Cutters and Trimmers, Hand
Production
Day to day you cut, shape, and trim textiles, food, glass, stone, and metal with knives, scissors, portable power tools, or bench-mounted tools. You unroll and lay material on a cutting table, then position templates or measure with rules and patterns so cuts land in the right place. Work orders set dimensions, locations, and quantities; lines get marked around patterns with squares, straightedges, chalk, or scribes. Spots, stains, chips, or bad shapes get marked or discarded; leftover threads or plastic get trimmed off, and sizes or grades may be marked on the piece. The work fits those who prefer careful, hands-on cutting and working from a pattern.
Typical education: Less than a High School Diploma
Annual Median Wage in Field (2025)
$38'020
Median Wage Market Position
$38'020
What you might do
- Cut and shape fabric, glass, stone, or rubber
- Trim leftover threads and plastic from finished goods
- Trace cutting lines around patterns or templates
- Measure stock to place cuts and limit waste
- Follow orders for sizes and how many to cut
- Flag or discard stained or chipped pieces
Skills that matter
- Cutting and trimming to the marked line
- Reading work orders for size and quantity
- Laying out templates for maximum yield
- Noticing spots, snags, chips, and bad shapes
- Listening for changes to cutting specs
- Sequencing cuts so work stays on schedule
AI & the future of this role
Automated cutters and computer-guided tools may absorb much of the volume cutting once done by hand. Specialty trim work, awkward materials, and short-run jobs that need human dexterity could still leave a narrower but real niche.
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Includes O*NET® 30.3 Database information by USDOL/ETA under CC BY 4.0; modified by LostInCareer. Wage/outlook from BLS. Attribution details