Structural Metal Fabricator
Skilled Trades
Fabricate, position, align, and fit parts of structural metal products.
You can enter this career straight after SPM. A degree is optional, not required.
What you'd do all day
The tasks that matter most in this job, most important first.
- 1Verify conformance of workpieces to specifications, using squares, rulers, and measuring tapes.
- 2Study engineering drawings and blueprints to determine materials requirements and task sequences.
- 3Position, align, fit, and weld parts to form complete units or subunits, following blueprints and layout specifications, and using jigs, welding torches, and hand tools.
- 4Lay out and examine metal stock or workpieces to be processed to ensure that specifications are met.
- 5Tack-weld fitted parts together.
- 6Move parts into position, manually or with hoists or cranes.
- 7Set 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.
- 8Mark reference points onto floors or face blocks and transpose them to workpieces, using measuring devices, squares, chalk, and soapstone.
- 9Position or tighten braces, jacks, clamps, ropes, or bolt straps, or bolt parts in position for welding or riveting.
- 10Lift or move materials and finished products, using large cranes.
- 11Set up face blocks, jigs, and fixtures.
- 12Align and fit parts according to specifications, using jacks, turnbuckles, wedges, drift pins, pry bars, and hammers.
- 13Hammer, chip, and grind workpieces to cut, bend, and straighten metal.
- 14Design and construct templates and fixtures, using hand tools.
- 15Locate and mark workpiece bending and cutting lines, allowing for stock thickness, machine and welding shrinkage, and other component specifications.
- 16Direct welders to build up low spots or short pieces with weld.
- 17Remove high spots and cut bevels, using hand files, portable grinders, and cutting torches.
- 18Heat-treat parts, using acetylene torches.
- 19Straighten warped or bent parts, using sledges, hand torches, straightening presses, or bulldozers.
- 20Smooth workpiece edges and fix taps, tubes, and valves.
- 21Erect ladders and scaffolding to fit together large assemblies.
- 22Preheat workpieces to make them malleable, using hand torches or furnaces.
- 23Install boilers, containers, and other structures.
Also known as
What this job is called on JobStreet, LinkedIn and in job ads. Search these too.
- Fitter
- Fabricator
- Layout Man
- Hand Former
- Ship Fitter
- Steelworker
- Weld Fitter
- Metal Framer
- Steel Fitter
- Metal Box Maker
How far is this from you?
Roughly how much preparation this job usually takes. In Malaysia your UPU route and the programme's syarat still decide entry, so treat this as a guide, not a gate.
1
Entry straight after SPM
Typical entry
SPM + sijil / short TVET course
3
Diploma / TVET (sijil–diploma)
4
Degree (ijazah sarjana muda)
5
Postgrad (sarjana / PhD) or professional route
Subjects that matter here
The SPM subjects worth your effort for this career, with the reason for each.
What you'd need to know
The subject areas this job leans on most, and the SPM subjects that build them.
- Mathematics68%
Additional MathematicsMathematics
- Production and Processing66%
Design & Technology (RBT)Mechanical Engineering Studies
- Mechanical66%
Mechanical Engineering StudiesPhysicsDesign & Technology (RBT)
- English Language61%
English
- Administration and Management57%
BusinessEconomics
- Education and Training56%
Tools you'd use
Software and equipment that show up in this job, worth learning early.
What the work feels like
Day-to-day working conditions, so you can tell whether the job suits how you like to work.
- Face-to-face discussionsEvery day
- Contact with other peopleConstant contact
- Dealing with customers or the publicNot at all
- Handling conflict situationsRarely
- Indoors, air-conditionedAlmost never
- Outdoors, in all weatherAlmost never
- Noisy environmentEvery day
- Time spent sittingA little
Where this job is heading
Newer tasks O*NET has flagged for this occupation, a hint at how the role is changing.
- Troubleshoot and repair electrical or mechanical equipment.
AI and demand for this job
A few real, dated data points — not a single score. AI making some tasks faster usually means a job changes, not that it disappears.
Share of everyday tasks today's AI can already help with (2023)
This estimate is from 2023 — already out of date, since AI moves fast. Treat it as a rough, aging starting point, not the current picture.
Pay in Malaysia
We don't have a sourced Malaysian salary range for this job yet, and we'd rather show nothing than a number we can't stand behind.
Where to check:
- JobStreet and Hiredly job ads for this title
- DOSM Salaries & Wages Survey
- SSPA scheme tables, if you're aiming for a government post
Check what you may qualify for
Enter your SPM grades and see which routes and programmes you may qualify for. An estimate to plan with, not an offer.
How to get here
Post-SPM pathways with programmes in this career's fields. Tap one to see real programmes and entry requirements.
Related careers
If this interests you, these are worth a look too.
About this information
This describes what the job involves. Pay, demand and entry routes differ in Malaysia, so check the Pathways and Programmes pages for local requirements.
O*NET occupation: Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters
Job responsibilities, knowledge areas and work context from O*NET 30.3, US Department of Labor, used under CC BY 4.0. onetcenter.org