Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners: Salary, Job Outlook & How to Become One (2026 Parent Guide)
Production · SOC 51-4194 · O*NET 51-4194.00
Perform precision smoothing, sharpening, polishing, or grinding of metal objects.
Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners fall under the Production category in the U.S. occupational classification. Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners earn a median salary of $48,970 per year, ranking in the top 65% of all U.S. occupations. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects -7.8% job growth through 2034, projected to lose jobs through 2034. Entry into this field typically requires an apprenticeship, technical certification, or postsecondary training, with specific licensing or certification depending on the state and employer. For parents whose teenager is exploring this path, the most actionable step is mapping the education requirements to specific colleges and majors before junior year — not waiting until application season.
What do tool grinders, filers, and sharpeners earn?
The median annual wage for tool grinders, filers, and sharpeners is $48,970. That puts tool grinders, filers, and sharpeners at #529 on the BLS ranked list of all U.S. occupations by median pay. This salary is around or below the U.S. median for individual workers, so career growth often depends on advancement into supervisory roles, specialization, or additional credentials. Actual pay varies meaningfully by state, employer type, and years of experience — entry-level salaries are typically 30–40% below the median, while top-decile earners often exceed it by 50% or more.
| 10th percentile (entry-level) | $33,770 |
| 25th percentile | $39,520 |
| 50th percentile (median) | $48,970 |
| 75th percentile | $60,210 |
| 90th percentile (top earners) | $74,120 |
| Median hourly wage | $23.54/hr |
Is tool grinders, filers, and sharpeners a growing career?
The 10-year outlook for tool grinders, filers, and sharpeners is -7.8%, projected to lose jobs through 2034. Employment is projected to move from approximately 5K positions in 2024 to 5K in 2034, a net change of 0K. A declining outlook does not mean the field is disappearing; it means automation, demographics, or substitution effects are shrinking the pool of openings. Students entering a declining field should plan for adjacent skills that transfer to growing roles.
What do tool grinders, filers, and sharpeners do every day?
According to O*NET task surveys of working tool grinders, filers, and sharpeners, these are the core responsibilities most professionals perform. This is what your teen would actually be doing in this role.
- 1.Monitor machine operations to determine whether adjustments are necessary, stopping machines when problems occur.
- 2.Inspect, feel, and measure workpieces to ensure that surfaces and dimensions meet specifications.
- 3.Set up and operate grinding or polishing machines to grind metal workpieces, such as dies, parts, and tools.
- 4.Study blueprints or layouts of metal workpieces to determine grinding procedures, and to plan machine setups and operational sequences.
- 5.Compute numbers, widths, and angles of cutting tools, micrometers, scales, and gauges, and adjust tools to produce specified cuts.
- 6.Turn valves to direct flow of coolant against cutting wheels and workpieces during grinding.
- 7.Select and mount grinding wheels on machines, according to specifications, using hand tools and applying knowledge of abrasives and grinding procedures.
- 8.Dress grinding wheels, according to specifications.
Top skills for tool grinders, filers, and sharpeners
O*NET ranks these as the most important skills for this occupation, on a 1–5 importance scale derived from worker surveys.
What education does my child need to become tool grinders, filers, and sharpener?
Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners typically enter the field through a formal apprenticeship, technical certification, or vocational training program — a strong fit for teens who prefer hands-on learning over traditional college. For parents helping a teen prepare, the highest-leverage step before junior year is identifying colleges and programs that feed reliably into this occupation — Solyo's college search lets parents filter by major and admissions data side by side.
Based on O*NET surveys of incumbents — what people in this job actually have, not what employers list as required.
Related careers your child might also consider
How parents help teens explore careers like this
Solyo helps parents map a teen's interests to specific careers, then back to the colleges and majors that lead there. Salary, outlook, and education data come from BLS and O*NET — the same sources high school counselors use — but presented for the parent's planning lens, not the student's exploration view.
Common questions parents ask about tool grinders, filers, and sharpeners
What is the median salary for tool grinders, filers, and sharpeners?
The median annual salary for tool grinders, filers, and sharpeners is $48,970 according to the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
Is tool grinders, filers, and sharpeners a growing career?
BLS projects -7.8% growth for tool grinders, filers, and sharpeners from 2024 through 2034, which is declining growth projected to lose jobs through 2034.
What education does my child need to become tool grinders, filers, and sharpener?
The typical entry path requires an apprenticeship, technical certification, or postsecondary training, plus any state licensure or certification specific to the role. Programs that align well with this career can be filtered inside Solyo's college search.
What careers are similar to tool grinders, filers, and sharpeners?
Related occupations within the Production category share education paths and skill profiles, so they're a useful starting set when a teen is uncertain. The "Related careers" section below lists nearby options.
Salary data sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment Statistics program. Skills, tasks, and education distribution from the O*NET database. Job outlook from the BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 release.