Occupations · Production
Rolling Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
Set up, operate, or tend machines to roll steel or plastic forming bends, beads, knurls, rolls, or plate, or to flatten, temper, or reduce gauge of material.
O*NET 30.3 Database (USDOL/ETA) · occupation code 51-4023.00
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 69% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI | $56,970 | 680 |
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | $51,120 | 630 |
| Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN | $53,670 | 590 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $45,830 | 500 |
| Cleveland, OH | $47,510 | 490 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | $45,700 | 470 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA | $47,400 | 440 |
| Grand Rapids-Wyoming, MI | $37,520 | 430 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | $66,720 | 420 |
| Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN | $50,130 | 420 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | $46,970 | 400 |
| Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL | $56,380 | 380 |
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 machine cycles and mill operation to detect jamming and to ensure that products conform to specifications.
- Adjust and correct machine set-ups to reduce thicknesses, reshape products, and eliminate product defects.
- Start operation of rolling and milling machines to flatten, temper, form, and reduce sheet metal sections and to produce steel strips.
- Examine, inspect, and measure raw materials and finished products to verify conformance to specifications.
- Read rolling orders, blueprints, and mill schedules to determine setup specifications, work sequences, product dimensions, and installation procedures.
- Thread or feed sheets or rods through rolling mechanisms, or start and control mechanisms that automatically feed steel into rollers.
- Manipulate controls and observe dial indicators to monitor, adjust, and regulate speeds of machine mechanisms.
- Set distance points between rolls, guides, meters, and stops, according to specifications.
- Calculate draft space and roll speed for each mill stand to plan rolling sequences and specified dimensions and tempers.
- Install equipment such as guides, guards, gears, cooling equipment, and rolls, using hand tools.
- Select rolls, dies, roll stands, and chucks from data charts to form specified contours and to fabricate products.
- Position, align, and secure arbors, spindles, coils, mandrels, dies, and slitting knives.
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 2018-08
How people actually get in
Share of workers by the education they hold.
O*NET 30.2 education, training and experience · observed 2018-08
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.
No longer listed 1
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 |
|---|---|---|
| straightening machine operator | 7223.22 | close |
| thread rolling machine operator | 7223.24 | close |
| metal drawing machine operator | 8121.4 | close |
| swaging machine operator | 7223.23 | close |
| upsetting machine operator | 7223.25 | close |
| mechanical forging press worker | 7221.4 | close |
| metal rolling mill operator | 8121.5 | broader |
| plastic rolling machine operator | 8142.11 | broader |
Official ESCO ↔ O*NET crosswalk (ESCO Secretariat with USDOL/ETA)
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