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Layout Workers, Metal and Plastic: Career Overview

Lay out reference points and dimensions on metal or plastic stock or workpieces, such as sheets, plates, tubes, structural shapes, castings, or machine parts, for further processing. Includes shipfitters.

What Do Layout Workers, Metal and Plastic Take On?

Typical responsibilities of layout workers, metal and plastic cover:

• Mark curves, lines, holes, dimensions, and welding symbols onto workpieces, using scribes, soapstones, punches, and hand drills.
• Plan locations and sequences of cutting, drilling, bending, rolling, punching, and welding operations, using compasses, protractors, dividers, and rules.
• Fit and align fabricated parts to be welded or assembled.
• Locate center lines and verify template positions, using measuring instruments such as gauge blocks, height gauges, and dial indicators.
• Plan and develop layouts from blueprints and templates, applying knowledge of trigonometry, design, effects of heat, and properties of metals.
• Lay out and fabricate metal structural parts such as plates, bulkheads, and frames.
• Compute layout dimensions, and determine and mark reference points on metal stock or workpieces for further processing, such as welding and assembly.
• Lift and position workpieces in relation to surface plates, manually or with hoists, and using parallel blocks and angle plates.

Skills and Knowledge

Effective layout workers, metal and plastic draw on a mix of skills and domain knowledge.

Most Important Skills

These are the skills most important for this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Top Knowledge Areas

Related Job Titles

This career also goes by job titles like:

• Aircraft Lay Out Worker
• Bellmaker
• Development Mechanic
• Dimensional Inspector
• Duplicator
• Hangersmith
• Lay-Out Worker
• Layout Fabricator

Job Outlook

There are about 560,418 layout workers, metal and plastic working in the United States today. Employment is projected to grow by +3.0% over the projection horizon.

Layout Workers, Metal and Plastic Pay

Statistic	Value
Annual median	$53,306
Hourly median	$25.63
10th percentile	$32,967
25th percentile	$43,136
75th percentile	$63,475
90th percentile	$73,645

Wages vary widely based on experience, location, and industry.

How Much Do Layout Workers, Metal and Plastic Make in Different U.S. States?

State	Annual median salary
Maryland	$99,750
Kansas	$76,730
Washington	$75,750
Virginia	$72,780
California	$71,780
Florida	$62,880
Massachusetts	$62,870
Indiana	$61,270
New York	$60,740
Pennsylvania	$59,450
Wisconsin	$58,890
Georgia	$58,390
Michigan	$58,200
Texas	$49,290
Alabama	$48,620
Tennessee	$45,500
South Carolina	$38,810

Top-Paying U.S. Regions

Compensation for layout workers, metal and plastic differ across the country. Top regions by median wage:

Region	Median annual wage	Share of U.S. jobs	Location quotient
Plains States	$76,730	15.7%	11.27
Far Western US	$74,211	21.3%	2.50
Southeast	$64,140	37.9%	3.42
New England	$62,870	2.9%	0.82
Middle Atlantic	$59,981	4.5%	0.35
Great Lakes	$58,724	13.1%	1.55
Southwest	$49,290	4.5%	0.34

Where the Jobs Cluster

Metro area	State	Median annual wage	Employment
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA	WA	$114,720	60
Worcester, MA	MA	$81,530	30
Wichita, KS	KS	$76,980	570
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	CA	$73,790	120
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA	CA	$71,780	100
Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC	VA	$67,580	570
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA	CA	$65,360	40
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI	MI	$60,260	120

Top Industries Employing Layout Workers, Metal and Plastic

Most layout workers, metal and plastic are concentrated in the following sectors:

Industry	Employment	Median annual wage
Manufacturing	3,870	$61,870
Construction	420	$93,600

The table below shows some of the most common industries where those employed in this career field work.

Tech Stack

• Computer aided design CAD software: Autodesk AutoCAD (hot technology)
• Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel (hot technology)
• Office suite software: Microsoft Office software (hot technology)
• Presentation software: Microsoft PowerPoint (hot technology)
• Word processing software: Microsoft Word (hot technology)

The Day-to-Day Environment

Daily working conditions for layout workers, metal and plastic is shaped by the following characteristics:

• Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets
• Importance of Being Exact or Accurate
• Exposed to Contaminants
• Time Pressure
• Exposed to Sounds, Noise Levels that are Distracting or Uncomfortable

Getting Started in This Career

Most layout workers, metal and plastic positions require a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education. This occupation sits in Some Preparation Needed (Job Zone 2), reflecting the level of preparation typically expected.

Similar Occupations

Similar Occupations

• Mechanical Drafters (Supplemental)
• Boilermakers (Supplemental)
• Carpenters (Supplemental)
• Sheet Metal Workers (Primary-Short)
• Structural Iron and Steel Workers (Primary-Long)
• Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers (Primary-Short)
• Electrical and Electronic Equipment Assemblers (Supplemental)
• Electromechanical Equipment Assemblers (Supplemental)

Top Programs to Study For This Career

Students preparing for layout workers, metal and plastic commonly pursue programs in:

Precision Production

2 programs across 1 majors

• Precision Metal Working

About the Data

This profile draws on the following authoritative sources:

• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
• BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
• O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.

SOC code: 51-4192.00 (Layout Workers, Metal and Plastic).