Career profile · 51-4191
Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
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.
What the work can involve
- Read production schedules and work orders to determine processing sequences, furnace temperatures, and heat cycle requirements for objects to be heat-treated.
- Record times that parts are removed from furnaces to document that objects have attained specified temperatures for specified times.
- 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.
- Start conveyors and open furnace doors to load stock, or signal crane operators to uncover soaking pits and lower ingots into them.
- Set up and operate or tend machines, such as furnaces, baths, flame-hardening machines, and electronic induction machines, that harden, anneal, and heat-treat metal.
- Remove parts from furnaces after specified times, and air dry or cool parts in water, oil brine, or other baths.
Selected core tasks from O*NET 31.0. Responsibilities vary by employer, specialization and experience.
Preparation and entry routes
This broad O*NET group commonly involves some prior preparation and on-the-job learning. Check the specific employer, occupational credential and state requirements.
Check the route for the specific occupation where you plan to work. Education, employer experience requirements, occupational licensing and industry certification can be separate steps.
Understand the different credentials →Skills used in this occupation
- Active Listening
- Monitoring
- Speaking
- Critical Thinking
- Mathematics
Selected from the highest importance ratings available in O*NET 31.0. These describe the occupation, not a particular school's curriculum.
Knowledge to build
- Production and Processing
- Mathematics
- Education and Training
- Administration and Management
- Chemistry
Selected from the highest importance ratings available in O*NET 31.0. These describe the occupation, not a particular school's curriculum.
Common work activities
- Handling and Moving Objects
- Controlling Machines and Processes
- Performing General Physical Activities
- Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
- Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment
Selected from the highest importance ratings available in O*NET 31.0. These describe the occupation, not a particular school's curriculum.
Training subjects to investigate
The federal education-to-occupation crosswalk connects this role to the subjects below. These links do not endorse a school or guarantee that any particular award qualifies a graduate for the job.
Working conditions to consider
These are the most common published responses to selected O*NET work-setting questions. They describe occupation-level survey findings, not every employer or a particular job.
| Work-setting question | Most common response | Share giving that response |
|---|---|---|
| Contact With Others | Constant contact with others | 49.1%07/2016 · sample 24 |
| Exposed to Contaminants | Every day | 66.7%07/2016 · sample 24 |
| Exposed to Disease or Infections | Never | 94.8%07/2016 · sample 24 |
| Exposed to Hazardous Conditions | Every day | 34.4%07/2016 · sample 24 |
| Spend Time Sitting | Less than half the time | 69.3%07/2016 · sample 24 |
| Spend Time Standing | Continually or almost continually | 56.6%07/2016 · sample 24 |
| Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls | Continually or almost continually | 59.6%07/2016 · sample 24 |
| Time Pressure | Every day | 59.8%07/2016 · sample 24 |
| Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets | Every day | 89.5%07/2016 · sample 24 |
| Work Schedules | Regular (established routine, set schedule) | 86.2%07/2016 · sample 24 |
O*NET 31.0 Work Context, selected topics. Only unsuppressed source responses with sample size at least 10 are shown. A most-common response need not be a majority. Sampling uncertainty applies; source dates vary. Ask employers about actual schedules, accessibility, protective equipment and working conditions.
Software used in the workplace
Use these O*NET examples to ask how a course builds practical digital skills. They are workplace examples, not a required shopping list or confirmation of a school’s curriculum.
- Electronic mail software: Microsoft Outlook
- Enterprise resource planning ERP software: SAP software
- Office suite software: Microsoft Office software
- Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel
- Word processing software: Microsoft Word
Selected categories and examples from O*NET 31.0 Software Skills. Products and employer requirements change. These examples are not endorsements; check the complete official occupation profile.
Pay & employment outlook
Salary estimates for heat treating equipment setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic
The median divides workers into two equally sized groups by pay. It is not a starting salary, a school’s graduate outcome or a promise of employment. Lower percentiles are not automatically new graduates.
National outlook: 2025–2035
- Typical education for entry
- High school diploma or equivalent
- Related work experience
- None
- Typical on-the-job training
- Moderate-term on-the-job training
BLS national employment projections, 2025–2035. Openings include people leaving occupations or the labor force; these are not advertised vacancies. Education categories describe typical entry, not legal eligibility or a guarantee that any specific program is sufficient.
Compare wages across 37 state/DC estimates
| State | Annual median | Hourly median | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $46,920 | $22.56 | 170 |
| Arizona | $50,660 | $24.36 | 160 |
| Arkansas | $37,590 | $18.07 | 200 |
| California | $50,150 | $24.11 | 770 |
| Colorado | $58,300 | $28.03 | 100 |
| Connecticut | $44,350 | $21.32 | 320 |
| Florida | $47,370 | $22.77 | 150 |
| Georgia | $44,050 | $21.18 | 250 |
| Illinois | $45,340 | $21.80 | 850 |
| Indiana | $46,860 | $22.53 | 990 |
| Iowa | $49,760 | $23.93 | 120 |
| Kansas | $47,500 | $22.84 | 50 |
| Kentucky | $47,090 | $22.64 | 340 |
| Louisiana | $35,180 | $16.92 | Not published |
| Maine | $45,590 | $21.92 | 40 |
| Massachusetts | $49,280 | $23.69 | 250 |
| Michigan | $50,560 | $24.31 | 1,190 |
| Minnesota | $41,100 | $19.76 | 90 |
| Mississippi | $46,630 | $22.42 | 80 |
| Missouri | $47,980 | $23.07 | 140 |
| Nebraska | $48,120 | $23.14 | 50 |
| New Hampshire | $52,250 | $25.12 | 90 |
| New Jersey | $49,640 | $23.86 | 440 |
| New York | $52,940 | $25.45 | 280 |
| North Carolina | $46,660 | $22.43 | 320 |
| Ohio | $52,880 | $25.42 | 1,040 |
| Oklahoma | $51,680 | $24.85 | 120 |
| Oregon | $60,280 | $28.98 | 240 |
| Pennsylvania | $48,800 | $23.46 | 1,520 |
| South Carolina | $46,750 | $22.48 | 290 |
| Tennessee | $54,930 | $26.41 | 670 |
| Texas | $41,690 | $20.04 | 1,450 |
| Utah | $47,860 | $23.01 | 90 |
| Virginia | $55,070 | $26.47 | 190 |
| Washington | $61,990 | $29.80 | 140 |
| West Virginia | $56,880 | $27.35 | 70 |
| Wisconsin | $49,100 | $23.61 | 470 |
Metropolitan and nonmetropolitan wages
Search the 91 published local-area estimates for this occupation. Metropolitan areas can cross state lines; a city’s postal name is not necessarily the statistical area’s name.
Sources: BLS May 2025 OEWS public downloads and 2025–2035 employment projections, retrieved September 9, 2026. Unpublished estimates stay unavailable. “+” means BLS’s upper reporting threshold ($239,200 annually or $115 hourly). Wages exclude self-employment and nonwage benefits. How to interpret these figures.
Compare the route and prepare for work
Questions to test the fit
- What does an entry-level working day look like, and how does it differ from the experienced role described here?
- Which tasks, work environments and schedules would I enjoy or find difficult?
- What education, supervised practice and credentials do local employers actually request?
- Can I speak with someone in the occupation or arrange a suitable workplace visit?
- How does the complete training cost compare with my realistic budget and available routes?
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Related through shared training-subject mappings. Entry requirements can differ substantially.
Sources and attribution
This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0. Trade School Guides selects and organizes the material and adds explanatory guidance. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed or tested these modifications. Occupation code: 51-4191.00.
Training connections: CIP 2020–SOC 2018 crosswalk. Snapshot: September 8, 2026. See the methodology.