Tool and Die Maker job description: duties, skills and qualifications.

Core duties

14

O*NET task statements

O*NET occupation

Tool and Die Makers

O*NET-SOC 51-4111.00

Preparation

Job Zone 3 of 5

medium preparation

Typical entry education

Postsecondary nondegree award

BLS 2025–35

Median pay

$64,050

BLS May 2025

Data Government data groups this job as Tool and Die Makers (O*NET-SOC 51-4111.00). O*NET 31.0 lists “Tool and Die Maker” as a job title for this occupation only (evidence: its O*NET occupation title, O*NET's Sample of Reported Titles (titles job holders report), O*NET job-incumbent data, the U.S. Employment and Training Administration and employer job postings). Figures on this page are for that occupation. TryHired has no separate career page for this title yet.

1. Verify dimensions, alignments, and clearances of finished parts for conformance to specifications, using measuring instruments such as calipers, gauge blocks, micrometers, or dial indicators. importance 4.5 of 5
2. Visualize and compute dimensions, sizes, shapes, and tolerances of assemblies, based on specifications. importance 4.2 of 5
3. Study blueprints, sketches, models, or specifications to plan sequences of operations for fabricating tools, dies, or assemblies. importance 4.2 of 5
4. Fit and assemble parts to make, repair, or modify dies, jigs, gauges, and tools, using machine tools, hand tools, or welders. importance 4.1 of 5
5. Inspect finished dies for smoothness, contour conformity, and defects. importance 4.1 of 5
6. Select metals to be used from a range of metals and alloys, based on properties such as hardness or heat tolerance. importance 4.0 of 5
7. Lift, position, and secure machined parts on surface plates or worktables, using hoists, vises, v-blocks, or angle plates. importance 4.0 of 5
8. File, grind, shim, and adjust different parts to properly fit them together. importance 4.0 of 5
9. Smooth and polish flat and contoured surfaces of parts or tools, using scrapers, abrasive stones, files, emery cloths, or power grinders. importance 4.0 of 5
10. Measure, mark, and scribe metal or plastic stock to lay out machining, using instruments such as protractors, micrometers, scribes, or rulers. importance 3.9 of 5
11. Conduct test runs with completed tools or dies to ensure that parts meet specifications, making adjustments as necessary. importance 3.9 of 5
12. Design jigs, fixtures, and templates for use as work aids in the fabrication of parts or products. importance 3.8 of 5
13. Cut, shape, and trim blanks or blocks to specified lengths or shapes, using power saws, power shears, rules, and hand tools. importance 3.7 of 5
14. Set up and operate drill presses to drill and tap holes in parts for assembly. importance 3.7 of 5

Work activities O*NET rates most important here: Getting Information, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Thinking Creatively and Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings.

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.

• Develop and design new tools and dies, using computer-aided design software.
• Set pyrometer controls of heat-treating furnaces and feed or place parts, tools, or assemblies into furnaces to harden.

Knowledge areas: Mechanical, Mathematics, Production and Processing, Design and English Language.

Software O*NET lists for this occupation: Autodesk AutoCAD, Bentley MicroStation, Dassault Systemes SolidWorks, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Outlook. 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 postsecondary nondegree award 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 long-term on-the-job training as typical once hired.
• Preparation: O*NET places the job in Job Zone 3 of 5 (medium preparation). Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations.
• 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.

The most common answer among tool and die makers surveyed by O*NET is a post-secondary certificate (41%).

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

About the role
[Company] is hiring a Tool and Die Maker to analyze specifications, lay out metal stock, set up and operate machine tools, and fit and assemble parts to make and repair dies, cutting tools, jigs, fixtures, gauges, and machinists' hand tools.
[One sentence on your team and why this role matters.]

What you will do
- Verify dimensions, alignments, and clearances of finished parts for conformance to specifications, using measuring instruments such as calipers, gauge blocks, micrometers, or dial indicators.
- Visualize and compute dimensions, sizes, shapes, and tolerances of assemblies, based on specifications.
- Study blueprints, sketches, models, or specifications to plan sequences of operations for fabricating tools, dies, or assemblies.
- Fit and assemble parts to make, repair, or modify dies, jigs, gauges, and tools, using machine tools, hand tools, or welders.
- Inspect finished dies for smoothness, contour conformity, and defects.
- Select metals to be used from a range of metals and alloys, based on properties such as hardness or heat tolerance.
- Lift, position, and secure machined parts on surface plates or worktables, using hoists, vises, v-blocks, or angle plates.
- File, grind, shim, and adjust different parts to properly fit them together.

What we are looking for
- [Education: BLS lists a postsecondary nondegree award 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 operations monitoring, operation and control and quality control analysis
- Working knowledge of Mechanical and Mathematics
- [Software your team uses, e.g. Autodesk AutoCAD or Bentley MicroStation]
- [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.

For Tool and Die Makers, the median annual wage was $64,050 in May 2025. The median hourly wage was $30.79. BLS estimates about 56,930 jobs in this occupation in the U.S.

BLS projects employment of Tool and Die Makers to decline 9.2% from 2025 to 2035, with about 4,300 openings a year over that period, including openings to replace workers who leave.

• Read a real tool and die maker posting next to the core duties above. Duties it repeats, such as “Verify dimensions, alignments, and clearances of finished parts for…”, 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 tool and die maker work you have actually done, with your own results.
• Prepare a story for each of the top-rated skills (operations monitoring and operation and control): a real situation, what you did and what changed.