What is a Structural Iron or Steel Worker?
Career Description 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.
Life As a Structural Iron or Steel Worker: What Do They Do?
- Dismantle structures or equipment.
- Force structural steel members into final positions, using turnbuckles, crowbars, jacks, or hand tools.
- Catch hot rivets in buckets and insert rivets in holes, using tongs.
- Assemble hoisting equipment or rigging, such as cables, pulleys, or hooks, to move heavy equipment or materials.
- Connect columns, beams, and girders with bolts, following blueprints and instructions from supervisors.
- Drive drift pins through rivet holes to align rivet holes in structural steel members with corresponding holes in previously placed members.
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What a Structural Iron or Steel Worker Should Know
Structural Iron and Steel Workers state the following job skills are important in their day-to-day work.
Operation Monitoring: Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
Coordination: Adjusting actions in relation to others’ actions.
Operation and Control: Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Active Learning: Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Types of Structural Iron or Steel Worker Jobs
- Construction Ironworker
- Playground Equipment Erector
- Metal Tank Builder
- Steel Fitter
- Iron Setter
Job Opportunities for Structural Iron and Steel Workers
In the United States, there were 70,200 jobs for Structural Iron or Steel Worker in 2016. New jobs are being produced at a rate of 12.8% which is above the national average. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts 9,000 new jobs for Structural Iron or Steel Worker by 2026. The BLS estimates 8,700 yearly job openings in this field.

The states with the most job growth for Structural Iron or Steel Worker are Utah, Arizona, and Nevada. Watch out if you plan on working in Maine, Alaska, or Louisiana. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.
How Much Does a Structural Iron or Steel Worker Make?
The typical yearly salary for Structural Iron and Steel Workers is somewhere between $32,240 and $93,760.

Structural Iron and Steel Workers who work in New Jersey, New York, or Illinois, make the highest salaries.
Below is a list of the median annual salaries for Structural Iron and Steel Workers in different U.S. states.
State | Annual Mean Salary |
---|---|
Alabama | $48,590 |
Alaska | $71,080 |
Arizona | $47,930 |
Arkansas | $40,760 |
California | $67,130 |
Colorado | $52,620 |
Connecticut | $68,550 |
Delaware | $50,450 |
District of Columbia | $58,650 |
Florida | $43,880 |
Georgia | $41,760 |
Hawaii | $74,110 |
Idaho | $39,230 |
Illinois | $83,580 |
Indiana | $56,830 |
Iowa | $54,850 |
Kansas | $42,810 |
Kentucky | $46,640 |
Louisiana | $50,690 |
Maine | $50,570 |
Maryland | $53,200 |
Massachusetts | $76,810 |
Michigan | $55,200 |
Minnesota | $65,800 |
Mississippi | $41,860 |
Missouri | $55,770 |
Montana | $49,600 |
Nebraska | $40,320 |
Nevada | $39,840 |
New Hampshire | $45,880 |
New Jersey | $86,340 |
New Mexico | $51,860 |
New York | $85,410 |
North Carolina | $41,040 |
North Dakota | $50,500 |
Ohio | $59,900 |
Oklahoma | $42,760 |
Oregon | $70,540 |
Pennsylvania | $60,100 |
Rhode Island | $74,540 |
South Carolina | $43,640 |
South Dakota | $42,070 |
Tennessee | $47,860 |
Texas | $44,370 |
Utah | $47,430 |
Vermont | $47,570 |
Virginia | $51,220 |
Washington | $75,020 |
West Virginia | $54,830 |
Wisconsin | $58,470 |
Wyoming | $56,760 |
What Tools do Structural Iron and Steel Workers Use?
Below is a list of the types of tools and technologies that Structural Iron and Steel Workers may use on a daily basis:
- Computer aided design CAD software
- Inventory tracking software
- Turtle Creek Software Goldenseal
- Cost estimating software
- Project scheduling software
How to Become a Structural Iron or Steel Worker
What education is needed to be a Structural Iron or Steel Worker?

How Long Does it Take to Become a Structural Iron or Steel Worker?

Where Structural Iron and Steel Workers Are Employed

The table below shows some of the most common industries where those employed in this career field work.

Similar Careers
Those who work as a Structural Iron or Steel Worker sometimes switch careers to one of these choices:
References:
Image Credit: Margo Wright via Public domain
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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