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Textile Bleaching and Dyeing Machine Operators and Tenders

Typical education: High school diplomaLower pressure

What they do

Operate or tend machines to bleach, shrink, wash, dye, or finish textiles or synthetic or glass fibers.

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 $38,180 Median per year · $18.36/hr Most earn $30,300–$48,100

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025.

What you might do

  • Key in processing instructions to program electronic equipment.
  • Install, level, and align components such as gears, chains, dies, cutters, and needles.
  • Perform machine maintenance, such as cleaning and oiling equipment, and repair or replace worn or defective parts.
  • Examine and feel products to identify defects and variations from coloring and other processing standards.
  • Mount rolls of cloth on machines, using hoists, or place textile goods in machines or pieces of equipment.
  • Notify supervisors or mechanics of equipment malfunctions.

Job outlook

United States
13% fewer jobs by 2035, declining · about 600 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

  • Textile mills76.8%
  • Textile product mills6.4%
  • Self-employed (their own business)5.0%
  • Apparel manufacturing4.0%
  • Leather and allied product manufacturing3.2%

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

Experience before this job: Up to 1 month

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: Up to 1 monthEntry-level

This is an entry-level job. Most people start with a high school diploma and learn the work on the job, usually in up to about a month, so you can move into it soon after school.

  1. High school diploma

    4 years

    Finishing high school with solid math, science, and shop or technical classes gives you the basics for reading machine settings, measuring, and following safety rules.

  2. Textile Bleaching and Dyeing Machine Operator

    Up to 1 month to learn the job, then ongoing

    You start by learning to run and monitor machines that bleach, wash, dye, or finish fabric or fibers, mostly by following set procedures and checking the results.

Where it can lead

  1. Textile Knitting and Weaving Machine Setter

    Several months to a few years as an operator of experience first

    Setters adjust and prepare machines for new jobs, which takes more technical skill and troubleshooting than running them day to day.

  2. Extruding and Forming Machine Setter, Synthetic and Glass Fibers

    Several months to a few years as an operator of experience first

    This role involves setting up and tuning fiber-making equipment, so it usually calls for more hands-on experience with machine settings and quality checks.

What you can do now

Ideas for high school and college students.

In high school

  • Take chemistry and physicsBasic chemistry helps you understand how dyes, bleaches, and water temperature affect fabric, which is central to this work.
  • Take shop, drafting, or technical classesHands-on machine and tool skills show you can learn equipment and work safely around it.
  • Look for a part-time or summer job at a factory or warehouseAny production job teaches you to follow procedures, work on a team, and stay safe around machines.
  • Join a robotics, engineering, or career-technical clubWorking on machines with a team builds practical problem-solving and teamwork skills.
  • Learn basic workplace safetyUnderstanding protective gear and machine safety makes you a stronger candidate for any plant job.

In college

  • Take chemistry or materials science coursesKnowing how fibers and dyes react helps you understand the process and troubleshoot problems on the floor.
  • Get a part-time job at a manufacturing or textile plantReal production experience, even short-term, makes your résumé stand out for operator jobs.
  • Pursue a short workplace safety or forklift certificationMany schools and community programs offer short safety certifications that show employers you can work safely around equipment.
  • Join a manufacturing, engineering, or design student clubClubs give you teamwork practice and connections to local industry.
  • Ask for a plant tour or job shadowSeeing a dyeing or finishing line in person helps you decide if this work fits you.

Tips for getting started

  • Ask a local textile, apparel, or manufacturing plant about entry-level production jobs or summer work, even if you have no experience. Showing up reliably and following safety rules matters a lot to employers.
  • Take any shop, chemistry, or machine-related class you can. Knowing basic chemistry and how to read gauges and charts helps you learn machine settings faster.
  • Practice paying close attention to detail, like checking colors, measurements, and timing. This skill is important in dyeing and finishing work.

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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