Construction and Extraction · Holland code RC

Boilermakers

Construct, assemble, maintain, and repair stationary steam boilers and boiler house auxiliaries. Align structures or plate sections to assemble boiler frame tanks or vats, following blueprints. Work involves use of hand and power tools, plumb bobs, levels, wedges, dogs, or turnbuckles. Assist in testing assembled vessels. Direct cleaning of boilers and boiler furnaces. Inspect and repair boiler fittings, such as safety valves, regulators, automatic-control mechanisms, water columns, and auxiliary machines.

Also called: Boiler Mechanic, Boiler Technician (Boiler Tech), Boilermaker, Boilermaker Mechanic, Boiler Installer, Boiler Repairman, Boiler Service Technician (Boiler Service Tech), Boilermaker Pipe Fitter.

O*NET 47-2011.00

At a glance

US median annual pay: $76,410; Middle half earn $64,760 to $95,430. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Most common education: High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED); 52% of workers surveyed by O*NET report this level.
Preparation needed: Job Zone 2 of 5; Some preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.
US employment outlook, 2024 to 2034: -2% · Decline; 10,400 jobs in 2024, projected 10,100. BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, which groups this with similar roles as "Boilermakers".

What the work involves

The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.

Conduct pressure tests on vessels, such as boilers.
Study blueprints to determine locations, relationships, or dimensions of parts.
Assemble large vessels in an on-site fabrication shop prior to installation to ensure proper fit.
Examine boilers, pressure vessels, tanks, or vats to locate defects, such as leaks, weak spots, or defective sections, so that they can be repaired.
Inspect assembled vessels or individual components, such as tubes, fittings, valves, controls, or auxiliary mechanisms, to locate any defects.
Lay out plate, sheet steel, or other heavy metal and locate and mark bending and cutting lines, using protractors, compasses, and drawing instruments or templates.
Bell, bead with power hammers, or weld pressure vessel tube ends to ensure leakproof joints.
Locate and mark reference points for columns or plates on boiler foundations, following blueprints and using straightedges, squares, transits, or measuring instruments.

Skills and knowledge it leans on

Skills

Critical Thinking3.5 / 5
Reading Comprehension3.0 / 5
Active Listening3.0 / 5
Speaking3.0 / 5
Active Learning3.0 / 5
Monitoring3.0 / 5

Knowledge areas

Mechanical4.2 / 5
English Language3.3 / 5
Mathematics3.2 / 5
Administration and Management2.9 / 5
Building and Construction2.8 / 5
Computers and Electronics2.6 / 5

Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.

Who tends to enjoy it

How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.

Realistic100
Investigative22
Artistic0
Social0
Enterprising0
Conventional45

The same work abroad

Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.

European occupation titles (ESCO)

welder · DE Schweißer/Schweißerin · FR soudeur/soudeuse
electron beam welder · DE Elektronenstrahlschweißer/Elektronenstrahlschweißerin · FR soudeur par bombardement d’électrons/soudeuse par bombardement d’électrons
pipe welder · DE Rohrleitungsbauer/Rohrleitungsbauerin · FR soudeur de tuyaux/soudeuse de tuyaux
spot welder · DE Punktschweißer/Punktschweißerin · FR soudeur par point/soudeuse par point
boilermaker · DE Behälter- und Apparatebauer/Behälter- und Apparatebauerin · FR chaudronnier/chaudronnière
container equipment assembler · DE Behältermonteur/Behältermonteurin · FR assembleur d’équipements de conteneurs/assembleuse d’équipements de conteneurs

Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)

Welding trades (5213)49,800 employed
Steel erectors (5311)8,200 employed
Sheet metal workers (5211)10,400 employed

Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.

Pay across Europe, for the whole group

Median annual earnings of all employees in “Craft and related trades workers”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.

Median annual earnings, Craft and related trades workers, by country
Country	Median pay
Belgium	€40,086
Germany	€38,638
Austria	€38,194
Sweden	€37,856
Netherlands	€37,077
Ireland	€36,098
France	€27,145
Italy	€26,488
Spain	€22,817
Portugal	€11,142
Poland	€10,099

Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.

Exposure to AI

This occupation sits in the lower third of the 774 occupations scored, with an exposure score of -1.10. The scores are standardized across those occupations, so 0 is the average and a score of 1 is about one standard deviation above it.

Our note on reading it: the dataset links AI applications to the abilities that occupations require, so the score reflects overlap between the two. It is a comparison between occupations, not a forecast about jobs. It does not say whether exposure means tasks are replaced or workers get more done with the tools, and it says little about one employer or one role.

Source: Felten, E., Raj, M., & Seamans, R. (2021). Occupational, industry, and geographic exposure to artificial intelligence: A novel dataset and its potential uses. Strategic Management Journal, 42(12), 2195-2217. Matched to this page by 6-digit SOC code (47-2011).

Is it a fit for you?

Interest is one input, alongside ability, pay and what is hiring near you. The career interests test takes about thirteen minutes and ranks occupations by how closely their profile matches yours.

Take the career interests test