Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
SOC 51-4021BLS OEWS May 2025
Set up, operate, or tend machines to extrude or draw thermoplastic or metal materials into tubes, rods, hoses, wire, bars, or structural shapes.
National median · BLS
$47,720
▲ +1.58%YoY
H-1B sponsor median
—
Too few H-1B filings
Average salary · BLS
$49,480
Mean annual wage
U.S. employment
60,840
Jobs (BLS)
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Pay range for Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
Annual base pay at each percentile. BLS covers all U.S. workers in this occupation.
Percentile
All U.S. workers (BLS)
10th — entry pay
$36,700
25th
$40,450
Median (50th)
$47,720
75th
$56,840
90th — top pay
$63,710
Hourly ⇄ annual pay
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Monthly—
Every 2 weeks—
Weekly—
Daily—
Based on
hrs/week ×
weeks/year
= 2,080 hrs
Projections 2025–2035
Job outlook for Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
BLS projects employment of extruding and drawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic to grow 0.7% from 2025 to 2035, slower than the 3.5% average for all occupations.
About 5,400 openings are projected each year, on average, from new jobs and from replacing workers who retire or move to other occupations.
Jobs 2025 → 2035
60,900 → 61,400
+400 jobs
Projected change
+0.7%
All occupations: +3.5%
Openings per year
5,400
Average, 2025–2035
Typical entry education
High school diploma or equivalent
No related experience required
On-the-job training
Moderate-term on-the-job training
Self-employed
0.1% of workers (2025)
Preparation needed (O*NET Job Zone 2)
Very Little to Some Preparation Needed. Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
Highlighted = in demand: frequently listed in employer job postings for this occupation (O*NET).
Source: O*NET 31.0 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.
About the job
What extruding and drawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic do
Measure and examine extruded products to locate defects and to check for conformance to specifications, adjusting controls as necessary to alter products.
Start machines and set controls to regulate vacuum, air pressure, sizing rings, and temperature, and to synchronize speed of extrusion.
Determine setup procedures and select machine dies and parts, according to specifications.
Troubleshoot, maintain, and make minor repairs to equipment.
Change dies on extruding machines, according to production line changes.
Load machine hoppers with mixed materials, using augers, or stuff rolls of plastic dough into machine cylinders.
Install dies, machine screws, and sizing rings on machines that extrude thermoplastic or metal materials.
Operate shearing mechanisms to cut rods to specified lengths.
Source: O*NET 31.0 (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0). These are general job titles, not H-1B filings; for titles employers actually filed, see “Job titles” above.
Similar jobs and how they pay
Occupations O*NET lists as closely related to Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic, with BLS national medians compared with this occupation's $47,720.
