Mechanical construction pay guide
This guide shows what moves you from one pay band to the next in commercial HVAC, plumbing, piping and controls. We don't publish salary figures. Pay depends on the employer, the market and your experience, and your recruiter will go over real numbers for a specific opening. For union scale, see the union directory. Every rate there comes from a source. Sheet metal workers in New York can see SMART Local 137 pay and Local 137 rates from the hall's own wage sheet. Electricians can compare IBEW Local 134 pay (Chicago), IBEW Local 456 pay (New Brunswick), IBEW Local 58 pay (Detroit) and IBEW Local 6 pay (San Francisco).
Field service
HVAC Service Technician
| Band | What the role looks like |
|---|---|
| Entry | EPA 608 Universal, residential or light commercial RTUs, works under a lead tech. |
| Mid | Runs commercial calls alone: split systems, RTUs, VRF startups, basic DDC troubleshooting. |
| Senior | Chillers, boilers and cooling towers, leads PM contracts, mentors junior techs. |
What moves pay
- Chiller and centrifugal experience
- On-call and overtime structure
- Truck, fuel card and tools
- Metro cost of living
Building automation
Controls / BAS Technician
| Band | What the role looks like |
|---|---|
| Entry | Terminations, point-to-point checkout, panel wiring. |
| Mid | Programs and commissions DDC on BACnet/IP and MS/TP, front-end graphics. |
| Senior | Full system design and integration, multi-vendor platforms, owner-facing commissioning. |
What moves pay
- Platform certifications (Niagara, vendor-specific)
- Programming vs. install-only scope
- Integration and IT/OT skills
Project management
Mechanical Project Manager
| Band | What the role looks like |
|---|---|
| Assistant / PE | Submittals, RFIs, buyout support, Procore administration. |
| PM | Owns the P&L, schedule and change orders on hospital, lab, data center or K-12 work. |
| Senior PM | Multiple concurrent projects or one large design-build job, manages PMs and the client relationship. |
What moves pay
- Project size and complexity
- Design-build vs. plan-and-spec
- Bonus tied to fade/gain
- OSHA 30, PMP, LEED AP
Virtual design and construction
BIM / VDC Detailer
| Band | What the role looks like |
|---|---|
| Detailer | Models ductwork or piping in Revit/Fabrication from the design set. |
| Senior Detailer | Leads clash coordination with other trades, produces spool and fab drawings. |
| VDC Manager | Sets standards, manages the team, Trimble layout and prefab workflow. |
What moves pay
- Revit/Fabrication CADmep depth
- Coordination lead experience
- Remote vs. on-site
- Prefab shop integration
Preconstruction
Mechanical Estimator
| Band | What the role looks like |
|---|---|
| Junior | Takeoff on HVAC and plumbing scopes, pricing support. |
| Estimator | Builds complete bids, scope sheets and bid-day numbers. |
| Chief Estimator | Owns the bid strategy and hit rate, leads design-assist and GMP work. |
What moves pay
- Hit rate and backlog won
- Design-assist / negotiated work
- Software (Accubid, Trimble, QuoteSoft)
What drives pay across every role
- Union vs. open-shop: union scale is set by the local's agreement. See the sourced local pages.
- Metro: Southern California, the Bay Area, Hawaii and Guam pay differently than inland markets.
- Market sector: mission-critical, healthcare and life-science work usually pays more.
- Total package: vehicle, per diem, bonus, 401(k) match and paid training can outweigh a base-rate difference.