Pipe Welder Jobs in Charleston, SC
Weld marine pipe systems to code — carbon steel, stainless, aluminum, copper-nickel.
What pipe welders earn around Charleston
The median, range, and annual figures above are market data — Source: BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics for Charleston-North Charleston, SC Metro Area, via the U.S. Department of Labor's CareerOneStop. Cost of living here runs right around the national average. AMS pays $35–$40/hr plus overtime opportunities.
What a pipe welder does in Charleston
Pipe welders join and repair the piping systems that run through a ship — welding carbon steel, stainless steel, aluminum, and copper-nickel to ASME, AWS, and ABS code. The work is precise: reading isometric drawings, fitting spools, running TIG and stick in every position including 6G, and passing hydro and X-ray testing. It's the craft behind every pipe and structural project AMS delivers.
Around Charleston, pipe welders run from $20.70 at the 10th percentile to $35.52 at the 90th — a $14.82 an hour gap between the bottom and the top of the trade. That gap is what certification and a clean X-ray record are worth here.
Pipe Welders in the Charleston market
Charleston is one of the busiest ship-repair harbors on the East Coast, anchored by Detyens Shipyards at the former Charleston Naval Shipyard on the Cooper River — a major commercial and government repair yard. It's a Southeast market AMS is hiring welders and fitters for right now.
- Detyens Shipyards
Named as public-record market activity — where marine work happens in this area, not a statement of AMS contracts.
- City population
- 152,014
- Median household income
- $90,038
- Average commute
- 24 min
- Cost of living (US = 100)
- 99.105
Source: U.S. Census ACS 5-year · BEA Regional Price Parities. Figures are for Charleston city, South Carolina, not the wider metro area.
Why Charleston needs pipe welders right now
Ship repair generates pipe work by the mile. Every vessel that docks for maintenance brings systems due for renewal — ballast, fuel, fire main, cooling, steam — and the repair spec turns into cut-outs, new spools, and code welds proved by hydro and X-ray before the ship sails. In a commercial-and-government repair harbor like Charleston, that means variety a new-construction yard can't match: a different hull, a different system, a different alloy from one availability to the next. Carbon steel one week, stainless or copper-nickel the next — the welder who can run them all stays busy.
Charleston is a hiring market for AMS right now — the company is bringing pipe welders on here at $35–$40 an hour plus overtime opportunities, the same rate it pays across its Gulf Coast markets. The 2026 Maritime Action Plan treats worker housing and quality-of-life as industrial-capacity issues — a federal acknowledgment of what traveling tradespeople already know: where you sleep matters as much as what you earn. AMS runs travel and per-diem work as standard practice, so working Charleston doesn't require moving to Charleston. Resume optional; apply and test.
If you've welded pipe through repair availabilities — cutting out wasted seawater lines, running TIG root and stick fill in a cramped machinery space, keeping a 6G qualification current across carbon, stainless, and copper-nickel — Charleston's work is squarely in your wheelhouse. New-construction spool welders and industrial-shutdown hands transfer cleanly; the codes and processes don't change. Experienced pipe welders are the hardest hire in marine work, and AMS is hiring in Charleston now at $35–$40 an hour — paying for proven skill instead of re-proving it.
Bring your experience to AMSPipe Welder jobs in Charleston — FAQ
How much do pipe welders make in Charleston, SC?
In the Charleston-North Charleston, SC Metro Area, pipe welders earn a median of about $26.95 per hour — typically $20.70–$35.52 per hour (BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics via the U.S. Department of Labor's CareerOneStop). With local prices at 99.105 against a national 100, that median buys roughly what $27.19 an hour would nationally. AMS pays $35–$40/hr plus overtime opportunities; the rate for a specific role is discussed when you apply.
Does AMS hire pipe welders in Charleston?
AMS recruits pipe welders across the Gulf Coast, including the Charleston market, for marine fabrication and repair work. Apply and tell us your trade, your experience, and whether you can travel.
What do I need to get hired as a pipe welder in Charleston?
For pipe welders, AMS looks first at 6g / all-position and tig & stick. Every role also requires passing a shipyard safety orientation and a drug screen, and a TWIC card is usually needed for yard access at Detyens Shipyards and similar facilities. Bring your certifications — apply and an AMS representative will go over the specifics.
What is the commute like for Charleston yard work?
Workers in Charleston city, South Carolina report an average commute of about 24 minutes (U.S. Census ACS). Yard start times are early, so most crews plan the drive around shift change rather than rush hour. If you would rather travel to the work than commute to it, AMS runs per-diem assignments across the Gulf Coast.
Ready to work as a pipe welder in Charleston?
Tell us your trade and experience — an AMS representative will follow up. Résumé optional.