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Metal Fabricator salary in Australia
The median full-time salary for a metal fabricator is $87,800 per annum, before tax, up $18,500 since 2018.
- Fabricators are usually paid under the award or enterprise agreement that covers their employer, so a general manufacturing workshop and a mine site can pay different rates for the same qualification.
- Overtime, shift rosters and site allowances lift earnings, and coded welding qualifications for pressure or structural work normally attract a premium.
- Remote and fly-in fly-out roles generally pay more to compensate for the roster and the travel.
The median salary rose by $18,500 between 2018 and 2024; the dashed line shows a projection to 2028 based on the real ABS Wage Price Index growth rate, not a role-specific forecast.
Roles that pay more than metal fabricator
The largest typical pay rise is $47,700 a year, moving into Metal Machinist.
- Metal Machinist+$47,700/yr
- Pressure Welder+$8,400/yr
- Fitter+$3,200/yr
How to negotiate a higher metal fabricator salary
- Know the market rate before you ask. The median full-time metal fabricator salary is $87,800; use that, not a guess, as your anchor, and adjust for your experience and employer.
- Use demand as leverage. Metal Fabricators are on the national skills shortage list, so employers are more likely to move on price to keep or attract someone in a role they're struggling to fill.
- Lead with what's scarce, not just tenure. Skills like Reading plans and specifications and Hand and power tool work tend to command a premium over general metal fabricator experience, name them specifically when you ask.
- Bring a real alternative to the table. Metal Machinist pays a typical $47,700 a year more and draws on similar skills, even mentioning you're weighing it up is a legitimate data point in a pay conversation.
- Time it deliberately. Reviews, the end of a project you delivered, or taking on responsibility beyond your job description are stronger moments to ask than an arbitrary date on the calendar.
- Ask for a number, not a raise. "Based on the market rate and [specific contribution], I'd like to move to X" gets a clearer answer than "I think I deserve more."
Metal Fabricator salary questions
How much do metal fabricators earn in Australia?
The median full-time salary for a metal fabricator is $87,800 a year before tax. Seniority, specialisation, sector and the award or agreement you're employed under all move it.
Is metal fabricator pay rising or falling?
The median metal fabricator salary is up $18,500 since 2018. Figures from 2025 onward on this page are a projection, not a measured result.
What pays more than metal fabricator?
Metal Machinist pays a typical $47,700 a year more and draws on similar skills to metal fabricator.
Related salaries
- Metal Machinist salary
- Pressure Welder salary
- Sheet Metal Worker salary
- Site Supervisor salary
- Fitter salary
- Metal Trades Assistant salary
Pay advice
- How to ask for a pay rise, and back it up with real numbersWhat national wage growth looks like right now, how to work out a figure for your own role, wording you can adapt for the conversation, and what to do if the answer is no.
- The average salary in Australia (2026)Full-time adults in Australia averaged $2,083.70 a week in May 2026. Several measures get called the average salary, and this explains which one fits your situation.
- Overtime pay, time in lieu and what your award saysOvertime rates come from your award or agreement, not one national rule. How rates work, what happens on a salary, and how time off in lieu works.