Boilermakers and welders are among the highest-paid tradespeople in Western Australia. With the state’s massive mining, oil and gas, and industrial sectors requiring constant fabrication and maintenance work, qualified boilermakers and coded welders are in strong demand across Perth and FIFO.
Here’s your complete guide to boilermaker and welder jobs in Perth.
What’s the Difference Between a Boilermaker and a Welder?
Boilermaker
A boilermaker is a qualified tradesperson who fabricates, assembles, installs, and repairs metal structures and products — pressure vessels, tanks, boilers, structural steel, piping, and heavy equipment. Boilermakers read engineering drawings, cut and shape metal, and weld components together.
A boilermaker holds a Certificate III in Engineering — Fabrication Trade (MEM30319 or equivalent) and is trained across welding, fabrication, fitting, and assembly.
Welder
A welder specialises specifically in joining metals using various welding processes. While boilermakers weld as part of their broader skill set, some workers are employed specifically as welders — particularly coded welders who hold procedure qualifications for critical welding on pressure equipment, structural steel, and piping.
In practice, many job advertisements use “boilermaker” and “welder” interchangeably, though a boilermaker’s scope is broader.
How to Become a Boilermaker in Perth
Apprenticeship
A boilermaking apprenticeship takes 3 to 4 years and leads to a Certificate III in Engineering — Fabrication Trade. You’ll learn:
- MIG, TIG, and stick welding
- Oxy-acetylene cutting and gouging
- Reading and interpreting engineering drawings
- Marking out, cutting, and shaping metal
- Fitting and assembling metal components
- Using hand and power tools, presses, rollers, and guillotines
- Work health and safety in metalworking
Apprenticeships are available through engineering and fabrication workshops, mining maintenance companies, and structural steel fabricators across Perth.
Getting Coded
After your apprenticeship, getting welding procedure qualifications (codes) is essential for the highest-paying work. Common codes include:
- AS/NZS 1554.1: Structural steel welding
- AS/NZS 3992: Welding of pressure equipment (essential for shutdown and mining work)
- Specific process codes: GTAW (TIG), SMAW (stick), GMAW (MIG), FCAW (flux-cored) on various materials (carbon steel, stainless steel, chrome-moly, duplex)
Getting coded costs $500 to $2,000 per procedure and requires passing a supervised weld test, with the welded sample inspected by a testing laboratory. Codes need regular revalidation (typically every 6 to 12 months of active welding in that process).
Boilermaker and Welder Salary in Perth
Perth Metro
- Workshop fabricator: $70,000 to $90,000
- Structural steel boilermaker: $75,000 to $95,000
- Site boilermaker (commercial/industrial): $80,000 to $110,000
- Coded welder (metro maintenance): $85,000 to $110,000
- Pipe welder/fabricator: $85,000 to $115,000
FIFO and Mining
- Mine site boilermaker: $110,000 to $150,000
- Shutdown boilermaker/welder: $130,000 to $180,000+ (including overtime and penalties)
- Oil and gas welder: $130,000 to $180,000
- Pipeline welder: $120,000 to $170,000
Subcontractor Rates
Self-employed boilermakers and welders in Perth charge $55 to $100+ per hour, with coded welders on pressure equipment commanding the highest rates.
Types of Boilermaker and Welder Jobs in Perth
Workshop Fabrication
Working in a fabrication workshop — cutting, rolling, pressing, welding, and assembling structural steel, pipework, tanks, and custom metalwork. Perth’s industrial areas (Kewdale, Welshpool, Malaga, Wangara, Henderson) have dozens of fabrication workshops.
Structural Steel Erection
Assembling and welding structural steel frameworks for commercial buildings, industrial facilities, and infrastructure projects. This is site-based work, often at height, and requires working at heights and rigging tickets.
Mining Maintenance
Maintaining heavy plant, conveyors, crushers, chutes, and structural components on mine sites. Boilermakers working in mining maintenance need to be versatile — cutting, gouging, welding, and fabricating in the field.
Shutdown and Turnaround
Intensive maintenance work during planned outages at processing plants, refineries, and mine sites. Shutdown work is the highest-paying category, with premium rates for overtime, penalties, and coded work on pressure equipment.
Oil and Gas
Fabrication and maintenance of piping, pressure vessels, and structural components for oil and gas facilities. Work is concentrated in the Pilbara (Karratha, Dampier, Barrow Island) and pays top rates.
Pipe Welding
Specialist welding of process piping — carbon steel, stainless steel, chrome-moly, and exotic alloys. Pipe welders with TIG root and stick fill codes are among the highest-paid welders in WA.
Marine and Shipbuilding
Henderson’s marine precinct and the AUKUS submarine program generate demand for boilermakers and welders with experience in naval architecture and marine fabrication.
General Engineering and Maintenance
Ongoing fabrication and repair work across Perth’s industrial and commercial sectors — handrails, platforms, guards, brackets, and general metalwork.
Key Tickets and Qualifications
Beyond your trade certificate, boilermakers and welders should hold:
- Welding procedure qualifications (codes) — the more processes and materials you’re coded for, the more opportunities you have
- White card — mandatory for all construction site work
- Working at heights — essential for structural steel and site work
- Confined space — required for work inside vessels, tanks, and pipelines
- EWP — for working on elevated platforms during fabrication and installation
- First aid — expected by most employers
- Forklift licence — useful in workshop environments
- Rigging ticket — valuable for structural steel erection
- Overhead crane licence — common requirement in fabrication workshops
Where Are the Best Boilermaker Jobs in Perth?
Henderson and Kwinana
Perth’s industrial heartland. Henderson’s marine precinct, fabrication yards, and the AUKUS submarine program are major employers. Kwinana’s industrial strip generates constant maintenance and shutdown work.
Welshpool, Kewdale, and Malaga
Perth’s main industrial areas with dozens of fabrication workshops, engineering companies, and maintenance contractors.
FIFO — Pilbara and Goldfields
Iron ore, gold, and LNG operations across remote WA need boilermakers for ongoing maintenance and shutdowns. These are the highest-paying roles.
Commercial Construction Sites
Structural steel erection on commercial buildings, shopping centres, warehouses, and industrial facilities across Perth metro.
Getting Hired
Build Your Coding Portfolio
The more welding procedures you’re coded for, the more doors open. Prioritise getting AS/NZS 3992 (pressure equipment) and AS/NZS 1554.1 (structural) codes. Add TIG and multi-process capabilities to stand out.
Maintain Your Codes
Codes lapse if you haven’t welded in that process for the qualifying period. Keep your codes active through regular use and timely revalidation.
Register With Perth Trades Recruitment
Perth Trades Recruitment places boilermakers and welders in workshop, site, maintenance, shutdown, and FIFO roles across Perth and WA. We work with fabricators, contractors, and mining companies who are actively hiring.
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Contact Perth Trades Recruitment to find boilermaker and welder jobs in Perth today.