Occupations · Production
Furnace, Kiln, Oven, Drier, and Kettle Operators and Tenders
Operate or tend heating equipment other than basic metal, plastic, or food processing equipment. Includes activities such as annealing glass, drying lumber, curing rubber, removing moisture from materials, or boiling soap.
O*NET 30.3 Database (USDOL/ETA) · occupation code 51-9051.00
What it pays
A single “average salary” hides the spread. This is the whole distribution — the gap between the bottom and top bar is usually the number that matters.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024 · national, cross-industry · annual wage
Pay over time
Median up 62% between 2003 and 2024, before inflation. The band shows the 10th to 90th percentile.
BLS OEWS, one release per year. Before May 2011 only national estimates were published, so geography detail starts there.
Where the jobs are
| Metro area | Median wage | Employed |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $39,760 | 450 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA | $55,330 | 410 |
| Birmingham-Hoover, AL | $50,350 | 350 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | $48,190 | 330 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI | $56,410 | 310 |
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | $44,160 | 260 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | $44,920 | 250 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $54,060 | 230 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX | $41,820 | 170 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $53,880 | 170 |
| Columbus, OH | $38,320 | 170 |
| Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN | $38,440 | 150 |
BLS OEWS May 2024, metropolitan estimates · the 12 areas with the most people in this occupation
Typical education to enter: High school diploma or equivalent · BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
What people in this job actually do
Ordered by how important the work is rated.
- Monitor equipment operation, gauges, and panel lights to detect deviations from standards.
- Confer with supervisors or other equipment operators to report equipment malfunctions or to resolve production problems.
- Press and adjust controls to activate, set, and regulate equipment according to specifications.
- Record gauge readings, test results, and shift production in log books.
- Stop equipment and clear blockages or jams, using fingers, wire, or hand tools.
- Read and interpret work orders and instructions to determine work assignments, process specifications, and production schedules.
- Examine or test samples of processed substances, or collect samples for laboratory testing, to ensure conformance to specifications.
- Load equipment receptacles or conveyors with material to be processed, by hand or using hoists.
- Remove products from equipment, manually or using hoists, and prepare them for storage, shipment, or additional processing.
- Calculate amounts of materials to be loaded into furnaces, adjusting amounts as necessary for specific conditions.
- Transport materials and products to and from work areas, manually or using carts, handtrucks, or hoists.
- Melt or refine metal before casting, calculating required temperatures, and observe metal color, adjusting controls as necessary to maintain required temperatures.
O*NET 30.3 task ratings, importance scale
Skills that matter most
Importance, rated 1 to 5.
O*NET 30.3 skills, importance scale
Software and tools
A dot marks what O*NET flags as in demand.
O*NET 30.3 software skills · hot-technology flag
What this work is actually like
Conditions rated against the average across all occupations — only what makes this job different is listed.
O*NET 30.3 Job Zones
Working conditions that stand out
O*NET 30.3 work context, frequency scale · observed 2015-07
How people actually get in
Share of workers by the education they hold.
O*NET 30.2 education, training and experience · observed 2015-07
What kind of person the work suits
Occupational interest profile, rated 1 to 7.
O*NET 30.2 occupational interests (RIASEC)
What you take with you
Skills rated for how well they transfer into other occupations.
O*NET 30.3 transferable skills, importance scale
Knowledge the work draws on
Abilities it leans on
O*NET 30.3 abilities and knowledge, importance scale
How this job is advertised
The same work is posted under many titles — this is what to search for.
O*NET 30.3 job titles reported for this occupation
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What changed since 2015
Comparing O*NET release 20.1 (2015-10-01) with 30.3 (2026-05-01). Signs, not colour alone, carry the meaning.
Now listed 1
No longer listed 2
Diff across the O*NET releases held here in full since October 2015, following occupations through merges and retirements. O*NET re-surveys occupations on a rolling cycle, so “no change” can also mean “not re-surveyed”.
Related jobs
O*NET 30.3 related occupations
Also called
O*NET 30.3 alternative titles
The same work in Europe
| ESCO occupation | ISCO | Match |
|---|---|---|
| coking furnace operator | 8131.3 | broader |
| kiln firer | 8181.10 | broader |
| lime kiln operator | 8131.10 | broader |
| metal annealer | 8121.3 | broader |
| tunnel kiln operator | 8181.3.2 | broader |
| glass annealer | 8181.7 | broader |
| clay products dry kiln operator | 8181.3.1 | broader |
| wood drying kiln operator | 7521.1 | broader |
| clay kiln burner | 8181.3 | broader |
| drawing kiln operator | 8181.4 | broader |
Official ESCO ↔ O*NET crosswalk (ESCO Secretariat with USDOL/ETA)
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