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Job Description

Overview

Pipe Welders are responsible for assembling, maintaining, and installing structural units and piping systems, requiring skills in various welding operations and the ability to read technical drawings.

Responsibilities

  • Read and understand drawings, sketches, welding symbols, specifications, and instructions.
  • Set up and operate metal arc welding equipment for GMAW, GTAW, and SMAW operations.
  • Set current, gas pressures, and regulate pressure controls.
  • Select rod, wire, tips, and electrodes for specific operations.
  • Fit and position parts according to drawing specifications and secure holding devices.
  • Ensure proper penetration and fusion while avoiding metal distortion.
  • Assist other employees in fitting and positioning parts.
  • Assemble threaded piping systems from ½" up to 2" in carbon steel or stainless steel.
  • Bend stainless tubing and assemble compression fittings for projects.
  • Fabricate small structures like piping supports or pump support stands.
  • Generate material lists to meet project requirements.
  • Maintain equipment and work area in a clean condition.
  • Contribute to team efforts by accomplishing related results.
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How this job compares in Hampton, VA

Pay in context

This employer didn't publish a rate. For reference, pipe welder jobs across Virginia currently run a median of $32/hr in our index, with the middle half of them falling between $29–$41/hr across 11 postings with published pay. That median is a reasonable floor to anchor on when a recruiter asks what you're looking for.

The local market in Hampton, VA

Hampton, VA is a small market in our index: 2 other active welding openings alongside this one, from 2 employers. Across Virginia as a whole we're tracking 171 other active welding openings from 117 employers. With this few local postings, most welders here end up either commuting or looking at travel work. Browse welding jobs across Virginia.

The most active employers in Virginia at the moment, by number of open welding reqs, are HII (6), Colonna's Shipyard (6), and Mission Technologies, a division of HII (5). Volume like that usually means either a genuine expansion or a staffing agency working several client sites — worth knowing which before you apply.

Within Virginia, the best-paying metros we track by median hourly rate are Newport News at $41/hr, Portsmouth at $37/hr, and Norfolk at $32/hr. If you can relocate or commute, that spread is worth factoring in.

What you'll be running

This posting calls for MIG, TIG, and Stick work. MIG (GMAW) feeds a continuous wire electrode through a shielding-gas nozzle. It lays down metal fast and is forgiving on clean material, which is why it dominates production and light fabrication work. TIG (GTAW) uses a non-consumable tungsten electrode with filler added by hand, giving the operator the most control of any process. It is slow, demanding, and the standard for stainless, aluminum, and anything where the bead has to look as good as it holds.

See all pipe welder openings if you want to compare this against similar roles.

Similar openings near Hampton, VA

Pay figures are medians computed from live postings in the Welding Pros index, not from survey data, and they move as employers post. Pipe Welder figures were last recalculated when this page was built.