Production
Textile bleaching and dyeing machine operators and tenders
Operate or tend machines to bleach, shrink, wash, dye, or finish textiles or synthetic or glass fibers.
Median pay
$38,180
Growth to 2035
−12%
declining
Openings a year
600
Time to qualify*
1 month
* From a bachelor's degree in an unrelated field.
Pay
Textile bleaching and dyeing machine operators and tenders
Getting in
- Typical entry education
- High school diploma or equivalent
- On-the-job training
- Short-term on-the-job training
- Prior experience
- None
Calculate your switch to textile bleaching and dyeing machine operators and tenders
What the work is like
Dealing with the public
Unpleasant or angry people
Time pressure
Cost of a mistake
Freedom to make decisions
Repeating the same tasks
Time sitting
Time standing
Hazardous conditions
Textile bleaching and dyeing machine operators and tenders: 11% usually work over 40 hours a week
Core tasks
- Weigh ingredients, such as dye, to be mixed together for use in textile processing.
- Start and control machines and equipment to wash, bleach, dye, or otherwise process and finish fabric, yarn, thread, or other textile goods.
- Observe display screens, control panels, equipment, and cloth entering or exiting processes to determine if equipment is operating correctly.
- Notify supervisors or mechanics of equipment malfunctions.
- Monitor factors such as temperatures and dye flow rates to ensure that they are within specified ranges.
- Add dyes, water, detergents, or chemicals to tanks to dilute or strengthen solutions, according to established formulas and solution test results.
- Examine and feel products to identify defects and variations from coloring and other processing standards.
- Adjust equipment controls to maintain specified heat, tension, and speed.
Also called: Beck Operator · Dye House Worker · Dye Line Operator · Dye Machine Operator · Dye Operator · Dye Tub Operator · Dyer · Jet Dyeing Machine Operator
Outlook and AI
Textile bleaching and dyeing machine operators and tenders held 5,700 jobs in 2025. BLS projects 5,000 by 2035 (−12%, declining; all jobs: +3.5%).
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