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Analyze specifications, lay out metal stock, set up and operate machine tools, and fit and assemble parts to make and repair dies, cutting tools, jigs, fixtures, gauges, and machinists' hand tools.
Analytical skills. Machinists and tool and die makers must be able to interpret technical blueprints, models, and specifications so that they can craft precision tools and metal parts.
Manual dexterity. Machinists’ and tool and die makers’ work demands accuracy, sometimes to within .0001 of an inch. This level of accuracy requires both concentration and agility.
Mechanical skills. Machinists and tool and die makers may operate milling machines, lathes, grinders, laser and water jetting machines, wire electrical discharge machines, and other machine tools.
Physical stamina. Machinist and tool and die makers must stand for extended periods and perform repetitious movements.
Technical skills. Machinists and tool and die makers must understand metalworking processes. They must be able to work with CAD/CAM technology, CNC machine tools, and manual and computerized measuring machines.
| A3 | Your Strengths | Importance |
Characteristics of this Career |
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90% | Attention to Detail - Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks. | |
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84% | Dependability - Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations. | |
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82% | Persistence - Job requires persistence in the face of obstacles. | |
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79% | Self-Control - Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations. | |
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79% | Independence - Job requires developing one's own ways of doing things, guiding oneself with little or no supervision, and depending on oneself to get things done. | |
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79% | Cooperation - Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude. | |
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78% | Initiative - Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges. | |
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77% | Analytical Thinking - Job requires analyzing information and using logic to address work-related issues and problems. | |
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75% | Achievement/Effort - Job requires establishing and maintaining personally challenging achievement goals and exerting effort toward mastering tasks. | |
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75% | Innovation - Job requires creativity and alternative thinking to develop new ideas for and answers to work-related problems. | |
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74% | Adaptability/Flexibility - Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace. | |
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73% | Integrity - Job requires being honest and ethical. | |
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73% | Stress Tolerance - Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high-stress situations. |
| A3 | Your Strengths | Importance |
Strengths |
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95% | Realistic - Work involves designing, building, or repairing of equipment, materials, or structures, engaging in physical activity, or working outdoors. Realistic occupations are often associated with engineering, mechanics and electronics, construction, woodworking, transportation, machine operation, agriculture, animal services, physical or manual labor, athletics, or protective services. | |
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67% | Investigative - Work involves studying and researching non-living objects, living organisms, disease or other forms of impairment, or human behavior. Investigative occupations are often associated with physical, life, medical, or social sciences, and can be found in the fields of humanities, mathematics/statistics, information technology, or health care service. |
| A3 | Your Strengths | Importance |
Values of the Work Environment |
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67% | Support - Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees. Corresponding needs are Company Policies, Supervision: Human Relations and Supervision: Technical. |
| A3 | Your Strengths | Importance |
Abilities | Cognitive, Physical, Personality |
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69% | Visualization - The ability to imagine how something will look after it is moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged. | |
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69% | Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer). | |
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66% | Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem. |
| A3 | Your Strengths | Importance |
Attributes & Percentage of Time Spent |
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100% | Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets - How much does this job require wearing common protective or safety equipment such as safety shoes, glasses, gloves, hard hats or life jackets? | |
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95% | Importance of Being Exact or Accurate - How important is being very exact or highly accurate in performing this job? | |
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94% | Freedom to Make Decisions - How much decision making freedom, without supervision, does the job offer? | |
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92% | Face-to-Face Discussions - How often do you have to have face-to-face discussions with individuals or teams in this job? | |
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86% | Structured versus Unstructured Work - To what extent is this job structured for the worker, rather than allowing the worker to determine tasks, priorities, and goals? | |
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83% | Exposed to Hazardous Equipment - How often does this job require exposure to hazardous equipment? | |
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83% | Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls - How much does this job require using your hands to handle, control, or feel objects, tools or controls? | |
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82% | Time Pressure - How often does this job require the worker to meet strict deadlines? | |
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80% | Contact With Others - How much does this job require the worker to be in contact with others (face-to-face, by telephone, or otherwise) in order to perform it? | |
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78% | Spend Time Standing - How much does this job require standing? | |
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77% | Sounds, Noise Levels Are Distracting or Uncomfortable - How often does this job require working exposed to sounds and noise levels that are distracting or uncomfortable? | |
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75% | Work With Work Group or Team - How important is it to work with others in a group or team in this job? | |
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75% | Frequency of Decision Making - How frequently is the worker required to make decisions that affect other people, the financial resources, and/or the image and reputation of the organization? | |
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72% | Consequence of Error - How serious would the result usually be if the worker made a mistake that was not readily correctable? | |
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71% | Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results - What results do your decisions usually have on other people or the image or reputation or financial resources of your employer? | |
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69% | Exposed to Contaminants - How often does this job require working exposed to contaminants (such as pollutants, gases, dust or odors)? | |
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73% | Duration of Typical Work Week - Number of hours typically worked in one week. |
| A3 | Your Strengths | Importance |
Tasks & Values |
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87% | Getting Information - Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources. | |
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77% | Making Decisions and Solving Problems - Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems. | |
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70% | Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates - Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person. | |
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69% | Thinking Creatively - Developing, designing, or creating new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions. | |
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69% | Controlling Machines and Processes - Using either control mechanisms or direct physical activity to operate machines or processes (not including computers or vehicles). | |
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69% | Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings - Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems. | |
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68% | Repairing and Maintaining Mechanical Equipment - Servicing, repairing, adjusting, and testing machines, devices, moving parts, and equipment that operate primarily on the basis of mechanical (not electronic) principles. | |
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67% | Drafting, Laying Out, and Specifying Technical Devices, Parts, and Equipment - Providing documentation, detailed instructions, drawings, or specifications to tell others about how devices, parts, equipment, or structures are to be fabricated, constructed, assembled, modified, maintained, or used. | |
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66% | Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge - Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job. |
Machinists and tool and die makers set up and operate a variety of computer-controlled and mechanically controlled equipment to produce precision metal parts, instruments, and tools.
Machinists typically do the following:
Tool and die makers typically do the following:
Machinists use lathes, milling machines, grinders, and other machine tools to produce precision metal parts. Many machinists must be able to use both manual and CNC machinery. CNC machines control the cutting tool speed and do all necessary cuts to create a part. The machinist programs instructions into the CNC machine to determine the cutting path, cutting speed, and feed rate.
Although workers may produce large quantities of one part, precision machinists often produce small batches or single items. The parts that machinists make include steel bolts, titanium bone screws, and automobile pistons.
Some machinists repair broken parts or make new parts that an industrial machinery mechanic discovers in a machine. The machinist refers to engineering drawings to create the replacement.
Some manufacturing processes use lasers, water jets, and electrified wires to cut the workpiece. As engineers design and build new types of machine tools, machinists must learn new machining properties and techniques.
Tool and die makers construct precision tools or metal forms, called dies, that are used to cut, shape, and mold metal, plastics, and other materials.
Tool and die makers use CAD to develop products and parts. They enter designs into computer programs that produce blueprints for the required tools and dies. CNC programmers, described in the metal and plastic machine workers profile, convert CAD designs into CAM programs that contain instructions for a sequence of cutting-tool operations. Machinists normally operate CNC machines, but tool and die makers often are trained to both operate CNC machines and write CNC programs and thus may do either task.
Machinists held about 327,000 jobs in 2022. The largest employers of machinists were as follows:
| Fabricated metal product manufacturing | 33% |
| Machinery manufacturing | 20 |
| Transportation equipment manufacturing | 13 |
| Employment services | 4 |
| Wholesale trade | 4 |
Tool and die makers held about 62,700 jobs in 2022. The largest employers of tool and die makers were as follows:
| Transportation equipment manufacturing | 26% |
| Machinery manufacturing | 23 |
| Fabricated metal product manufacturing | 21 |
| Primary metal manufacturing | 6 |
| Plastics product manufacturing | 6 |
Because machinists and tool and die makers may work with machine tools that present hazards, these workers must take precautions to avoid injuries. For example, workers must wear protective equipment, such as safety glasses to shield against bits of flying metal and earplugs to dampen the noise produced by machinery.
Many machinists and tool and die makers work full time during regular business hours. However, some work nights and weekends in facilities that operate around the clock. Some work more than 40 hours a week.
Although machinists typically need a high school diploma to enter the occupation, tool and die makers also may need to complete postsecondary courses. Machinists and tool and die makers typically are trained on the job. Some learn through training or apprenticeship programs, vocational schools, or community and technical colleges.
Machinists typically need a high school diploma or equivalent; tool and die makers also may need to complete postsecondary courses. High school courses in math, blueprint reading, metalworking, and CAD/CAM are considered useful.
Some community colleges and technical schools have 2-year degree programs or shorter nondegree certificate programs that train students to become machinists or tool and die makers. These programs usually teach design and how to read engineering drawings, the use of a variety of welding and cutting tools, and the programming and function of CNC machines.
Machinists and tool and die makers typically gain competency through on-the-job training or an apprenticeship.
Trainees usually learn on the job, which may include technical instruction outside of typical work hours. Trainees often begin as machine operators and gradually take on more difficult assignments. Machinists and tool and die makers must be comfortable using computers to work with CAD/CAM technology, CNC machine tools, and computerized measuring machines. Some machinists become tool and die makers.
Some new workers enter apprenticeship programs, which are typically sponsored by an employer. Apprenticeship programs often consist of paid training on the job and related technical instruction lasting several years. The technical instruction may be provided in cooperation with local community colleges and vocational–technical schools. Workers typically need a high school diploma or equivalent to enter an apprenticeship.
Completing a certification program, though optional, allows machinists and tool and die makers to demonstrate competency and may be helpful for advancement. Colleges and organizations, such as the National Institute for Metalworking Skills (NIMS), offer certifications and credentials in CNC machine operation, CAD/CAM technology, and other relevant competencies.
Overall employment of machinists and tool and die makers is projected to show little or no change from 2022 to 2032.
Despite limited employment growth, about 38,200 openings for machinists and tool and die makers are projected each year, on average, over the decade. Most of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.
Projected employment of machinists and tool and die makers varies by occupation (see table).
Although machinists will be required to set up, monitor, and maintain systems, such as computer numerically controlled (CNC) machine tools, autoloaders, and high-speed machining, their employment growth is expected to be limited as improvements in these technologies increase these workers’ efficiency over the projections decade.
Employment of tool and die makers is expected to decline as advances in automation, including CNC machine tools, reduce demand for certain tasks that these workers do, such as programming how parts fit together.
For details about apprenticeships or other work opportunities in this occupation, contact the offices of the state employment service, the state apprenticeship agency, or local businesses that employ machinists and tool and die makers. Apprenticeship information is available from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Apprenticeship program online or by phone at 877-872-5627. Visit Apprenticeship.gov to search for apprenticeship opportunities.
For more information about machinists and tool and die makers, including training and certification, visit
Fabricators & Manufacturers Association, International (FMA)
National Institute for Metalworking Skills (NIMS)
For information about manufacturing careers, including machinery and tool and die makers, visit
American Mold Builders Association (AMBA)
Association for Manufacturing Technology (AMT)
National Tooling and Machining Association (NTMA)
This table shows a list of occupations with job duties that are similar to those of machinists and tool and die makers.
| Occupation | Job Duties | Entry-Level Education | Median Annual Pay, May 2022 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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Boilermakers |
Boilermakers assemble, install, maintain, and repair boilers, closed vats, and other large vessels or containers that hold liquids and gases. |
High school diploma or equivalent | $66,920 |
|
Industrial Machinery Mechanics, Machinery Maintenance Workers, and Millwrights |
Industrial machinery mechanics, machinery maintenance workers, and millwrights install, maintain, and repair factory equipment and other industrial machinery. |
High school diploma or equivalent | $59,470 |
|
Metal and Plastic Machine Workers |
Metal and plastic machine workers set up and operate equipment that cuts, shapes, and forms metal and plastic materials or pieces. |
See How to Become One | $41,060 |
|
Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers |
Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers use hand-held or remotely controlled equipment to join, repair, or cut metal parts and products. |
High school diploma or equivalent | $47,540 |