Careers / Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic — Career Decision Dashboard
United States
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Report generated from official BLS OEWS and O*NET data — United States.
Median annual wage
$48,750
United States, 2025
Employment
14,000
United States, 2025
Typical education
High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)
Job Zone 2
Skills identified
35
10 related careers
Career overview
Set up, operate, or tend heating equipment, such as heat-treating furnaces, flame-hardening machines, induction machines, soaking pits, or vacuum equipment to temper, harden, anneal, or heat treat metal or plastic objects.
- O*NET code
- 51-4191.00
- Job zone
- 2
- Experience required
- None
Typical tasks
- Instruct new workers in machine operation.
- Move controls to light gas burners and to adjust gas and water flow and flame temperature.
- Read production schedules and work orders to determine processing sequences, furnace temperatures, and heat cycle requirements for objects to be heat-treated.
- Record times that parts are removed from furnaces to document that objects have attained specified temperatures for specified times.
- Adjust controls to maintain temperatures and heating times, using thermal instruments and charts, dials and gauges of furnaces, and color of stock in furnaces to make setting determinations.
- Start conveyors and open furnace doors to load stock, or signal crane operators to uncover soaking pits and lower ingots into them.
- Set up and operate or tend machines, such as furnaces, baths, flame-hardening machines, and electronic induction machines, that harden, anneal, and heat-treat metal.
- Remove parts from furnaces after specified times, and air dry or cool parts in water, oil brine, or other baths.
Choose a location
Salary analysis — United States
10th percentile
$35,180
25th percentile
$40,660
75th percentile
$58,400
90th percentile
$66,350
Most important skills
- Operations Monitoring3.8
- Operation and Control3.8
- Quality Control Analysis3.1
- Active Listening3.1
- Speaking3.1
- Monitoring3.1
- Judgment and Decision Making3.0
- Critical Thinking3.0
- Equipment Maintenance3.0
- Writing2.9
- Mathematics2.9
- Reading Comprehension2.9
What skills do you need?
Select the skills you already have
Skills listed are those O*NET rates at importance 3.0 or above for this occupation. Set your own level on the same 0–7 O*NET scale.
Skill coverage
0%
0 of 9 identified skills
Matched
0
Missing
9
Your selected skills cover approximately 0% of the skills identified for this occupation in O*NET. This is a coverage measure of listed skills only — it is not a qualification, hiring or interview outcome.
Skills to develop
| Skill | Importance | Required level | Your level | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operation and Control | 3.8 | 3.9 | Not selected | 3.9 |
| Operations Monitoring | 3.8 | 3.8 | Not selected | 3.8 |
| Monitoring | 3.1 | 3.4 | Not selected | 3.4 |
| Quality Control Analysis | 3.1 | 3.3 | Not selected | 3.3 |
| Equipment Maintenance | 3.0 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Critical Thinking | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Active Listening | 3.1 | 2.9 | Not selected | 2.9 |
| Speaking | 3.1 | 2.6 | Not selected | 2.6 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.0 | 2.6 | Not selected | 2.6 |
Ordered by required level gap multiplied by O*NET importance. No prediction or recommendation is implied.
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Compare with Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHow salary varies by location
| Location | Median | Employment | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canton, OH | $67,070 | 170 | 2025 |
| Oklahoma City, OK | $65,640 | 40 | 2025 |
| Albany, OR | $64,210 | 40 | 2025 |
| Beaumont, TX | $63,960 | 50 | 2025 |
| Columbus, OH | $62,530 | 40 | 2025 |
| Seattle, WA | $61,990 | 110 | 2025 |
| WA | $61,990 | 140 | 2025 |
| Worcester, MA | $61,050 | 30 | 2025 |
| OR | $60,280 | 240 | 2025 |
| Muskegon, MI | $60,190 | 60 | 2025 |
| Springfield, MA | $60,110 | 60 | 2025 |
| San Diego, CA | $59,530 | 60 | 2025 |
| Peoria, IL | $59,160 | 80 | 2025 |
| Pittsburgh, PA | $58,890 | 210 | 2025 |
| CO | $58,300 | 100 | 2025 |
| San Francisco, CA | $58,300 | 50 | 2025 |
| Portland, OR | $58,250 | 190 | 2025 |
| Chattanooga, TN | $57,800 | 40 | 2025 |
| York, PA | $57,290 | 40 | 2025 |
| WV | $56,880 | 70 | 2025 |
Career transition paths
Compare the skills of a career you hold today with Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic to see shared skills, target-only skills and skill overlap.
Build a transition comparisonCareer and skills data: O*NET 31.0.
Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, 2025 (May 2025 release).
Figures are periodic published survey snapshots, not real-time market rates.