Trade · ONET 47-2011.00
Boilermaker
Builds, installs, and repairs boilers, pressure vessels, and large tanks.
What the work looks like
Boilermakers work on the large high-pressure vessels that run power plants, refineries, chemical plants, and paper mills. Shop fabrication means rolling and welding steel plate into vessels; field work means installing, inspecting, repairing, and retubing boilers during plant outages. Turnaround shifts routinely run 12 hours, seven days a week, until the unit is back online.
Physical demands
- Working in extreme heat inside boilers
- Sustained overhead welding
- Confined-space entry (air monitoring required)
- Working at height on scaffold inside firebox
- Travel-heavy for turnarounds
Common tools
- Stick and flux-core welding machines
- Rigging gear for tube bundles and plate
- Tube expanders and roll tools
- NDT equipment (ultrasonic, magnetic particle)
- Torque multipliers for flange bolts
- Oxy-fuel cutting torch
Union and non-union paths
The International Brotherhood of Boilermakers represents the vast majority of field boilermakers. Its apprenticeship is a four-year joint program. Non-union boilermaker work exists primarily in fabrication shops rather than field service.
How to enter
Entry to the Boilermakers apprenticeship is typically through local lodges with structured exams and interviews. The apprenticeship covers welding certification to ASME Section IX, rigging, and boiler-specific skills. Prior welding experience helps but is not required.
Specialty paths in this trade
Most states license one boilermaker classification, but the work splits into distinct paths with different schedules, tools, and wage schedules. Read before choosing a program.
Construction Boilermaker
New-build erection of utility boilers, heat-recovery steam generators (HRSGs), and large pressure vessels at power plants and industrial sites. Work ships in modules or loose components and gets welded up on site.
Typical scope
- Setting drums, headers, and waterwall panels with cranes and rigging
- Field welding tube-to-tube and tube-to-header joints to ASME Section I
- Pressure testing and hydrotest support
- Working off scaffold inside fireboxes during erection
Entry: International Brotherhood of Boilermakers (IBB) registered apprenticeship, typically 4 years under DOL standards. Dispatched through the local lodge referral hall to signatory contractors.
Wage note: IBB construction wage schedules are set by local lodge collective bargaining agreement and commonly include travel pay and subsistence on jobs outside the home local. Ask the hall for the current schedule in writing.
Field Construction / Maintenance
Outage, turnaround, and maintenance work on existing boilers, vessels, and tanks. The bulk of steady field-side boilermaker hours in most regions sits here, not in new construction.
Typical scope
- Tube replacement and retubing during scheduled outages
- Refractory removal and repair inside fireboxes
- Flange work, manway gasket replacement, and code repairs
- Confined-space entry under permit with air monitoring
Entry: Same IBB apprenticeship as construction boilermakers; maintenance dispatch runs through the same hall. Outage crews often travel from lodge to lodge following the turnaround calendar.
Wage note: Turnaround shifts commonly run 12 hours, 7 days until the unit is back online; overtime and shift differentials can make a short outage a large share of annual earnings. Schedules vary by contract.
Shop Boilermaker (Tanks / Pressure Vessels)
Shop fabrication of ASME-code pressure vessels, heat exchangers, and large tanks. Plate is rolled, fit, welded, and tested under an ASME "U" or "S" stamp shop program.
Typical scope
- Plate rolling, fit-up, and subarc/flux-core welding of shells and heads
- Nozzle and manway welding to ASME Section VIII
- Radiographic and ultrasonic test support
- Stress-relief and post-weld heat treatment coordination
Entry: Entry varies: some shops hire through IBB lodge referral, others run open-shop with internal weld qualification. Prior structural or pipe welding experience helps. ASME Section IX WPQ required to weld code joints.
Wage note: Shop wage schedules are typically hourly with less travel than field work. Pay often sits below field-construction scale but the schedule is more predictable and local.
Repair & Alteration (NBIC "R" Stamp)
In-service repair and alteration of ASME-stamped pressure equipment under the National Board Inspection Code. Requires affiliation with a shop or contractor holding a National Board "R" Certificate of Authorization.
Typical scope
- Code repairs to boilers and pressure vessels supervised by an Authorized Inspector
- Weld repairs under approved procedures with pre- and post-weld heat treatment
- Documentation packages (R-1 report forms) for each repair
- Coordination with jurisdictional boiler inspectors
Entry: Journey-level boilermaker or welder working under a contractor or shop that holds the National Board "R" stamp. The stamp is held by the firm, not the individual; the welder must be qualified to the firm's approved procedures.
Wage note: Repair and alteration work is commonly dispatched through the same IBB maintenance channel as outages. Wage sits at local construction scale in most regions. Source: National Board of Boiler and Pressure Vessel Inspectors, https://www.nationalboard.org/.
Residential, commercial, industrial
Boilermakers do not do residential work. The trade is industrial by definition: power plants, refineries, chemical and petrochemical plants, paper mills, and fabrication shops. The useful split is New Construction vs Outage/Turnaround vs Shop Fab.
Certifications that unlock premium work
Credentials beyond the state license. Each one opens a specific segment of work where the qualified pool is smaller.
ASME Section IX Welder Performance Qualification (WPQ) ↗
ASME Section IX is the base code for welder qualification on boilers and pressure vessels. A current WPQ to the process and position used on the job is required before laying code weld on ASME-stamped equipment. Most contractors re-qualify welders on hire.
Issuer: American Society of Mechanical Engineers (qualification administered by the employer or a third-party test lab)
AWS D1.1 Structural Welding ↗
AWS D1.1 is the structural steel welding code. Boilermakers working on structural supports, stacks, and non-pressure structural welds are commonly asked to carry a current D1.1 qualification alongside their Section IX WPQ.
Issuer: American Welding Society
API 1104 Pipeline Welding ↗
API 1104 covers welding of pipelines and related facilities. Relevant for boilermakers who cross over onto refinery, midstream, and process-piping contracts where pipeline-code welds are in scope.
Issuer: American Petroleum Institute
NBIC "R" Stamp Shop Affiliation ↗
The National Board Inspection Code "R" Certificate of Authorization is held by the shop or contractor, not the individual. Working for an R-stamp holder is a common path into code repair and alteration work; the welder qualifies under the holder's approved procedures.
Issuer: National Board of Boiler and Pressure Vessel Inspectors
OSHA 30 Construction ↗
A 30-hour OSHA outreach card is commonly required before site access on refinery, power, and large industrial projects. Many owner pre-qualification packets list OSHA 30 as a minimum for craft workers.
Issuer: OSHA-authorized outreach trainers
Confined Space Competent Person ↗
Boilermaker work routinely involves permit-required confined-space entry inside fireboxes, drums, and vessels. A Competent Person credential is commonly requested for crew leads and foremen running entry permits under 29 CFR 1926 Subpart AA.
Issuer: OSHA-aligned training providers
Tool and equipment investment
Apprentice, year 1
Typically a few hundred dollars for a welding hood, gloves, striker, chipping hammer, wire brush, and basic hand tools the program or hall does not supply. Most field rigging and welding machines are supplied by the contractor.
Journey level
Personal rigging kit (slings, shackles, tag lines), a torch set, and a curated hand-tool roll accumulate over years. Most heavy gear, welding machines, and NDT equipment stays contractor- or shop-owned.
Going independent
Field boilermakers mostly stay W-2 with a travel rig rather than going independent; the capital, code authorizations (ASME "S" / "U", National Board "R"), and Authorized Inspector relationships needed to run code work sit at the firm level, not the individual level.
Field hands often work pay-per-hour as travelers through the IBB referral hall, with travel and subsistence on top of base scale when dispatched outside the home local. Hands who stay home on a signatory-local base give up travel pay but gain schedule stability. Shop-supplied tools and gear vary by contractor; ask during dispatch which items come out of your pocket.
Wages
National median
$73,340
annual, all workers
National mean
$76,900
annual, all workers
By pilot state
BLS OOH tracks boilermakers. Demand is closely tied to power generation, refinery, and heavy industrial turnaround cycles.
BLS OES reports wages for Boilermakers under SOC 47-2011. Statewide medians and means blend shop fabrication, field construction, and maintenance into a single figure, so the posted number does not separate travel hands from shop hands. Field construction wages on turnaround and new-build work commonly include a travel-pay and subsistence component on top of base hourly scale when the hand is dispatched outside the home local; that component does not always appear in OES wage estimates. Check the BLS OES metropolitan tables for your target area and ask the IBB local hall for current agreement rates before relocating. Source: BLS OES 47-2011, https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes472011.htm.