SIC 7692 Welding Repair

SIC 7692

This classification covers businesses that primarily do general repair work by welding, including automotive welding.

NAICS CODE(S)

811490

Other Personal and Household Goods Repair and Maintenance

Welding joins materials by applying heat, and sometimes pressure, with or without the use of a filler metal. The process joins metals by melting, fusing, and then solidifying the joined area. Welding is used to fuse structural components for aircraft, cars, ships, and most other metal industrial products. Industry firms perform general repairs in their own shops on welded items, such as motor vehicles. Welders that travel to construction sites are represented in SIC 1799: Construction, Industry.

There are numerous welding techniques used for different applications. One of the most common is shielded metal-arc welding, which uses an electric arc to quickly weld a point. Cold welding, a more specialized technique, uses pressure alone to join metals without any heat. Explosion welding uses a controlled blast to pressure two metals. Other welding techniques include diffusion, which uses heat and pressure; laser-beam; ultrasonic, which utilizes high-frequency vibration; and variations of electric arc welding.

Massive U.S. industrial expansion during the twentieth century was joined with an identifiable welding repair industry. The boom in post-World War II car and truck sales created further demand for welding repair shops. By the end of the 1970s, welding repair revenues approached $1 billion and industry jobs surpassed 24,000. Although U.S. industrial output, particularly for cars, rose during the 1980s, inflation-adjusted welding repair revenues stagnated. The development of new welding techniques, which increased durability, was one reason for a decline in repair work. Increased use of synthetic metal substitutes also reduced demand for welding repairs.

The majority of welders work in the manufacturing industry. Welding repair is generally one of the functions of those workers, while welders in other industries perform specialized functions, largely in automobile repair, or offer general services. Welders...