Pick a country, state or province, and compare trades side by side — apprenticeship hours and the Red Seal exam in Canada, or license tiers and experience hours in the US — with a progress tracker that estimates your time to certification. Requirements change; we link you to the official authority every time.
Pick a country and state or province, then choose up to four trades to compare hours, exams and license tiers side by side.
Choose a state or province to list its trades.
Select one or more trades above to see a side-by-side comparison.
This tracker saves to this device only. With a free account, your certifications live on your profile and show up when you apply to jobs.
8,160 on-the-job hours · 4 technical levels · Red Seal
View requirements8,280 on-the-job hours · 3 technical levels · Red Seal
View requirements6,000 on-the-job hours · 4 technical levels · Red Seal
View requirements6,300 on-the-job hours · 4 technical levels · Red Seal
View requirements6,120 on-the-job hours · 4 technical levels · Red Seal
View requirements6,240 on-the-job hours · 4 technical levels · Red Seal
View requirements8,280 on-the-job hours · 3 technical levels · Red Seal
View requirements6,480 on-the-job hours · 3 technical levels · Red Seal
View requirements5,280 on-the-job hours · 3 technical levels · Red Seal
View requirements8,280 on-the-job hours · 3 technical levels · Red Seal
View requirements6,210 on-the-job hours · 4 technical levels · Red Seal
View requirements6,360 on-the-job hours · 4 technical levels · Red Seal
View requirements4,620 on-the-job hours · 3 technical levels · Red Seal
View requirements6,300 on-the-job hours · 4 technical levels · Red Seal
View requirements6,240 on-the-job hours · 4 technical levels · Red Seal
View requirements6,240 on-the-job hours · 4 technical levels · Red Seal
View requirements4,680 on-the-job hours · 3 technical levels · Red Seal
View requirements6,240 on-the-job hours · 4 technical levels · Red Seal
View requirements7,200 on-the-job hours · 4 technical levels · Red Seal
View requirements7,200 on-the-job hours · 4 technical levels · Red Seal
View requirements7,200 on-the-job hours · 4 technical levels · Red Seal
View requirements7,200 on-the-job hours · 4 technical levels · Red Seal
View requirements7,200 on-the-job hours · 4 technical levels · Red Seal
View requirements7,200 on-the-job hours · 4 technical levels · Red Seal
View requirements7,200 on-the-job hours · 4 technical levels · Red Seal
View requirements7,200 on-the-job hours · 4 technical levels · Red Seal
View requirements7,200 on-the-job hours · 4 technical levels · Red Seal
View requirements7,200 on-the-job hours · 4 technical levels · Red Seal
View requirements7,200 on-the-job hours · 4 technical levels · Red Seal
View requirements7,200 on-the-job hours · 4 technical levels · Red Seal
View requirements7,200 on-the-job hours · 4 technical levels · Red Seal
View requirements7,200 on-the-job hours · 4 technical levels · Red Seal
View requirements7,200 on-the-job hours · 4 technical levels · Red Seal
View requirements6,400 on-the-job hours · 4 technical levels · Red Seal
View requirements3 license tiers
View requirements1 license tiers
View requirements1 license tiers
View requirements3 license tiers · 12,000 hrs to master electrician
View requirements4 license tiers
View requirements3 license tiers
View requirements1 license tiers · 8,000 hrs to certified electrical contractor
View requirements1 license tiers · 8,000 hrs to certified plumbing contractor (cpc)
View requirements1 license tiers · 8,000 hrs to certified class a air-conditioning contractor
View requirementsLicensed locally — not a state license
View requirementsLicensed locally — not a state license
View requirementsLicensed locally — not a state license
View requirementsLicensed locally — not a state license
View requirements2 license tiers · 8,000 hrs to licensed plumber
View requirementsLicensed locally — not a state license
View requirements2 license tiers · 10,000 hrs to electrical contractor (commercial, statewide)
View requirements2 license tiers · 10,000 hrs to plumbing contractor (commercial, statewide)
View requirements2 license tiers · 10,000 hrs to refrigeration contractor / hvac contractor (commercial, statewide)
View requirements2 license tiers · 8,000 hrs to class ii (unrestricted) electrical contractor
View requirements3 license tiers · 10,000 hrs to statewide class ii master plumber (unrestricted)
View requirements2 license tiers · 10,000 hrs to class ii (unrestricted) conditioned air contractor
View requirements1 license tiers · 4,000 hrs to electrical contractor (limited / intermediate / unlimited)
View requirements2 license tiers · 4,000 hrs to plumbing contractor
View requirements2 license tiers · 4,000 hrs to heating group no. 3 contractor (cooling <=15 tons; group no. 2 for >15 tons)
View requirements3 license tiers · 12,000 hrs to master electrician
View requirements3 license tiers · 10,000 hrs to master plumber
View requirements1 license tiers · 6,000 hrs to mechanical contractor — refrigeration / air conditioning classification(s)
View requirementsLicensed locally — not a state license
View requirementsLicensed locally — not a state license
View requirementsLicensed locally — not a state license
View requirementsIt varies by trade and province. Most Red Seal apprenticeships run about 6,000–9,000 on-the-job hours over roughly four to five years, plus three to four levels of in-school technical training, then the Interprovincial Red Seal exam. Always confirm the current hours with your provincial apprenticeship authority.
The Red Seal is the national standard for skilled trades in Canada. Passing the Interprovincial Red Seal exam in a designated trade adds a Red Seal endorsement to your provincial certificate, letting you work in that trade across participating provinces and territories without re-certifying.
Yes. Required hours, technical-training levels and exam rules are set by each provincial authority and are updated periodically. The figures here were verified on their effective date, but you must confirm the current requirements with the official authority linked on every page before relying on them.
No. Your logged hours, completed levels and weekly average are saved in your browser on this device only — there is no sign-up and nothing is sent to a server.
Requirements are read from our certification dataset, which references the shared trades-authority spine (trade, jurisdiction and the official governing body). Canadian figures were verified against the provincial/territorial apprenticeship authority; US figures against the state licensing board — each on the effective date shown on that trade's page.
Requirements vary by province, state and locality and change over time. The hours, levels, license tiers and exams shown here are a starting point — the official authority linked on every result is the source of truth.
Last reviewed June 28, 2026. Estimates are indicative — verify against current product specs and local requirements before ordering.
Hourly-to-salary, take-home pay by province or state, and trade wage benchmarks.
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