Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

Pay and outlook

Median annual wage, May 2025

$46,550

Half earn more, half earn less

Middle half earn

$39,390 – $54,290

25th to 75th percentile

People employed, May 2025

67,000

Wage and salary jobs (OEWS)

Projected change, 2025–35

-10.8%

Shrinking (below 0%)

Openings a year (projected)

4,500

New jobs plus replacing people who leave

Typical education to enter

High school diploma or equivalent

BLS

• All figures are for the United States as a whole. Pay varies a lot by state and city.
• Wages are for everyone working in the occupation in May 2025, at every career stage. They are not starting salaries or figures for new graduates.
• Growth and openings are BLS projections for 2025–35. They are estimates, not promises. Openings include jobs that open up when people retire or change occupation, not just new jobs.

What the work involves

Set up, operate, or tend grinding and related tools that remove excess material or burrs from surfaces, sharpen edges or corners, or buff, hone, or polish metal or plastic work pieces.

Main tasks

• Measure workpieces and lay out work, using precision measuring devices.
• Inspect or measure finished workpieces to determine conformance to specifications, using measuring instruments, such as gauges or micrometers.
• Set and adjust machine controls according to product specifications, using knowledge of machine operation.
• Observe machine operations to detect any problems, making necessary adjustments to correct problems.
• Activate machine start-up switches to grind, lap, hone, debar, shear, or cut workpieces, according to specifications.
• Study blueprints, work orders, or machining instructions to determine product specifications, tool requirements, and operational sequences.
• Lift and position workpieces, manually or with hoists, and secure them in hoppers or on machine tables, faceplates, or chucks, using clamps.
• Move machine controls to index workpieces, and to adjust machines for pre-selected operational settings.

Description and tasks from the O*NET® 31.0 Database.

Getting in

Typical education to enter (BLS)

High school diploma or equivalent

Training once hired: moderate-term on-the-job training

O*NET Job Zone 1–2

Little to some preparation

Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.

Fields of study that lead here

From the federal CIP–SOC crosswalk, which links 2 programmes to this occupation. A link means the programme prepares people for this kind of work. It doesn't mean the programme is required, or that it's the only route.

Related careers

Related occupations from the O*NET database, in its order.

• Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners

  $50,060 median · -6.8% projected

• Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing

  $43,380 median · -2.5% projected

• Milling and Planing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

  $52,800 median · -13.2% projected

• Lathe and Turning Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

  $50,620 median · -11.3% projected

• Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

  $47,180 median · +0.6% projected

• Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

  $46,330 median · -10.5% projected