What is a Hand Cutter or Trimmer?
Job Description: 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.
Life As a Hand Cutter or Trimmer: What Do They Do?
- Fold or shape materials before or after cutting them.
- Stack cut items and load them on racks or conveyors or onto trucks.
- Transport items to work or storage areas, using carts.
- Mark cutting lines around patterns or templates, or follow layout points, using squares, rules, and straightedges, and chalk, pencils, or scribes.
- Read work orders to determine dimensions, cutting locations, and quantities to cut.
- Separate materials or products according to size, weight, type, condition, color, or shade.
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Skills Needed to be a Hand Cutter or Trimmer
When polled, Hand Cutters and Trimmers say the following skills are most frequently used in their jobs:
Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Time Management: Managing one’s own time and the time of others.
Reading Comprehension: Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
Monitoring: Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Social Perceptiveness: Being aware of others’ reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Other Hand Cutter or Trimmer Job Titles
- Chalk Cutter
- Hand Binder Cutter
- Finishing Trimmer
- Hand Rounder
- Hand Cutter
Hand Cutter or Trimmer Employment Estimates
In 2016, there was an estimated number of 14,700 jobs in the United States for Hand Cutter or Trimmer. There is little to no growth in job opportunities for Hand Cutter or Trimmer. The BLS estimates 1,400 yearly job openings in this field.

The states with the most job growth for Hand Cutter or Trimmer are Utah, Arizona, and Nebraska. Watch out if you plan on working in Kentucky, New York, or Hawaii. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.
Average Hand Cutters and Trimmers Salary
The salary for Hand Cutters and Trimmers ranges between about $20,740 and $46,790 a year.

Hand Cutters and Trimmers who work in Hawaii, New Mexico, or North Carolina, make the highest salaries.
How much do Hand Cutters and Trimmers make in each U.S. state?
State | Annual Mean Salary |
---|---|
Alabama | $26,540 |
Arizona | $31,720 |
California | $31,940 |
Colorado | $30,920 |
Florida | $31,120 |
Georgia | $30,970 |
Hawaii | $40,350 |
Idaho | $33,940 |
Illinois | $30,480 |
Indiana | $29,810 |
Iowa | $32,340 |
Kansas | $32,100 |
Kentucky | $26,740 |
Louisiana | $28,780 |
Maine | $30,200 |
Massachusetts | $31,800 |
Michigan | $30,680 |
Minnesota | $33,090 |
Mississippi | $32,320 |
Missouri | $32,460 |
Nebraska | $33,030 |
Nevada | $22,830 |
New Hampshire | $26,540 |
New Jersey | $25,680 |
New Mexico | $34,950 |
New York | $41,310 |
North Carolina | $36,710 |
Ohio | $27,230 |
Oklahoma | $29,770 |
Oregon | $32,890 |
Pennsylvania | $24,990 |
South Carolina | $28,070 |
Tennessee | $33,200 |
Texas | $28,370 |
Utah | $36,000 |
Vermont | $37,110 |
Virginia | $29,480 |
Washington | $30,510 |
West Virginia | $29,160 |
Wisconsin | $29,740 |
What Tools & Technology do Hand Cutters and Trimmers Use?
Below is a list of the types of tools and technologies that Hand Cutters and Trimmers may use on a daily basis:
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Word
- Microsoft Outlook
How to Become a Hand Cutter or Trimmer
What kind of Hand Cutter or Trimmer requirements are there?

How many years of work experience do I need?

Where Hand Cutters and Trimmers Work

Hand Cutters and Trimmers work in the following industries:

References:
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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