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Date: 07/22/2026

Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters

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

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    Work Activities

    Work Activities

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

    Skills

    • Active Listening

      Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.

    • Writing

      Writing things for co-workers or customers.

    • Learning Strategies

      Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.

    • Systems Analysis

      Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.

    • Social Perceptiveness

      Understanding people's reactions.

    • Technology Design

      Making equipment and technology useful for customers.

    • Repairing

      Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.

    • Active Learning

      Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.

    • Operations Monitoring

      Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.

    • Systems Evaluation

      Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.

    • Persuasion

      Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.

    • Judgment and Decision Making

      Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.

    • Troubleshooting

      Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.

    • Speaking

      Talking to others.

    • Management of Personnel Resources

      Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.

    • Service Orientation

      Looking for ways to help people.

    • Operation and Control

      Using equipment or systems.

    • Time Management

      Managing your time and the time of other people.

    • Mathematics

      Using math to solve problems.

    • Reading Comprehension

      Reading work-related information.

    • Critical Thinking

      Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.

    • Science

      Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.

    • Instructing

      Teaching people how to do something.

    • Management of Financial Resources

      Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.

    • Installation

      Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.

    • Programming

      Writing computer programs.

    • Equipment Selection

      Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.

    • Management of Material Resources

      Managing equipment and materials.

    • Monitoring

      Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.

    • Complex Problem Solving

      Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.

    • Equipment Maintenance

      Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.

    • Coordination

      Changing what is done based on other people's actions.

    • Quality Control Analysis

      Testing how well a product or service works.

    • Negotiation

      Bringing people together to solve differences.

    • Operations Analysis

      Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.

    WorkKeys®

    Applied Math
    4
    Workplace Documents
    4
    Graphic Literacy
    4

    Abilities

    • Peripheral Vision

      Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.

    • Multilimb Coordination

      Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.

    • Rate Control

      Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.

    • Speed of Limb Movement

      Quickly moving your arms and legs.

    • Explosive Strength

      Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.

    • Near Vision

      Seeing details up close.

    • Reaction Time

      Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.

    • Finger Dexterity

      Putting together small parts with your fingers.

    • Static Strength

      Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.

    • Written Comprehension

      Reading and understanding what is written.

    • Written Expression

      Communicating by writing.

    • Fluency of Ideas

      Coming up with lots of ideas.

    • Problem Sensitivity

      Noticing when problems happen.

    • Deductive Reasoning

      Using rules to solve problems.

    • Oral Comprehension

      Listening and understanding what people say.

    • Manual Dexterity

      Holding or moving items with your hands.

    • Sound Localization

      Noticing the direction that a sound came from.

    • Far Vision

      Seeing details that are far away.

    • Response Orientation

      Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.

    • Trunk Strength

      Using your lower back and stomach.

    • Speech Clarity

      Speaking clearly.

    • Glare Sensitivity

      Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.

    • Wrist-Finger Speed

      Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.

    • Dynamic Flexibility

      Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.

    • Gross Body Equilibrium

      Keeping your balance or staying upright.

    • Originality

      Creating new and original ideas.

    • Information Ordering

      Ordering or arranging things.

    • Time Sharing

      Doing two or more things at the same time.

    • Speed of Closure

      Quickly knowing what you are looking at.

    • Hearing Sensitivity

      Telling the difference between sounds.

    • Auditory Attention

      Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.

    • Visual Color Discrimination

      Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.

    • Stamina

      Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.

    • Control Precision

      Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.

    • Oral Expression

      Communicating by speaking.

    • Inductive Reasoning

      Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.

    • Category Flexibility

      Grouping things in different ways.

    • Number Facility

      Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.

    • Perceptual Speed

      Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.

    • Arm-Hand Steadiness

      Keeping your arm or hand steady.

    • Flexibility of Closure

      Seeing hidden patterns.

    • Mathematical Reasoning

      Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.

    • Visualization

      Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.

    • Depth Perception

      Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.

    • Speech Recognition

      Recognizing spoken words.

    • Memorization

      Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.

    • Spatial Orientation

      Knowing where things are around you.

    • Night Vision

      Seeing at night or under low light.

    • Dynamic Strength

      Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.

    • Gross Body Coordination

      Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.

    • Extent Flexibility

      Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.

    • Selective Attention

      Paying attention to something without being distracted.

    Knowledge

    • Mathematics

      Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

    • Psychology

      Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.

    • Geography

      Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.

    • Public Safety and Security

      Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.

    • Law and Government

      Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.

    • Administrative

      Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.

    • Engineering and Technology

      Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.

    • Computers and Electronics

      Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

    • Economics and Accounting

      Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.

    • Food Production

      Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.

    • English Language

      Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.

    • Philosophy and Theology

      Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.

    • Telecommunications

      Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.

    • Communications and Media

      Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.

    • Transportation

      Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.

    • Physics

      Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.

    • Chemistry

      Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.

    • Biology

      Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.

    • Education and Training

      Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

    • Fine Arts

      Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.

    • History and Archeology

      Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.

    • Sales and Marketing

      Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.

    • Production and Processing

      Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.

    • Building and Construction

      Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.

    • Mechanical

      Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.

    • Sociology and Anthropology

      Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.

    • Medicine and Dentistry

      Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.

    • Therapy and Counseling

      Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.

    • Foreign Language

      Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.

    • Personnel and Human Resources

      Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.

    • Administration and Management

      Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

    • Design

      Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.

    • Customer and Personal Service

      Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

    Career Video

    Additional videos and more information available on CareerOneStop

    Pay

    • Ohio Annual Salary 52300/yr
    • Typical Salary
    • Ohio Hourly Wage 25.14/hr
    • Typical Hourly Wage

    Ohio Employment Trends

    • Currently Employed 1,380
    • Yearly Projected Openings 130

    Typical Education

    Personality

    Realistic: People interested in this work like activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions.They do well at jobs that need:
    • Attention to Detail
    • Dependability
    • Cautiousness

    Tools

    • Adjustable wrenches
    • Belt sander
    • Bench vises
    • Blow torch
    • Claw hammer
    • Compasses
    • Desktop computers
    • Dial indicator or dial gauge
    • Drill press or radial drill
    • Forklifts
    • Hacksaw
    • Hand clamps
    • Hand reamer
    • Height gauges
    • Hoists
    • Hydraulic press brake
    • Induction heaters
    • Jacks
    • Ladders
    • Level sensors or transmitters
    • Locking pliers
    • Machine end mill
    • Manual press brake
    • Metal inert gas welding machine
    • Micrometers
    • Milling machines
    • Paint sprayers
    • Personal computers
    • Plasma arc welding machine
    • Positioning jig
    • Power chippers
    • Power grinders
    • Power planes
    • Power riveter
    • Power saws
    • Precision file
    • Protractors
    • Pry bars
    • Punches or nail sets or drifts
    • Rulers
    • Scaffolding
    • Screwdrivers
    • Scribers
    • Shears
    • Sheet metal forming machine
    • Sine bar
    • Sledge hammer
    • Spot welding machine
    • Squares
    • Surface gauge
    • Tape measures
    • Taps
    • Tracer or duplicating or contouring lathe
    • Track bulldozers
    • Track cranes
    • Tungsten inert gas welding machine
    • Turnbuckles
    • Wedges
    • Welder torch

    Technology

    • Computer aided design CAD software
    • Electronic mail software
    • Enterprise resource planning ERP software
    • Office suite software
    • Spreadsheet software
    • Word processing software

    Tags

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