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Average Structural Welder Salary in United Kingdom for 2026

A structural welder in United Kingdom earns about 16,300 GBP a year. That's 77% below the national average of 69,700 GBP.

Pay ranges widely from country to country and from role to role. The lowest reported salaries in United Kingdom sit around 8,270 GBP a year, while the very top stretches to 26,400 GBP. Everything on this page is in British pound (GBP, symbol £), which lets you compare numbers like-for-like without worrying about exchange rates.

The numbers here are pulled together from official government wage data, large independent salary surveys, and aggregated worker-reported pay. Most reported salaries include the benefits that are common in United Kingdom, such as housing or transport allowances, which is worth keeping in mind if you're comparing against a country where those are usually paid on top.

To turn a gross salary in United Kingdom into a take-home figure, use our United Kingdom salary after tax calculator, which works the latest tax brackets and contributions through the math for you.

How much does a structural welder make in United Kingdom?

Average salary
16,300 GBP
1,358 GBP per month
Lowest reported
8,270 GBP
689 GBP per month
Highest reported
26,400 GBP
2,200 GBP per month

A typical structural welder working in United Kingdom brings home around 1,358 GBP a month before tax. Entry-level pay starts near 8,270 GBP, and the top of the ladder reaches roughly 26,400 GBP for the most experienced and specialised people in the role.

The wide gap between low end and top end reflects how much pay can vary inside the same job title. A junior structural welder working at a small local employer earns very different money from a senior at a multinational. Skills, employer, city and years in the seat all push the number around. For a cross-country comparison, see the structural welder salary in Guernsey or Jersey, both of which pay in the same currency.

How structural welder pay ranges in United Kingdom

A good way to think about salary in United Kingdom is to look at the distribution rather than the headline average. Half of all structural welders in United Kingdom earn less than 17,900 GBP a year, and the other half earn more. That middle number is the median, and it is usually more useful than the average for answering "is my pay normal here".

Looking at the quartiles fills in the picture. A quarter of earners take home less than 12,600 GBP (the 25th percentile), and a quarter clear 25,300 GBP (the 75th percentile). The middle 50% of structural welders sit somewhere inside that band, which is where the typical reader of this page probably lives.

The very lowest reported salaries sit around 8,270 GBP. The highest stretch to 26,400 GBP, though only a small fraction of earners ever reach that level. If you are deciding whether your own offer or current pay is reasonable, work out which of those four bands you would fall into and use that as your reference point.

8,270
Low
17,900
Median
26,400
High
12,600
25th
25,300
75th
The middle 50% sit between the 25th and 75th percentile Tails are the lowest and highest reported All figures in GBP

Structural welder pay by experience in United Kingdom

Years of experience is the single biggest lever on pay for a structural welder in United Kingdom, ahead of education and almost any other single factor. The longer you have been in the role, the more your employer can trust you to handle complexity, mentor others and act independently, all of which command higher pay. The chart below shows how the typical structural welder salary changes as you move through the career ladder.

  • 0-2 Years
    12,400 GBP
  • 2-5 Years
    +22% from previous
    15,100 GBP
  • 5-10 Years
    +34% from previous
    20,200 GBP
  • 10-15 Years
    +13% from previous
    22,800 GBP
  • 15-20 Years
    +16% from previous
    26,400 GBP
  • 20+ Years
    +3% from previous
    27,300 GBP

The single largest jump on the ladder is from 2 - 5 Years to 5 - 10 Years, where pay rises by about 34%. That is the point at which a structural welder typically goes from "competent in the role" to "the person other people in the team learn from", and the market pays well for that step.

Structural welder pay by education in United Kingdom

Education sits alongside experience as one of the biggest factors driving structural welder pay in United Kingdom. Higher qualifications consistently pull higher salaries, but the size of the gap tends to be smallest at junior levels and widens as people move up. Two people in the same role with the same years of experience but different degrees can end up earning very different money once they reach mid-career.

Below is the average structural welder salary in United Kingdom broken down by the highest level of education a worker has completed.

  • High School
    13,300 GBP
  • Certificate or Diploma
    +86% from previous
    24,800 GBP

Structural welder gender pay gap in United Kingdom

The gender pay gap is a stubborn feature of almost every labour market, and United Kingdom is no exception. Male structural welders in United Kingdom earn an average of 17,900 GBP a year, while female structural welders earn around 19,400 GBP. That works out to a 8% gap in favour of women, even when comparing people doing the same work.

A pay gap of this size has a real long-term cost. Over a typical thirty-year career it can add up to several years of pay, and it compounds through pensions, retirement contributions and bonus-linked stock. Some of the gap is explained by women being more likely to work part-time, take career breaks, or be steered toward lower-paying specialisations. Some of it is straightforward unequal pay for the same job, which is harder to defend.

Structural Welder gender pay gap

8%

Men earn this much less than women on average in United Kingdom.

Women 19,400 GBP
Men 17,900 GBP

Pay raises for a structural welder in United Kingdom

Most countries hand out at least some kind of pay raise every year, typically when an employee's contract is reviewed or as a cost-of-living adjustment to keep wages roughly in step with inflation. The rhythm and size of those raises varies hugely between industries.

A typical worker doing this role in United Kingdom sees a raise of about 9% every 16 months, which works out to roughly 7% on an annual basis. That figure is the typical underlying rate; in years where inflation runs high you can usually expect a bit more, and in flat-economy years a bit less.

Across all jobs in United Kingdom, the national average raise is around 9% every 15 months.

By industry

Industries with the highest pay raises in United Kingdom:

  • Banking
  • Energy
  • Information Technology
  • Healthcare
  • Travel
  • Construction
  • Education

By experience level

Experienced workers tend to see larger raises. Retaining a senior is cheaper than replacing them, so employers fight harder for them.

  • Junior Level
    3% - 5%
  • Mid-Career
  • Senior Level
  • Top Management

Structural welder bonus rates in United Kingdom

Bonuses are the other half of total compensation, and they vary a lot between jobs and industries. Some roles are paid almost entirely in base salary; others lean heavily on bonus structures tied to revenue, project completion or company performance. Whether a job pays a bonus, how big it is, and how often it lands all factor into whether the headline salary is actually a good offer.

32%

32% of structural welders in United Kingdom reported a bonus of some kind in the past twelve months. That makes a structural welder a low-bonus role overall, which is useful context when you're weighing up a job offer where the base is below market.

Among those who did receive a bonus, the size of the payment varied substantially. Reported bonuses ranged from 0% to 4% of base salary. The remaining 68% of structural welders reported no bonus at all over the same period.

Which careers pay bonuses in United Kingdom

Revenue-facing roles tend to pay the biggest bonuses. Operational and support roles tend toward smaller, more predictable ones.

  • Finance
  • Architecture
  • Sales
  • Business Development
  • Marketing / Advertising
  • Information Technology
  • Healthcare
  • Insurance
  • Customer Service
  • Human Resources
  • Construction
  • Transport
  • Hospitality

Structural welder: public vs private sector pay

Public-sector pay in United Kingdom is about 7% more than private-sector pay for similar work. The private sector typically offers stronger upside and bigger bonuses; the public sector typically offers better benefits and stability.

Public vs private pay gap

6%

Public-sector workers earn this much more than private-sector workers in United Kingdom on average.

Public sector 72,700 GBP
Private sector 68,200 GBP

Structural welder salary by city and region in United Kingdom

Structural welder pay is not even across United Kingdom. The chart below shows the highest-paying cities and regions in the dataset, followed by the full location table.

  • England
  • Scotland
  • Edinburgh
  • Somerset
  • Manchester
  • Belfast
  • Nottingham
  • Leicester
  • Sheffield
  • Bristol
LocationTypeAverageMedianRange
EnglandRegion35,300 GBP36,600 GBP16,900-52,800 GBP
ScotlandRegion26,600 GBP24,200 GBP12,000-40,000 GBP
EdinburghCity23,000 GBP20,500 GBP12,100-33,200 GBP
SomersetCity23,000 GBP20,200 GBP12,300-32,300 GBP
ManchesterCity22,000 GBP22,000 GBP11,000-30,200 GBP
BelfastCity22,000 GBP19,300 GBP9,420-31,800 GBP
NottinghamCity22,000 GBP19,200 GBP9,900-29,100 GBP
LeicesterCity21,700 GBP18,600 GBP10,300-33,200 GBP
SheffieldCity21,700 GBP20,000 GBP11,300-34,100 GBP
BristolCity21,200 GBP21,400 GBP11,000-33,200 GBP
LondonCity21,200 GBP20,400 GBP10,820-32,900 GBP
LeedsCity21,100 GBP23,400 GBP11,900-35,500 GBP
AberdeenCity20,900 GBP18,600 GBP11,900-28,900 GBP
OxfordCity20,900 GBP18,200 GBP9,470-30,700 GBP
GlasgowCity20,700 GBP21,300 GBP12,400-33,000 GBP
DundeeCity20,300 GBP20,900 GBP9,590-30,100 GBP
YorkCity20,200 GBP20,200 GBP9,250-27,400 GBP
CoventryCity20,200 GBP23,200 GBP9,460-33,600 GBP
BirminghamCity20,000 GBP20,100 GBP9,470-33,200 GBP
PeterboroughCity19,400 GBP20,200 GBP11,000-30,800 GBP
NewcastleCity19,400 GBP19,200 GBP12,400-29,300 GBP
ChesterCity19,400 GBP15,700 GBP10,210-26,900 GBP
CambridgeCity19,300 GBP15,300 GBP8,260-26,900 GBP
ArmaghCity19,200 GBP15,700 GBP11,300-29,600 GBP
BrightonCity19,200 GBP19,100 GBP11,900-29,300 GBP
WolverhamptonCity19,200 GBP21,200 GBP9,840-28,900 GBP
LincolnCity19,200 GBP22,000 GBP9,440-30,700 GBP
SwanseaCity19,100 GBP19,200 GBP9,500-31,300 GBP
SouthamptonCity19,100 GBP17,100 GBP12,200-31,200 GBP
ExeterCity19,100 GBP19,100 GBP9,360-26,200 GBP
TruroCity18,800 GBP19,300 GBP6,430-27,300 GBP
WalesRegion18,800 GBP15,100 GBP10,090-26,600 GBP
PooleCity18,600 GBP18,800 GBP10,560-26,500 GBP
GloucesterCity18,600 GBP16,400 GBP10,380-25,800 GBP
Kingston upon HullCity18,600 GBP20,300 GBP9,500-29,600 GBP
CardiffCity18,600 GBP19,100 GBP11,300-30,000 GBP
SalisburyCity18,400 GBP17,100 GBP8,940-27,400 GBP
CanterburyCity18,400 GBP18,600 GBP9,730-27,300 GBP
LiverpoolCity18,200 GBP19,400 GBP11,000-31,400 GBP
DerbyCity17,900 GBP16,300 GBP7,730-29,600 GBP
PortsmouthCity17,900 GBP18,600 GBP7,310-30,800 GBP
BradfordCity17,800 GBP17,800 GBP8,570-30,700 GBP
WakefieldCity17,500 GBP17,000 GBP10,030-23,600 GBP
DurhamCity17,500 GBP19,400 GBP5,960-27,800 GBP
DerryCity17,100 GBP16,000 GBP8,630-29,600 GBP
PlymouthCity17,100 GBP19,400 GBP7,240-27,300 GBP
NewportCity17,100 GBP18,200 GBP7,660-30,100 GBP
KirkwallCity17,000 GBP15,700 GBP5,770-26,400 GBP
StirlingCity16,900 GBP15,300 GBP9,840-27,300 GBP
Northern IrelandRegion16,900 GBP19,300 GBP8,000-27,100 GBP
BangorCity16,800 GBP18,400 GBP6,810-26,500 GBP
LisburnCity16,800 GBP18,400 GBP8,020-27,400 GBP
InvernessCity16,800 GBP13,500 GBP6,820-25,400 GBP
RiponCity16,400 GBP16,400 GBP9,390-23,600 GBP
St DavidsCity16,400 GBP16,400 GBP6,600-23,600 GBP
StrontianCity16,300 GBP16,300 GBP9,040-24,800 GBP
NorwichCity16,300 GBP17,900 GBP8,270-26,400 GBP
StromnessCity16,300 GBP16,900 GBP6,700-23,700 GBP
WinchesterCity16,100 GBP15,500 GBP7,090-26,500 GBP
NewryCity15,700 GBP16,800 GBP8,050-27,800 GBP
HartlepoolCity15,700 GBP19,300 GBP10,030-26,200 GBP
AbingdonCity15,700 GBP19,200 GBP6,100-27,300 GBP
WellsCity14,200 GBP16,100 GBP7,910-24,800 GBP

Structural Welder in United Kingdom: FAQs

  • How much does a structural welder make per month in United Kingdom?

    A structural welder in United Kingdom earns about 1,358 GBP a month before tax, based on an annual average of 16,300 GBP.

  • What's the salary range for a structural welder in United Kingdom?

    Entry-level structural welders in United Kingdom start near 8,270 GBP. Top-end pay reaches around 26,400 GBP. The middle 50% of earners sit between 12,600 and 25,300 GBP.

  • Is the median structural welder salary in United Kingdom higher or lower than the average?

    The median is 17,900 GBP, higher than the average of 16,300 GBP. Half of structural welders in United Kingdom earn below the median, half earn above it.

  • What's the gender pay gap for structural welders in United Kingdom?

    Men working as a structural welder in United Kingdom earn around 8% less than women on average (17,900 vs 19,400 GBP a year).

  • Do structural welders in United Kingdom get bonuses?

    About 32% of structural welders in United Kingdom reported a bonus in the past 12 months. Reported bonuses ranged from 0% to 4% of base salary.

  • Do structural welders earn more in the public or private sector in United Kingdom?

    In United Kingdom, the public sector pays a structural welder about 7% more on average. Public-sector pay tends to be steadier; private-sector pay tends to offer bigger upside.

  • How often do structural welders in United Kingdom get a pay raise?

    A structural welder in United Kingdom sees a raise of around 9% every 16 months, equivalent to roughly 7% a year.