Reinforcing Iron and Rebar Workers
Architecture and ConstructionO*NET 47-2171.00United States
Position and secure steel bars or mesh in concrete forms in order to reinforce concrete. Use a variety of fasteners, rod-bending machines, blowtorches, and hand tools.
- Median annual earnings
- $55,449
- Projected change
- +0.4%
- Typical education
- High school diploma or less
- Employment
- 19.08K jobs
50th percentile, United States
2025 to 2035
70.4% of the workforce
Growing to 19.15K by 2035
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ASU learning related to this career
These courses and certificates are connected through catalog career relationships and Lightcast skill tags.
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The work
What reinforcing iron and rebar workers do
Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.
- Determine quantities, sizes, shapes, and locations of reinforcing rods from blueprints, sketches, or oral instructions.
- Space and fasten together rods in forms according to blueprints, using wire and pliers.
- Position and secure steel bars, rods, cables, or mesh in concrete forms, using fasteners, rod-bending machines, blowtorches, or hand tools.
- Place blocks under rebar to hold the bars off the deck when reinforcing floors.
- Cut rods to required lengths, using metal shears, hacksaws, bar cutters, or acetylene torches.
- Cut and fit wire mesh or fabric, using hooked rods, and position fabric or mesh in concrete to reinforce concrete.
- Bend steel rods with hand tools or rod-bending machines and weld them with arc-welding equipment.
Pay and outlook
What the job pays and where it is heading
Annual earnings range
Reported earnings by percentile, United States
- 10th percentile
- $36,884
- 25th percentile
- $43,249
- 50th percentile
- $55,449
- 75th percentile
- $76,059
- 90th percentile
- $111,975
The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $55,449 and half earn less.
Employment outlook
2025 to 2035 projection
+0.4%average or slower
202519,078 jobs
2035 projected19,149 jobs
71 more positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.
Preparation
Education levels
What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.
- High school diploma or less
- 70.4%
- Certificate
- 29.6%
Skills
Skills employers ask for
Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.
How the work gets done
Core competencies
Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.
- Coordination
- Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Critical Thinking
- Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
- Operation and Control
- Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Monitoring
- Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Time Management
- Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Complex Problem Solving
- Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Operations Monitoring
- Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
- Quality Control Analysis
- Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
- Active Listening
- Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Reading Comprehension
- Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
- Speaking
- Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Social Perceptiveness
- Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Mathematics
- Using mathematics to solve problems.
- Active Learning
- Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- Instructing
- Teaching others how to do something.
- Learning Strategies
- Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
- Systems Analysis
- Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
- Management of Personnel Resources
- Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
- Equipment Selection
- Determining the kind of tools and equipment needed to do a job.
In the market
Job titles and employers
Recent job postings in United StatesCommon job titles
- 01Rebar Fabricators470 postings
- 02Ironworkers300 postings
- 03Rodbusters192 postings
- 04Drivers/Laborers62 postings
- 05Rebar Workers54 postings
- 06Structural Iron and Steel Workerses40 postings
- 07Ironworker Welders30 postings
- 08Journeyman Ironworkers22 postings
- 09Structural Ironworkers18 postings
- 10Ironworker Foremen17 postings
- 11Ironworker Helpers9 postings
- 12Assembler Associates8 postings
- 13Structural Welders8 postings
- 14Construction Workers6 postings
- 15General Labor/Production Workers6 postings
- 16Production Worker Helpers6 postings
- 17Journeyman Welders4 postings
- 18Steel Erectors4 postings
- 19Stick Welders4 postings
- 20Fabricators/Installers3 postings
Top employers
- 01White Cap International88 postings
- 02White Cap Management80 postings
- 03Commercial Metals79 postings
- 04Nucor55 postings
- 05Aerotek49 postings
- 06Tradesmen International38 postings
- 07Bechtel29 postings
- 08Heico Companies18 postings
- 09CRH Americas17 postings
- 10Oldcastle APG15 postings
- 11CRH plc14 postings
- 12Colony Hardware14 postings
- 13Harris Rebar14 postings
- 14Cajun Industries13 postings
- 15ManpowerGroup13 postings
- 16Skillit12 postings
- 17Optimized Process Designs11 postings
- 18Quinlan Enterprises11 postings
- 19Septagon Construction11 postings
- 20Carroll Construction Supply10 postings
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