Metal working machine operatives Pay Data UK — 2025

Metal working machine operatives roles in the UK earn a median of £34,614 per year, equivalent to £14.57 per hour as of 2025. This represents a 4.5% increase in annual pay compared to the previous year. Pay varies across the UK, ranging from £25,188 to £43,660 per year.

How Pay Varies Across the UK

Each bar shows how many areas of the UK have a median annual pay in that range for Metal working machine operatives roles. The dashed line marks the national median.

Based on sub-regional area data. Want a precise figure for your area?

About Metal working machine operatives

Metal working machine operatives operate machines to cut, shape, abrade and otherwise machine metal, use hand and power tools to remove surplus metal and rough surfaces from castings, forgings or other metal parts, and clean, smooth and polish metal workpieces.

Typical Tasks and Duties

• secures workpiece in drilling, boring, milling, planing, grinding, lapping, honing, electrochemical, or other shaping machines, or loads metal stock on to press
• sets controls, starts machine and operates controls to feed tool to workpiece or vice versa and repositions workpiece during machining as required
• withdraws workpiece and examines accuracy using measuring instruments
• operates burning, chipping and grinding equipment to remove defects from metal parts, and files, chisels, burns and saws off surplus metal
• smooths rough surfaces with hand tools, abrasive belts and wheels, compressed air, jets of vapour, or blasting with shot, grit, sand or other abrasive material
• selects and secures polishing head to machine tool, prepares head with emery, grease or other substance, sets speed and angle of polishing head, and operates controls to feed polishing head to workpiece or vice versa

Entry Routes and Qualifications

There are no formal academic entry requirements. Training is typically received on-the-job. NVQs/SVQs in Mechanical Manufacturing Engineering are available.

Related Occupations

Salary data is sourced from official UK pay datasets and updated periodically.