Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners

Median salary

$50,060

Average salary

$53,240

Employment

5,600

Projected growth

7.8% decline

Annual openings

500

Typical entry education

High school diploma or equivalent

What Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners Do

Perform precision smoothing, sharpening, polishing, or grinding of metal objects.

See full salary breakdown & percentiles →

Career Outlook

National employment outlook, 2024–2034.

Related work experience: None
On-the-job training: Moderate-term on-the-job training
Self-employed: 1%

Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.

How Much Preparation Does This Take?

Job Zone 2 of 5

Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed

Experience: Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience.
Education: Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
Job training: Ranges from a few days to one year of on-the-job training.

Source: O*NET Job Zones.

Key Knowledge Areas

Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.

Mechanicalimportance 3.6/5
Mathematicsimportance 3.5/5
English Languageimportance 3.1/5
Production and Processingimportance 2.9/5
Education and Trainingimportance 2.7/5
Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 2.7/5
Administration and Managementimportance 2.5/5
Engineering and Technologyimportance 2.5/5

Work Environment

What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.

Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets5.0/5
Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls4.9/5
Spend Time Standing4.7/5
Importance of Being Exact or Accurate4.6/5
Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams4.5/5
Pace Determined by Speed of Equipment4.1/5

Careers With Similar Skills

Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.

Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand96% skill match
Cooling and Freezing Equipment Operators and Tenders95% skill match
Metal-Refining Furnace Operators and Tenders95% skill match
Shoe Machine Operators and Tenders94% skill match
Adhesive Bonding Machine Operators and Tenders94% skill match
Logging Equipment Operators94% skill match
Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic94% skill match
Gas Compressor and Gas Pumping Station Operators93% skill match

Transferable Skills

Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.

Operations Monitoringimportance 3.9/5
Operation and Controlimportance 3.8/5
Quality Control Analysisimportance 3.5/5
Equipment Maintenanceimportance 3.4/5
Repairingimportance 3.4/5
Equipment Selectionimportance 3.0/5
Troubleshootingimportance 3.0/5
Complex Problem Solvingimportance 2.9/5

Software & Technologies

Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.

Hot Technologies

Other Software Used

ANCA ToolRoom
IBM Lotus Notes
Vero Software Edgecam
Zoller

Work Style

Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.

Attention to Detail
Dependability
Cautiousness
Achievement Orientation
Perseverance
Stress Tolerance
Integrity

Career Interests

This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.

RealisticHigh
ConventionalMedium
InvestigativeLow
ArtisticLow
SocialLow
EnterprisingLow

This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.

Where This Career Is Most Concentrated

Metro areas where tool grinders, filers, and sharpeners make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).