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Cutters and Trimmers, Hand

Typical education: High school diplomaLower pressure

What they do

Use hand tools or hand-held power tools to cut and trim a variety of manufactured items, such as carpet, fabric, stone, glass, or rubber.

Kinds of work

  • Realistic: Hands-on work with tools, machines, plants or animals, often outdoors.
  • Conventional: Organizing information, following clear procedures and working with data and details.

Lower pressure: How much pressure workers in this job report: deadlines, conflict, dealing with upset people, the cost of mistakes, responsibility for others' safety, competition and long hours. It varies a lot from one employer to the next. Source: U.S. Department of Labor worker surveys.

Pay, tasks and more

Salary

United States $38,020 Median per year · $18.28/hr Most earn $26,630–$57,870

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025.

What you might do

  • Clean, treat, buff, or polish finished items, using grinders, brushes, chisels, and cleaning solutions and polishing materials.
  • Position templates or measure materials to locate specified points of cuts or to obtain maximum yields, using rules, scales, or patterns.
  • Fold or shape materials before or after cutting them.
  • Transport items to work or storage areas, using carts.
  • Route items to provide cutouts for parts, using portable routers, grinders, and hand tools.
  • Position templates or measure materials to locate specified points of cuts or to obtain maximum yields, using rules, scales, or patterns.

Job outlook

United States
19% fewer jobs by 2035, declining · about 500 openings a year

Openings include new jobs and jobs left by workers who retire or change careers. Projections: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Bright Outlook": U.S. Department of Labor.

Where they work

  • Furniture and related product manufacturing17.9%
  • Temporary help services12.7%
  • Apparel manufacturing10.2%
  • Textile product mills6.7%
  • Animal slaughtering and processing3.7%

Share of all workers in this career. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Employment Matrix.

Experience before this job: 3 to 6 months

Some people start through an apprenticeship: paid training on the job, often with classes. Search apprenticeships on Apprenticeship.gov (opens in a new tab) ↗

Career path

How people usually get into this career, from school to their first job and beyond.

Typical education: High school diplomaExperience before this job: 3 to 6 monthsEntry-level

This is an entry-level job. Most people start with a high school diploma and learn the work on the job, usually within about 3 to 6 months of related work experience.

  1. High school diploma

    4 years

    Finish high school with good hands-on skills in shop, math, and safety, which employers look for in cutting and trimming work.

  2. Production Worker

    3-6 months

    Get a starter job in a factory, workshop, or plant where you learn to follow safety rules, handle materials, and work at a steady pace.

  3. Cutter and Trimmer, Hand

    Ongoing

    Use hand tools and hand-held power tools to cut and trim carpet, fabric, stone, glass, rubber, and other manufactured items.

Where it can lead

  1. Cutting Machine Operator

    1-3 years of experience first

    You move from hand tools to running and setting up cutting machines, which usually means learning machine settings, quality checks, and more responsibility.

  2. Press Machine Operator

    2-4 years of experience first

    You work with larger press and cutting machines in metal or plastic production, which requires more experience and careful setup skills.

What you can do now

Ideas for high school and college students.

In high school

  • Take shop, industrial arts, or woodworking classesThese classes teach you to use hand tools and power tools safely, which is the core skill for this job.
  • Join a career and technical student organizationGroups like SkillsUSA or FFA, if your school has them, build teamwork, leadership, and hands-on skills that employers notice.
  • Get a part-time or summer jobAny job at a fabric store, craft shop, or light manufacturing workplace (where legal for your age) gives you early experience working with materials and following safety rules.
  • Practice measuring and mathAccurate measuring and simple geometry help you cut materials to the right size and shape with less waste.

In college

  • Take courses in manufacturing, technical drawing, or materialsClasses about how materials like fabric, glass, and rubber behave help you understand how to cut them cleanly and safely.
  • Earn an OSHA 10-Hour safety cardMany schools and local training centers offer this short course, and it shows employers you already understand workplace safety.
  • Work a campus job in a shop, print lab, or makerspaceHands-on work with cutting tools and materials builds practical skill and gives you something real to describe in job applications.
  • Look for a summer internship or temp job at a manufacturing plantReal production experience gives you the 3 to 6 months of background that many employers look for.

Tips for getting started

  • Look for part-time or summer work in a factory, fabric shop, upholstery shop, or craft store, since any hands-on job that teaches safe tool use helps you get hired.
  • Learn basic safety habits early, such as wearing gloves and eye protection and keeping your work area clean. Employers value people they can trust with sharp tools.
  • Check pay and job details for these roles on the career pages in the app, which show typical pay near you and nationally.

Related jobs a step up

Education, experience and related careers: U.S. Department of Labor. The step-by-step path, where it can lead and what you can do now were written by AI as typical examples; many people take other ways.

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