Mason job description: duties, skills and qualifications.

Core duties

11

O*NET task statements

Preparation

Job Zone 1-2 of 5

very little to some preparation

Typical entry education

High school diploma or equivalent

BLS 2025–35

Median pay

$62,120

BLS May 2025

Data Government data groups this job as Brickmasons and Blockmasons (O*NET-SOC 47-2021.00). Figures on this page are for that occupation.

1. Measure distance from reference points and mark guidelines to lay out work, using plumb bobs and levels. importance 4.7 of 5
2. Apply and smooth mortar or other mixture over work surface. importance 4.5 of 5
3. Calculate angles and courses and determine vertical and horizontal alignment of courses. importance 4.3 of 5
4. Break or cut bricks, tiles, or blocks to size, using trowel edge, hammer, or power saw. importance 4.3 of 5
5. Interpret blueprints and drawings to determine specifications and to calculate the materials required. importance 4.3 of 5
6. Remove excess mortar with trowels and hand tools, and finish mortar joints with jointing tools, for a sealed, uniform appearance. importance 4.2 of 5
7. Fasten or fuse brick or other building material to structure with wire clamps, anchor holes, torch, or cement. importance 4.0 of 5
8. Clean working surface to remove scale, dust, soot, or chips of brick and mortar, using broom, wire brush, or scraper. importance 3.8 of 5
9. Examine brickwork or structure to determine need for repair. importance 3.5 of 5
10. Mix specified amounts of sand, clay, dirt, or mortar powder with water to form refractory mixtures. importance 3.5 of 5
11. Remove burned or damaged brick or mortar, using sledgehammer, crowbar, chipping gun, or chisel. importance 3.1 of 5

Work activities O*NET rates most important here: Handling and Moving Objects, Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Getting Information, Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings and Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates.

Also part of the job

Supplemental tasks O*NET lists for this occupation: less central than the core duties above, and not done in every job.

• Lay and align bricks, blocks, or tiles to build or repair structures or high temperature equipment, such as cupola, kilns, ovens, or furnaces.
• Spray or spread refractory material over brickwork to protect against deterioration.

Knowledge areas: Building and Construction, Mathematics, English Language, Public Safety and Security and Production and Processing.

Software O*NET lists for this occupation: Intuit QuickBooks, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Windows, Construction Management Software ProEst, RISA Technologies RISA-3D. These are examples O*NET records for the job, not a list of tools every employer uses or a checklist of what you must know.

• Education: BLS lists a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education.
• Experience: BLS lists no work experience in a related occupation as typical to enter.
• Training on the job: BLS lists apprenticeship as typical once hired.
• Preparation: O*NET places the job in Job Zone 1-2 of 5 (very little to some preparation). Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience.
• Licenses and certifications: not listed here. A license is a legal requirement set by a state; a certification is a credential from a private or professional body. Rules vary by state and employer, and a missing entry on this page does not mean none is required: check with your state's licensing board and see how to become a mason.

Most masons surveyed by O*NET (70%) name a high school diploma or equivalent as the education the job requires.

Job title: Mason
[Company] · [City, State] · [Full-time or part-time] · [Pay range, where your state requires one]

About the role
[Company] is hiring a Mason to lay and bind building materials, such as brick, structural tile, concrete block, cinder block, glass block, and terra-cotta block, with mortar and other substances, to construct or repair walls, partitions, arches, sewers, and other structures.
[One sentence on your team and why this role matters.]

What you will do
- Measure distance from reference points and mark guidelines to lay out work, using plumb bobs and levels.
- Apply and smooth mortar or other mixture over work surface.
- Calculate angles and courses and determine vertical and horizontal alignment of courses.
- Break or cut bricks, tiles, or blocks to size, using trowel edge, hammer, or power saw.
- Interpret blueprints and drawings to determine specifications and to calculate the materials required.
- Remove excess mortar with trowels and hand tools, and finish mortar joints with jointing tools, for a sealed, uniform appearance.
- Fasten or fuse brick or other building material to structure with wire clamps, anchor holes, torch, or cement.
- Clean working surface to remove scale, dust, soot, or chips of brick and mortar, using broom, wire brush, or scraper.

What we are looking for
- [Education: BLS lists a high school diploma or equivalent as typical for this occupation; set the level this role truly needs]
- [Experience: BLS lists no related work experience as typical to enter; set what this role needs]
- Strength in coordination, critical thinking and operations monitoring
- Working knowledge of Building and Construction and Mathematics
- [Software your team uses, e.g. Intuit QuickBooks or Microsoft Excel]
- [Any license or certification your state or company requires]

[Schedule, benefits and how to apply]

Illustrative: every name, employer, school, date and number in these samples is fictional or a bracketed placeholder. Replace each bracket with your own true details; never copy a result you did not achieve.

Not a real job posting. This template is TryHired's illustration built from government occupational data. It is not an opening at any employer, and no employer wrote it.

The median annual wage was $62,120 in May 2025. The median hourly wage was $29.87. BLS estimates about 52,550 jobs in this occupation in the U.S.

BLS projects employment of Brickmasons and Blockmasons to grow 1.1% from 2025 to 2035, with about 4,100 openings a year over that period, including openings to replace workers who leave.

See the full mason salary breakdown by percentile, state and metro.

• Read a real mason posting next to the core duties above. Duties it repeats, such as “Measure distance from reference points and mark guidelines to lay out…”, tell you what that employer weighs most; anything it adds is specific to that team.
• Tailor your resume to the posting, not to this page: describe only mason work you have actually done, with your own results.
• Prepare a story for each of the top-rated skills (coordination and critical thinking).