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Career

Tire Builders

Typical education: High school diplomaLower pressure

What they do

Operate machines to build tires.

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 $57,390 Median per year · $27.59/hr Most earn $40,150–$74,680

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025.

What you might do

  • Depress pedals to collapse drums after processing is complete.
  • Align treads with guides, start drums to wind treads onto plies, and slice ends.
  • Depress pedals to rotate drums, and wind specified numbers of plies around drums to form tire bodies.
  • Brush or spray solvents onto plies to ensure adhesion, and repeat process as specified, alternating direction of each ply to strengthen tires.
  • Position ply stitcher rollers and drums according to width of stock, using hand tools and gauges.
  • Wind chafers and breakers onto plies.

Job outlook

United States
1% more jobs by 2035, slower than average · about 1,900 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

  • Rubber product manufacturing94.9%

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

Experience before this job: None

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: NoneEntry-level

Tire Builder is an entry-level job. You can often start with a high school diploma and no prior work experience, and you learn most of the work on the job. Your results page and this career's page show typical pay near you and nationally.

  1. High school diploma

    4 years

    Finishing high school is the typical education for this job. Good grades in math, shop, and hands-on classes give you a useful base.

  2. Tire Builder

    Learned on the job, usually no prior experience needed

    You operate machines that build tires, learning the steps and safety rules from experienced workers and supervisors. This is the career itself.

Where it can lead

  1. Production Supervisor

    Varies; I don't have data on typical timing of experience first

    Supervisors oversee a line of workers, schedule shifts, and check that quality and safety standards are met. Moving up usually means showing reliable work, learning the whole production process, and being trusted to train others.

What you can do now

Ideas for high school and college students.

In high school

  • Take math and shop or technical classesMath helps with measurements and settings, and shop classes teach you how machines are run safely.
  • Join a technical or career clubClubs like these let you practice teamwork and hands-on problem solving with other students.
  • Get a starter jobA part-time job in a factory, warehouse, or any job that follows safety rules shows employers you can handle a work routine.
  • Practice following multi-step instructionsBuilding a project from a set of directions, such as in a woodshop or a maker class, builds the careful habits this job needs.

In college

  • Take math, physics, or industrial technology coursesBasic machine and materials knowledge helps you understand how tire-building equipment works, even though a degree is not required for this job.
  • Get a summer or part-time job in manufacturingReal factory experience shows employers you can work safely on a production line.
  • Learn workplace safety basicsMany schools and towns offer short safety or equipment courses. Completing one shows you take machine safety seriously.
  • Join a campus engineering or trades clubWorking with a team on hands-on projects builds skills that transfer to production work.

Tips for getting started

  • Ask a current tire builder or a plant supervisor what their day looks like. Their answers will show you whether the work fits you.
  • Build comfort with machines and safety habits now, such as following instructions carefully and keeping your work area tidy. Employers value these habits from day one.
  • Check your results page and this career's page for typical pay near you, so you can compare it with other options.

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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