# Cutters and Trimmers, Hand

> Use hand tools or hand-held power tools to cut and trim a variety of manufactured items, such as carpet, fabric, stone, glass, or rubber.
- **Entity Type:** role
- **Schema Version:** role.v1
- **Soc Code:** 51-9031.00
- **Summary:** Use hand tools or hand-held power tools to cut and trim a variety of manufactured items, such as carpet, fabric, stone, glass, or rubber.

## Aliases

- Cloth Cutter
- Leather Cutter
- Offline Cutter
- Trimmer
- Denim Cutter
- Fabric Cutter
- Finisher
- Glass Cutter
- Hand Cutter
- Sample Cutter
- Aluminum Sheet Cutter
- Basting Puller

## Tasks

| Text | Type | Iwa |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Mark or discard items with defects such as spots, stains, scars, snags, chips, scratches, or unacceptable shapes or finishes. | Core | 4.A.1.b.1.a |
| Trim excess material or cut threads off finished products, such as cutting loose ends of plastic off a manufactured toy for a smoother finish. | Core | 4.A.3.a.2.l |
| Cut, shape, and trim materials, such as textiles, food, glass, stone, and metal, using knives, scissors, and other hand tools, portable power tools, or bench-mounted tools. | Core | 4.A.3.a.2.g |
| Position templates or measure materials to locate specified points of cuts or to obtain maximum yields, using rules, scales, or patterns. | Core | 4.A.1.b.3.a |
| Read work orders to determine dimensions, cutting locations, and quantities to cut. | Core | 4.A.1.a.1.b |
| Mark cutting lines around patterns or templates, or follow layout points, using squares, rules, and straightedges, and chalk, pencils, or scribes. | Core | 4.A.3.a.2.ao |
| Mark identification numbers, trademarks, grades, marketing data, sizes, or model numbers on products. | Core | 4.A.1.b.1.a |
| Unroll, lay out, attach, or mount materials or items on cutting tables or machines. | Core | 4.A.3.a.2.f |
| Separate materials or products according to size, weight, type, condition, color, or shade. | Core | 4.A.2.a.2.b |
| Fold or shape materials before or after cutting them. | Core | 4.A.3.a.2.f |
| Stack cut items and load them on racks or conveyors or onto trucks. | Supplemental | 4.A.3.a.1.f |
| Lower table-mounted cutters such as knife blades, cutting wheels, or saws to cut items to specified sizes. | Supplemental | 4.A.3.a.3.l |

## Emerging Tasks


## Activities

| Name | Iwa |
| --- | --- |
| Mark products, workpieces, or equipment with identifying information. | 4.A.1.b.1.a |
| Trim excess material from workpieces. | 4.A.3.a.2.l |
| Shape metal workpieces with hammers or other small hand tools. | 4.A.3.a.2.g |
| Cut industrial materials in preparation for fabrication or processing. | 4.A.3.a.2.l |
| Sort materials or products for processing, storing, shipping, or grading. | 4.A.2.a.2.b |
| Read work orders or other instructions to determine product specifications or materials requirements. | 4.A.1.a.1.b |
| Count finished products or workpieces. | 4.A.1.b.2.f |
| Weigh finished products. | 4.A.1.b.3.a |
| Draw guide lines or markings on materials or workpieces using patterns or other references. | 4.A.3.a.2.ao |
| Mount materials or workpieces onto production equipment. | 4.A.3.a.2.f |
| Stack finished items for further processing or shipment. | 4.A.3.a.1.f |
| Adjust fabrics or other materials during garment production. | 4.A.3.a.2.f |
| Clean workpieces or finished products. | 4.A.3.a.1.h |
| Polish materials, workpieces, or finished products. | 4.A.3.a.2.o |
| Operate grinding equipment. | 4.A.3.a.3.l |
| Measure materials to mark reference points, cutting lines, or other indicators. | 4.A.1.b.3.a |
| Position patterns on equipment, materials, or workpieces. | 4.A.3.a.2.v |
| Operate cutting equipment. | 4.A.3.a.3.l |
| Replace worn equipment components. | 4.A.3.b.4.c |
| Sharpen cutting or grinding tools. | 4.A.3.b.5.a |
| Set equipment controls to meet cutting specifications. | 4.A.3.a.2.i |
| Move products, materials, or equipment between work areas. | 4.A.3.a.1.j |

## Capabilities

| Name | Family | Value |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Manual Dexterity | ability | 3.5 |
| Near Vision | ability | 3.38 |
| Production and Processing | knowledge | 3.25 |
| Information Ordering | ability | 3.12 |
| Arm-Hand Steadiness | ability | 3.12 |
| Oral Comprehension | ability | 3 |
| Category Flexibility | ability | 3 |
| Control Precision | ability | 3 |
| Static Strength | ability | 3 |
| Speech Recognition | ability | 3 |
| Active Listening | essential_skill | 2.88 |
| Speaking | essential_skill | 2.88 |
| Time Management | transferable_skill | 2.88 |
| Oral Expression | ability | 2.88 |
| Selective Attention | ability | 2.88 |
| Finger Dexterity | ability | 2.88 |
| Multilimb Coordination | ability | 2.88 |
| Speech Clarity | ability | 2.88 |
| Reading Comprehension | essential_skill | 2.75 |
| Monitoring | essential_skill | 2.75 |
| Social Perceptiveness | transferable_skill | 2.75 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | transferable_skill | 2.75 |
| Written Comprehension | ability | 2.75 |
| Problem Sensitivity | ability | 2.75 |
| Deductive Reasoning | ability | 2.75 |
| Trunk Strength | ability | 2.75 |
| Far Vision | ability | 2.75 |
| Critical Thinking | essential_skill | 2.62 |
| Inductive Reasoning | ability | 2.62 |
| Perceptual Speed | ability | 2.62 |
| Visualization | ability | 2.62 |
| Reaction Time | ability | 2.62 |
| Visual Color Discrimination | ability | 2.62 |
| Complex Problem Solving | transferable_skill | 2.5 |
| Flexibility of Closure | ability | 2.5 |
| Mathematics | knowledge | 2.42 |
| Rate Control | ability | 2.38 |
| Extent Flexibility | ability | 2.38 |
| Coordination | transferable_skill | 2.25 |
| Service Orientation | transferable_skill | 2.25 |

## Skills

| Name | Type |
| --- | --- |
| Information Ordering | Specialized Skill |
| Speech Recognition | Specialized Skill |
| Microsoft Word | Common Skill |
| Microsoft Outlook | Common Skill |
| Microsoft Excel | Common Skill |
| Time Management | Common Skill |
| Finger Dexterity | Common Skill |
| Active Listening | Common Skill |
| Social Perceptiveness | Common Skill |
| Reading Comprehension | Common Skill |
| Deductive Reasoning | Common Skill |
| Visualization | Specialized Skill |
| Inductive Reasoning | Common Skill |
| Critical Thinking | Common Skill |
| Complex Problem Solving | Common Skill |
| Mathematics | Common Skill |
| English Language | Common Skill |
| Writing | Common Skill |
| Instructing | Specialized Skill |
| Active Learning | Common Skill |
| Systems Analysis | Specialized Skill |
| Negotiation | Common Skill |
| Learning Strategies | Specialized Skill |
| Depth Perception | Common Skill |
| Psychology | Specialized Skill |
| Foreign Language | Common Skill |
| Physics | Specialized Skill |
| Telecommunications | Specialized Skill |
| Chemistry | Specialized Skill |
| Equipment Selection | Specialized Skill |
| Equipment Maintenance | Specialized Skill |
| Geography | Specialized Skill |
| Biology | Specialized Skill |
| Installation | Specialized Skill |

## Tools

| Example | Category | Hot | In Demand |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Microsoft Excel | Spreadsheet software | yes | no |
| Microsoft Outlook | Electronic mail software | yes | no |
| Microsoft Word | Word processing software | yes | no |

## Work Context

| Name | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls | 4.66 |
| Indoors, Environmentally Controlled | 4.63 |
| Importance of Being Exact or Accurate | 4.57 |
| Spend Time Standing | 4.56 |
| Spend Time Making Repetitive Motions | 4.04 |
| Time Pressure | 3.75 |
| Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team | 3.47 |
| Determine Tasks, Priorities and Goals | 3.44 |
| Contact With Others | 3.39 |
| Work Outcomes and Results of Other Workers | 3.22 |
| Freedom to Make Decisions | 3.16 |
| Coordinate or Lead Others in Accomplishing Work Activities | 2.99 |
| Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams | 2.89 |
| Spend Time Bending or Twisting Your Body | 2.88 |
| Pace Determined by Speed of Equipment | 2.7 |
| Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets | 2.65 |
| Importance of Repeating Same Tasks | 2.6 |
| Physical Proximity | 2.37 |
| Spend Time Walking or Running | 2.35 |
| Written Letters and Memos | 2.33 |
| Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results | 2.28 |
| Exposed to Hazardous Equipment | 2.24 |
| Health and Safety of Other Workers | 2.23 |
| Degree of Automation | 2.22 |
| Exposed to Very Hot or Cold Temperatures | 2.14 |
| Exposed to Contaminants | 2.13 |
| Consequence of Error | 2.13 |
| Frequency of Decision Making | 2.05 |
| Indoors, Not Environmentally Controlled | 1.99 |
| Wear Specialized Protective or Safety Equipment such as Breathing Apparatus, Safety Harness, Full Protection Suits, or Radiation Protection | 1.94 |
| Exposed to Sounds, Noise Levels that are Distracting or Uncomfortable | 1.88 |
| Level of Competition | 1.86 |
| Exposed to Minor Burns, Cuts, Bites, or Stings | 1.77 |
| Spend Time Kneeling, Crouching, Stooping, or Crawling | 1.71 |
| Exposed to Extremely Bright or Inadequate Lighting Conditions | 1.5 |
| Spend Time Sitting | 1.5 |
| Conflict Situations | 1.42 |
| Spend Time Keeping or Regaining Balance | 1.32 |
| Public Speaking | 1.28 |
| In an Open Vehicle or Operating Equipment | 1.26 |

## Preparation

- **Job Zone:** 2
- **Job Zone Name:** Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed
- **Education:** Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
- **Experience:** Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience. For example, landscaping and groundskeeping workers might require very little training or previous experience, while agricultural equipment operators can benefit from on-the job training.
- **Svp Range:** (Below 6.0)

### Education Distribution

| Label | Percentage |
| --- | --- |
| Less than a High School Diploma | 72.8 |
| High School Diploma | 16.38 |
| Some College Courses | 5.67 |
| Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree) | 5.15 |

## Person Fit

| Name | Family | Value |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Realistic | career_interest_type | 6.24 |
| Physical/Manual Labor | specific_interest_area | 5.07 |
| Conventional | career_interest_type | 3.75 |
| Attention to Detail | work_style | 2.41 |
| Artistic | career_interest_type | 2.2 |
| Construction/Woodwork | specific_interest_area | 2.19 |
| Dependability | work_style | 2.01 |
| Cautiousness | work_style | 1.76 |
| Mechanics/Electronics | specific_interest_area | 1.62 |
| Applied Arts and Design | specific_interest_area | 1.52 |
| Engineering | specific_interest_area | 1.44 |
| Culinary Art | specific_interest_area | 1.35 |
| Visual Arts | specific_interest_area | 1.3 |
| Investigative | career_interest_type | 1.22 |
| Transportation/Machine Operation | specific_interest_area | 1.19 |
| Social | career_interest_type | 1.13 |

## Related Roles

| Soc Code | Slug | Title | Tier |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 51-9032.00 | role-51-9032-00 | Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders | Primary-Short |
| 51-9022.00 | role-51-9022-00 | Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand | Primary-Short |
| 51-6031.00 | role-51-6031-00 | Sewing Machine Operators | Primary-Short |
| 51-7041.00 | role-51-7041-00 | Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood | Primary-Short |
| 51-7042.00 | role-51-7042-00 | Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing | Primary-Short |
| 51-6062.00 | role-51-6062-00 | Textile Cutting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders | Primary-Long |
| 53-7063.00 | role-53-7063-00 | Machine Feeders and Offbearers | Primary-Long |
| 51-6042.00 | role-51-6042-00 | Shoe Machine Operators and Tenders | Primary-Long |
| 51-9195.00 | role-51-9195-00 | Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic | Primary-Long |
| 51-4031.00 | role-51-4031-00 | Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic | Primary-Long |
| 51-4033.00 | role-51-4033-00 | Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic | Supplemental |
| 51-4194.00 | role-51-4194-00 | Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners | Supplemental |

## Career Clusters

| Cluster | Slug |
| --- | --- |
| Advanced Manufacturing | advanced-manufacturing |

## Education Level

- **Category:** No formal educational credential

## Study Programs


## Market

- **Median Wage:** 38800
- **Mean Wage:** 41960
- **Pct10Wage:** 29910
- **Pct25Wage:** 33860
- **Pct75Wage:** 48790
- **Pct90Wage:** 57820
- **Employment:** 7070
- **Area Title:** U.S.

## Industries


### Top

| Naics | Slug | Title | Level | Employment | Median Wage | Lq |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 31-33 | 31-33 | Manufacturing | Sector | 4870 | 38880 | 8.32 |
| 42 | 42 | Wholesale Trade | Sector | 500 | 36980 | 1.81 |
| 56 | 56 | Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | Sector | 260 | 35450 | 0.63 |
| 44-45 | 44-45 | Retail Trade | Sector | 250 | 34320 | 0.35 |
| 561320 | 561320 | Temporary Help Services | National industry | 230 | 35740 | 1.89 |
| 23 | 23 | Construction | Sector | 220 | 53760 | 0.59 |
| 81 | 81 | Other Services (except Public Administration) | Sector | 60 | 36810 |  |
| 48-49 | 48-49 | Transportation and Warehousing | Sector |  | 37600 |  |
| 54 | 54 | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | Sector |  | 51420 |  |

### Concentrated

| Naics | Slug | Title | Level | Employment | Lq |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 31-33 | 31-33 | Manufacturing | Sector | 4870 | 8.32 |
| 561320 | 561320 | Temporary Help Services | National industry | 230 | 1.89 |
| 42 | 42 | Wholesale Trade | Sector | 500 | 1.81 |
| 56 | 56 | Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | Sector | 260 | 0.63 |
| 23 | 23 | Construction | Sector | 220 | 0.59 |
| 44-45 | 44-45 | Retail Trade | Sector | 250 | 0.35 |
- **Count:** 9

## Ai Signals

| Source | Label | Score | Scale | Release |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| frey_osborne | Computerization probability | 0.64 | 0-1 probability | 2013-baseline-2016-employment-snapshot |
| felten_aioe | AI occupational exposure | -0.9479839 | relative exposure score | 2021-plus-generative-ai-workbooks |
| felten_image_generation_aioe | Image generation occupational exposure | -0.8862255 | relative exposure score | 2021-plus-generative-ai-workbooks |
| felten_language_modeling_aioe | Language modeling occupational exposure | -0.9457526 | relative exposure score | 2021-plus-generative-ai-workbooks |

## Ai Outlook


### Index

- **Value:** 12
- **Percentile:** 8
- **Band:** Low
- **Version:** ai-exposure-index-v1

#### Components

| Percentile | Source |
| --- | --- |
| 20 | felten_aioe |
| 3 | openai_gpts_are_gpts |
| 12 | microsoft_working_with_ai |
- **Component Count:** 3

### Exposure

| Source | Label | Value | Percentile | Band | Note |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| felten_aioe | Overall AI exposure (Felten et al.) | -0.9479839 | 20 | Low | How much this job's abilities overlap with what AI systems can do, across many AI capabilities. A relative research score, not a forecast of job loss. |
| eloundou_gamma | LLM task exposure, γ (OpenAI / Eloundou) | 0 | 3 | Low | Share of this job's tasks where a large language model plus simple tools could cut the time to do them by at least half. γ is capped at 1.0 and many jobs reach that ceiling, so treat a top score as 'in the top group', not a precise rank. |
| microsoft_applicability | AI assistant applicability (Microsoft) | 0.0533873861416691 | 12 | Low | How applicable today's AI assistants are to this job's activities, measured from real Microsoft Copilot conversations. Applicability is not the same as replacement. |

### Frey Historical

- **Source:** frey
- **Label:** Computerization probability (Frey & Osborne, 2013)
- **Value:** 0.64
- **Percentile:** 54
- **Band:** Moderate
- **Note:** A pre-LLM (2013) estimate of how automatable this job is by computerization and robotics. Shown for historical context only — it is not part of any current AI ranking.
- **Teleworkable:** no

### Eloundou

- **Alpha:** 0
- **Beta:** 0
- **Gamma:** 0

### Usage Tasks


### Bls

- **Growth Percent:** -18.1
- **Growth Percentile:** 2
- **Direction:** Declining
- **Annual Openings Thousands:** 0.6
- **Annual Openings Percentile:** 9
- **Employment2024Thousands:** 7
- **Employment2034Thousands:** 5.7

### Sources

| Source | Version |
| --- | --- |
| bls_employment_projections | 2024-2034 |
| dingel_neiman | dingel-neiman-workathome |
| felten_aioe | felten-raj-seamans-aioe |
| frey_osborne | frey-osborne-automation |
| microsoft_working_with_ai | working-with-ai |
| openai_gpts_are_gpts | gpts-are-gpts |

## Counts

- **Tasks:** 18
- **Skills:** 34
- **Capabilities:** 120
- **Tools:** 3
- **Related Roles:** 20

## Source

- **Dataset:** gold.onet_role_starter_surface
- **Version:** 30.3
- **Generated At:** 2026-06-02T21:00:32.945303+00:00
- **Content Hash:** a4600663ca31a434