certificate. AWS certifications (per process and position) and ASME Section IX qualifications are preferred for code work, and many employers pay for them after hire.
How much do welders make?
The 2025 national median for welders, cutters, solderers and brazers was $25.84 an hour, or $53,750 a year, per O*NET/BLS. Certified structural and pipe welders, and welders who travel for industrial and energy work with per diem, earn substantially more.
What is the difference between MIG and TIG welding?
MIG (GMAW) feeds a continuous wire and is fast, easy to learn and standard for production and fabrication on steel. TIG (GTAW) uses a tungsten electrode and separate filler rod, is slower and more skilled, and is used for stainless, aluminum, thin material and work where appearance and precision matter. Postings should name the process the job actually uses.
What should a welder job description template include?
The process, material and positions, the weld test and its acceptance criteria, shift and schedule, the pay range with differentials and sign-on bonus, the setting (production, fabrication, structural, field), what PPE and tools are provided, physical requirements, certifications the employer will fund, and benefits. Pay, shift and the test belong in the first two lines.
Pay, employment and outlook figures: O*NET OnLine (Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers, 51-4121), 2025 wage data, and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2024–34 projections. Code references: AWS D1.1 Structural Welding Code — Steel; ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code Section IX. Cost-per-applicant figures: Boostpoint 2026 Social Job Advertising Benchmark (skilled trades role family; skilled trades and field service sector, 335 campaign-months). Last updated August 2026.