Welding trades: salary in the UK
About £29,423 a year after tax (England, Wales and Northern Ireland, 2026/27)
median salary a year, full-time, +1.8% on last year
£2,998 a month About £2,452 a month after tax 35 thousand full-time jobs
Gross pay before tax, including bonuses, commission and overtime. Not included: benefits in kind such as a company car. About the data
Pay range
The dark part is the middle half of full-time employees (25% to 75%); the light bar runs from 10% to 90%. ONS doesn't publish the highest or lowest salary, and x means a figure wasn't published.
Pay by year
The median went from £27,467 in 2021 to £35,977 in 2026 (+31%); for all full-time employees in the UK it changed by +31% over the same years.
Figures by year
| P10 | P25 | Median | P75 | P90 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | £19,441 | £23,247 | £27,467 | £32,150 | x |
| 2022 | £21,281 | £25,652 | £29,856 | £34,973 | x |
| 2023 | £22,832 | £26,694 | £32,125 | £38,693 | x |
| 2024 | £24,592 | £29,706 | £35,142 | £41,468 | x |
| 2025 | £24,963 | £29,686 | £35,354 | £44,145 | x |
| 2026 | £25,874 | £30,040 | £35,977 | £42,630 | x |
ONS figures for each year, not adjusted for inflation. Years before 2021 used a different occupation classification, so they can't be compared. Earlier years are ONS's revised figures; the latest is provisional.
Half of full-time employees in this occupation earn less than £35,977 a year and half earn more. That is 12% less than the median for all full-time employees in the UK (£40,911).
The middle half earn between £30,040 and £42,630; one in ten earns less than £25,874.
Ranked by median, it is number 199 of the 362 occupations with a published figure.
At the median salary, take-home pay after Income Tax and National Insurance is about £2,452 a month in England, Wales or Northern Ireland and £2,450 in Scotland.
Percentiles
| Percentile | Annual | Monthly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th (P10) | £25,874 | £2,156 |
| 20th | £29,569 | £2,464 |
| 25th (P25) | £30,040 | £2,503 |
| 30th | £31,250 | £2,604 |
| 40th | £33,777 | £2,815 |
| Median (50th) | £35,977 | £2,998 |
| 60th | £37,866 | £3,155 |
| 70th | £40,598 | £3,383 |
| 75th (P75) | £42,630 | £3,552 |
| 80th | £44,906 | £3,742 |
| 90th (P90) | x | x |
Men and women
| Median | Mean | Jobs (thousands) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Men | £35,999 | £37,431 | 34 |
| Women | x | £34,106 | x |
Take-home pay at the median
| Where you live | Per year | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| England, Wales, NI | £29,423 | £2,452 |
| Scotland | £29,398 | £2,450 |
After Income Tax and National Insurance for 2026 to 2027, with the standard tax code and no pension or student loan. Work out your own take-home pay · Take-home pay on £36,000
Job titles in this occupation
ONS codes these 52 job titles to SOC 5213 Welding trades. Pay figures are for the whole occupation, not for each title.
- Acetylene burner
- Acetylene cutter
- Arc welder
- Blacksmith welder
- Brazer
- Brazier
- Brazing machinist
- Burner
- Case solderer and jointer
- Chain jointer
- Chain welder
- Chassis builder
- Co2 welder
- Coded welder
- Cutter
- Deseamer
- Deseaming operator
- Electric welder
- Engineer
- Fabrication welder
- Fabricator welder
- Fabricator-welder
- Fitter-welder
- Flame cutter
- Flame dresser
- Gas burner
- Gas cutter
- Lead burner
- Maintenance welder
- Mig welder
- Oxy-acetylene burner
- Oxy-acetylene cutter
- Pipe welder
- Profile burner
- Scarfer
- Scrap burner
- Scrap cutter
- Scrap metal cutter
- Solderer
- Soldering machinist
- Spot welder
- Steel cutter
- Sweater
- Thermic lancer
- Welder
- Welder and cutter
- Welder's assistant
- Welder-fabricator
- Welder-fitter
- Welding engineer
- Welding plant attendant
- Welding technician
Similar occupations
All jobs in Skilled trades occupations
Source: ONS, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings 2026 provisional, Table 14.7a (full-time employees, gross annual pay, UK, tax year ending 5 April 2026). Provisional figures may be revised.