How to Become an Ironworker: Certification, Licensing & Pay
Ironworkers erect and reinforce the structural steel and rebar that form the skeletons of buildings, bridges, and other large structures — hoisting, connecting, and welding steel beams and columns, and placing and tying reinforcing bar in concrete. The Bureau of Labor Statistics tracks the trade as "structural iron and steel workers." Like electricians and plumbers, most ironworkers train through a paid apprenticeship rather than a four-year degree.
Apprenticeship Path
Most ironworkers train through a 3- to 4-year apprenticeship sponsored by a union — most commonly the International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Iron Workers — a contractor association, or an employer. Apprentices combine paid on-the-job training with technical instruction in rigging, blueprint reading, structural welding, and fall-protection safety; given the height and rigging risks involved, OSHA construction safety training (typically the 10-hour or 30-hour course) is commonly required before or shortly after hire.
Certification & Licensing
Most states don't license individual ironworkers — a completed apprenticeship earns a journey-level card from the sponsoring union or program rather than a government license. Ironworkers who do structural welding as part of the job often need a welding certification tied to the specific process and code involved, most commonly through the American Welding Society, on top of their trade training.
Whether a welding certification is required for a specific job, and what a contractor's license takes to obtain, varies by employer, project, and state — verify current requirements with your state's contractor licensing board and the job's welding code before you rely on them.
Ironworker Pay
The median ironworker in the US earned $62,780 per year as of May 2025 — the middle 80% earned between $44,580 and $108,260.
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Structural Iron and Steel Workers (SOC 47-2221), May 2025.
OEWS is published once a year, not continuously — "May 2025" is BLS's label for that annual release, not a live figure. See methodology.
Job Outlook
The BLS projects employment of ironworkers to grow 4% from 2024–34, about as fast as the average for all occupations, with about 7,000 openings projected each year on average (most from workers transferring to other occupations or retiring, not net-new growth alone).
Source: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, Ironworkers, 2024–34 projections.
Keep Exploring
Sources & Last Updated
Pay: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Structural Iron and Steel Workers (SOC 47-2221), May 2025.
Job outlook: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, Ironworkers, 2024–34 projections.
Certification: AWS Certified Welder Program.
Licensing and apprenticeship requirements vary by state — start with the U.S. Department of Labor's occupational license finder or apprenticeship.gov.
Full source list: methodology.
Last updated: May 2025.