Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic Salary in the United States
The median annual wage for heat treating equipment setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic in the U.S. is $48,750 ($23.44 per hour), according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, May 2025 estimates.
- Median annual wage
- $48,750
- Mean annual wage
- $50,450
- Median hourly wage
- $23.44
- Employment
- 14,000
14,000 employed
Wage percentiles
| Percentile | Annual wage | Hourly wage |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $35,180 | $16.92 |
| 25th percentile | $40,660 | $19.55 |
| Median (50th) | $48,750 | $23.44 |
| 75th percentile | $58,400 | $28.08 |
| 90th percentile | $66,350 | $31.90 |
Highest-paying states for heat treating equipment setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic
| State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Washington | $61,990 | 140 |
| Oregon | $60,280 | 240 |
| Colorado | $58,300 | 100 |
| West Virginia | $56,880 | 70 |
| Virginia | $55,070 | 190 |
| Tennessee | $54,930 | 670 |
| New York | $52,940 | 280 |
| Ohio | $52,880 | 1,040 |
| New Hampshire | $52,250 | 90 |
| Oklahoma | $51,680 | 120 |
Lowest-paying states
- Louisiana: $35,180 median annual wage
- Arkansas: $37,590 median annual wage
- Minnesota: $41,100 median annual wage
- Texas: $41,690 median annual wage
- Georgia: $44,050 median annual wage
About this occupation
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.
Typical tasks
- Determine flame temperatures, current frequencies, heating cycles, and induction heating coils needed, based on degree of hardness required and properties of stock to be treated.
- Load parts into containers and place containers on conveyors to be inserted into furnaces, or insert parts into furnaces.
- Reduce heat when processing is complete to allow parts to cool in furnaces or machinery.
- 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.
- Remove parts from furnaces after specified times, and air dry or cool parts in water, oil brine, or other baths.
- Read production schedules and work orders to determine processing sequences, furnace temperatures, and heat cycle requirements for objects to be heat-treated.
Education of the current workforce — typical entry: High school diploma or equivalent
| Education level | Share of workers |
|---|---|
| Less than high school diploma | 16.8% |
| High school diploma or equivalent | 49.5% |
| Some college, no degree | 19.4% |
| Associate's degree | 8.2% |
| Bachelor's degree | 5.2% |
| Master's degree | 0.8% |
| Doctoral or professional degree | 0.1% |
Occupation profile data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor.
Related occupations
- Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators$44,650
- First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers$74,450
- Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers$48,570
- Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers$53,750
- Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders$43,220
- Machinists$58,750
- Production Workers, All Other$40,110
- Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers$45,850
About this data
- Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — data period May 2025, retrieved August 13, 2026.
- Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — data period May 2025, retrieved August 13, 2026.
- CareerOneStop Occupation Profiles — data period 2026-08, retrieved August 14, 2026.
Figures are shown exactly as published by the source or derived by the documented formulas on our methodology page. Where a source suppresses an estimate, we show “—” rather than a substitute value.