Production
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.
Median pay
$38,020
Growth to 2035
−19%
declining
Openings a year
500
Time to qualify*
1 month
* From a bachelor's degree in an unrelated field.
Pay
Cutters and trimmers, hand
$38,02010% earn under $26,630 · middle half $34,050–$47,850 · top 10% over $57,870
Getting in
- Typical entry education
- No formal educational credential
- On-the-job training
- Short-term on-the-job training
- Prior experience
- None
What the work is like
Cutters and trimmers, hand
Dealing with the public
Rarely
Constantly
Time pressure
Rarely
Constantly
Cost of a mistake
Minor
Severe
Freedom to make decisions
Little
A lot
Repeating the same tasks
Rarely
Constantly
Time sitting
Rarely
Constantly
Time standing
Rarely
Constantly
Cutters and trimmers, hand: 4% usually work over 40 hours a week
Core tasks
- Mark or discard items with defects such as spots, stains, scars, snags, chips, scratches, or unacceptable shapes or finishes.
- Trim excess material or cut threads off finished products, such as cutting loose ends of plastic off a manufactured toy for a smoother finish.
- 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.
- Position templates or measure materials to locate specified points of cuts or to obtain maximum yields, using rules, scales, or patterns.
- Read work orders to determine dimensions, cutting locations, and quantities to cut.
- Mark cutting lines around patterns or templates, or follow layout points, using squares, rules, and straightedges, and chalk, pencils, or scribes.
- Mark identification numbers, trademarks, grades, marketing data, sizes, or model numbers on products.
- Unroll, lay out, attach, or mount materials or items on cutting tables or machines.
Also called: Cloth Cutter · Denim Cutter · Fabric Cutter · Finisher · Glass Cutter · Hand Cutter · Leather Cutter · Offline Cutter
Outlook and AI
Cutters and trimmers, hand held 5,900 jobs in 2025. BLS projects 4,800 by 2035 (−19%, declining; all jobs: +3.5%).
Capital/labor substitution - share decreases as the improved integration of design systems and cutting equipment improve precision of cuts which reduces the need for hand cutters and trimmers.
Compare with
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- Cutters and trimmers, hand vs. Sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, wood
- Cutters and trimmers, hand vs. Woodworking machine setters, operators, and tenders, except sawing
- Cutters and trimmers, hand vs. Textile cutting machine setters, operators, and tenders
- Cutters and trimmers, hand vs. Machine feeders and offbearers
- Cutters and trimmers, hand vs. Shoe machine operators and tenders
- Cutters and trimmers, hand vs. Molders, shapers, and casters, except metal and plastic
- Cutters and trimmers, hand vs. Cutting, punching, and press machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic