Industries Where Welding is Used

Welding is essential in making more than half of all U.S. products. ¹ There are potentially many opportunities for students after they graduate welding school.

1. Motor Vehicles

Welding is needed everywhere from the automobile manufacturing line, to the collision repair shop to the racetrack.

• Did you know the average car has 4,000 welds! ²
• A single racecar can take a team of welders 950 hours to fabricate in the shop!

2. Ships

Cruise liners, cargo ships, tankers, and aircraft carriers—welding plays a role in the construction of all of these vessels.

• Welding is much faster than riveting and has been used since World War II.
• Today, welding is be used on shipyards to construct and repair ships.

3. Railroads and Trains

From the train tracks to the rail cars to the locomotives, welding plays an integral role in the railroad industry.

• Iron and wood were used for the earliest rails, but by 1900, steel was the metal of choice.
• Another innovation in the railroad industry was “shotwelding”—thanks to this welding process, the industry deemed stainless steel a “miracle metal.” ³

4. Airplanes

MIG, SMAW, TIG, and orbital welding all have welding applications in the aerospace industry. ⁴

• Today, welding, rivets, bolts, screws, fasteners, adhesives, and special bonding techniques are used to join the airframe and its components. ⁵

5. Theme Parks

If you’d rather spend your vacation racing at over 100 mph through the air on a roller coaster than relaxing on a sandy beach, then you have welding to thank!

• The ten fastest roller coasters in the world are made of steel, and welding plays a major role in their construction. ^{6 7}

6. Infrastructure

Welding is vital to the construction of the houses we live in, the buildings we work in, and the streets, highways, and bridges we drive on.

• Welders help build some of our country’s important infrastructure like the Empire State Building, the Golden Gate Bridge, and the Hoover Dam.
• The construction of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline alone required tens of thousands welders to brave frigid temperatures for three years. ⁸

Welding Applications Everywhere

We may not always notice the work welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers (51-4121) do, but we certainly rely on the products that are created. ⁹ Welding is everywhere. It’s no wonder then that welding has been shaping our world since the time of the ancient Egyptians and Greeks.