Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters
Fabricate, position, align, and fit parts of structural metal products.
52,360 people do this job in the US. $51,330 a year.
of the working time. Estimate.
- 5%
- 0%
- 95%
Measured, from Anthropic's usage data (2025). Counts help on part of a task.
On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.
Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 4.4 h long four times in five.
How far this has come
With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this job's working time was within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 0%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 5%. Today's estimate: 5%.
A backcast: today's task data with the best model METR had measured by each date. It shows how fast the models have moved, not what anyone forecast at the time.
The tasks
Sorted by . 23 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 29% | 2.5 h50 min to 1 work day | Stays with people | |
| 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.Done daily by most who do it. | 10% | 1.3 h17 min to 2.5 h | Stays with people | |
| Set up face blocks, jigs, and fixtures.Done daily by most who do it. | 6% | 50 min25 min to 3.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Hammer, chip, and grind workpieces to cut, bend, and straighten metal.Done daily by most who do it. | 6% | 38 min13 min to 1.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Tack-weld fitted parts together.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 5% | 25 min8 min to 1.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Study engineering drawings and blueprints to determine materials requirements and task sequences.Done daily by most who do it. | 5% | 25 min13 min to 1.3 h | 100%Half by now | |
| Align and fit parts according to specifications, using jacks, turnbuckles, wedges, drift pins, pry bars, and hammers.Done daily by most who do it. | 5% | 50 min13 min to 2.1 h | Stays with people | |
| Straighten warped or bent parts, using sledges, hand torches, straightening presses, or bulldozers.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 4% | 1.3 h17 min to 2.5 h | Stays with people | |
| Lay out and examine metal stock or workpieces to be processed to ensure that specifications are met.Done daily by most who do it. | 3% | 25 min8 min to 1.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Move parts into position, manually or with hoists or cranes.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 3% | 17 min8 min to 50 min | Stays with people | |
| Lift or move materials and finished products, using large cranes.Done daily by most who do it. | 3% | 25 min8 min to 50 min | Stays with people | |
| Verify conformance of workpieces to specifications, using squares, rulers, and measuring tapes.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 3% | 13 min4 min to 38 min | Stays with people |
Within reach, per task: the share of the task's time whose instances are short enough for a model to finish at the chosen date, pace and reliability. Half by: the date half of that time comes within reach.
Jobs that share skills with this one
From O*NET's related occupations. Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five.
- Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers4% now, 4% by 2028
- Layout Workers, Metal and Plastic10% now, 13% by 2028
- Sheet Metal Workers11% now, 18% by 2028
- Structural Iron and Steel Workers5% now, 5% by 2028
- Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders11% now, 11% by 2028
- Tool and Die Makers13% now, 35% by 2028
Where this job works
The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025).
- Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (3323 and 3324 only)23,560 people
- Ship and Boat Building5,100 people
- Machinery Manufacturing (3331, 3332, 3334, and 3339 only)2,500 people
- Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (3321, 3322, 3325, 3326, and 3329 only)2,440 people
- Foundation, Structure, and Building Exterior Contractors2,200 people
Where the most of these jobs are
The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025).