Guide · Processes

What is pipe welding

Wide factory-floor shot of technicians welding the large cylindrical tank dome of the Artemis III core stage — Welding the Artemis III core-stage tank dome at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility. Photo by Michael DeMocker, NASA MAF, 2022-07-27. Public domain (illustrative only).

What is pipe welding?

Pipe welding is a specialization within welding focused on joining pipe rather than flat plate or structural shapes. It shows up across oil and gas work, plumbing and mechanical systems, and power generation, wherever a facility moves liquid or gas through welded pipe joints.

Pipe welds often carry pressure or hazardous contents, so inspection tends to be closer than on non-pressure plate work. That is one more reason employers test and qualify pipe welding separately from general plate welding rather than treating a plate qualification as sufficient on its own.

Why pipe welding tests differently than plate welding

Pipe is round and often fixed in place, so a single weld around a pipe's circumference can pass through flat, vertical, and overhead orientations without the welder ever repositioning the pipe. Qualification testing reflects that: pipe welders commonly test in fixed positions such as 5G and 6G, in addition to the flat, horizontal, vertical, and overhead positions covered in our welding positions guide, positions that combine multiple orientations into one continuous weld. Passing a plate-only qualification does not automatically qualify a welder for pipe work; pipe positions are tested and documented on their own.

Fixed-position testing exists because a piping system is rarely built with the option to rotate a pipe into a more convenient position once it is set in place. A welder has to produce a sound weld regardless of where a given section of the joint falls around the pipe's circumference, not just at the easiest angle to reach.

Which industries hire pipe welders

Oil and gas is the industry most often associated with pipe welding, covering both pipeline construction and refinery or processing-plant piping. Plumbing and mechanical contractors hire pipe welders for water, steam, and process piping in commercial and industrial buildings. Power generation facilities, including plants running high-pressure steam or process piping, also hire pipe welders for both new construction and ongoing maintenance. BLS tracks the broader welding occupation across these and other sectors without breaking out a pipe-welding-specific count by industry.

Where pipe welding connects to code qualification

Pipe welding ties into the same code-qualification system covered in our certification taxonomy. The AWS D1.1 structural welding code is the code most directly referenced for structural qualification testing, and a welder is typically qualified to pipe work through an employer-administered test to a specific code and position, not through a certification AWS issues to the individual the way it issues AWS Certified Welder. See the D1.1 certification page for what that qualification covers.

Getting trained for pipe welding

Pipe welding builds on standard welding training rather than replacing it. Most welders learn plate welding fundamentals first, then move into pipe-specific coursework or on-the-job pipe qualification once they have a base skill level in at least one process. Not every welding program teaches pipe welding to the same depth, so checking a program's listed curriculum before enrolling matters if pipe work is the specific goal. Our national program directory covers 938 welding programs across all 50 states, with program-level detail on what each one teaches.

What pipe welders earn

BLS does not publish a separate wage figure for pipe welders. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a median annual wage of $53,750 (BLS OEWS, May 2025) for the broader Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers occupation, and that is the only current BLS-sourced figure available; no separately published BLS figure exists for pipe welding as its own specialization.

Pipe welding is often described anecdotally, outside BLS data, as commanding higher pay than general welding work because of its higher skill and certification bar. No specific dollar premium is published by BLS or documented in our own data, so treat that claim as industry conversation, not a sourced figure. For a fuller wage breakdown tied to pipeline work specifically, see our pipeline welder salary article.

FAQ

What is pipe welding?

Pipe welding is a specialization focused on welding pipe joints instead of flat plate or structural shapes, common in oil and gas, plumbing and mechanical systems, and power generation.

What positions do pipe welders test in?

Pipe welders commonly test in fixed positions such as 5G and 6G, in addition to the standard flat, horizontal, vertical, and overhead positions used across welding qualification generally.

How much do pipe welders make?

BLS does not publish a pipe-welding-specific wage. The broader welding occupation it falls under reports a median annual wage of $53,750 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). No separately published BLS figure exists for pipe welding as its own category.

What certification do pipe welders need?

Pipe welders are typically qualified through an employer-administered test to a specific code and position, such as the AWS D1.1 structural welding code, rather than through a single AWS-issued personal certification.

Do pipe welders need plate welding experience first?

Typically yes. Most pipe welders build plate welding fundamentals first, then move into pipe-specific training or on-the-job qualification, since pipe welding adds fixed-position and inspection demands on top of core welding skill.

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