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Automotive Body and Related Repairers vs Refractory Materials Repairers, Except Brickmasons: what changes?

Consider Automotive Body and Related Repairers if you want to repair and refinish automotive vehicle bodies and straighten vehicle frames. Consider Refractory Materials Repairers, Except Brickmasons if you would rather build or repair equipment such as furnaces, kilns, cupolas, boilers, converters, ladles, soaking pits, and ovens, using refractory materials. Both list high school diploma or equivalent; compare training and prior experience separately.

Try this next: Compare three local entry-level postings for Automotive Body and Related Repairers and Refractory Materials Repairers, Except Brickmasons. List the duties, credentials, prior experience, and paid training each employer actually asks for. Try a supervised class or sample project from each field before choosing a program.

BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 projections. National medians are not starting offers. Occupation size is not a count of vacancies. View the BLS data.

Compare the practical differences
What this means in practice

The facts most likely to affect your decision

Start with earnings, the route into the job, training, available openings, and a day-to-day reality.

Automotive Body and Related Repairers

National median pay (2025)
$54,890
Route into the job
High school diploma or equivalent; More than 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
Prior related experience
No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing
More than 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.
Work to investigate
File, grind, sand, and smooth filled or repaired surfaces, using power tools and hand tools.
Annual openings (2025–2035)
12,600
Know before you choose

The work can involve real occupational hazards. Training, protective equipment, and routine safety discipline matter every day.

See the full Automotive Body and Related Repairers brief

Refractory Materials Repairers, Except Brickmasons

National median pay (2025)
$61,290
Route into the job
High school diploma or equivalent; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
Prior related experience
No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing
More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.
Work to investigate
Reline or repair ladles and pouring spouts with refractory clay, using trowels.
Annual openings (2025–2035)
100
Know before you choose

BLS projects employment to shrink 13.7% from 2025 to 2035. Openings can still occur when existing workers leave.

See the full Refractory Materials Repairers, Except Brickmasons brief
See scores, detailed data, and how the comparison works

How the national numbers differ

1

Automotive Body and Related Repairers has the edge on annual openings

Automotive Body and Related Repairers is at 12,600 annual openings, compared with 100 annual openings for Refractory Materials Repairers, Except Brickmasons.

2

Automotive Body and Related Repairers has the edge on projected growth

Automotive Body and Related Repairers is at 3.7% projected growth, compared with -13.7% projected growth for Refractory Materials Repairers, Except Brickmasons.

3

Refractory Materials Repairers, Except Brickmasons has the edge on median pay

Refractory Materials Repairers, Except Brickmasons is at $61,290, compared with $54,890 for Automotive Body and Related Repairers.

59.6/ 100

Automotive Body and Related Repairers

vs
28.2/ 100

Refractory Materials Repairers, Except Brickmasons

Each available metric is ranked from 0 to 100 against the careers on ChooseField. The weighted average uses this profile: pay 30%, growth 25%, openings 30%, preparation level 15%. Missing values are not scored as zero; their weights are redistributed across available metrics. Occupation size has zero weight: employment is not accessible vacancies. Preparation categories do not measure admission difficulty or years without earnings. The score summarizes national measures; local opportunities and personal fit still need separate consideration.

Detailed evidence

Automotive Body and Related Repairers vs Refractory Materials Repairers, Except Brickmasons

DimensionAutomotive Body and Related RepairersRefractory Materials Repairers, Except Brickmasons
Median pay (2025)$54,890$61,290
Pay percentile39.5 percentile49.9 percentile
Projected growth (2025–2035)3.7%-13.7%
Annual openings (2025–2035)12,600100
2025 employment163,2001,100
How you qualifyHigh school diploma or equivalent; More than 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensingHigh school diploma or equivalent; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
O*NET preparation groupJob Zone 2Job Zone 2
Related work experienceNo prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
On-the-job trainingMore than 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.

The table reports national benchmarks and reviewed work descriptions. It does not rate personal suitability, job security, or physical safety.