Layout Workers, Metal and Plastic
Lay out reference points and dimensions on metal or plastic stock or workpieces, such as sheets, plates, tubes, structural shapes, castings, or machine parts, for further processing. Includes shipfitters.
5,970 people do this job in the US. $63,870 a year.
of the working time. Estimate.
- 13%
- 0%
- 87%
Measured, from Anthropic's usage data (2025). Counts help on part of a task.
On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.
Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 4.4 h long four times in five.
How far this has come
With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this job's working time was within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 0%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 8%. Today's estimate: 10%.
A backcast: today's task data with the best model METR had measured by each date. It shows how fast the models have moved, not what anyone forecast at the time.
The tasks
Sorted by . 14 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lay out and fabricate metal structural parts such as plates, bulkheads, and frames.Done daily by most who do it. | 27% | 3.3 h1.3 h to 1 work day | Stays with people | |
| Fit and align fabricated parts to be welded or assembled.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 17% | 1.3 h25 min to 3.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Plan and develop layouts from blueprints and templates, applying knowledge of trigonometry, design, effects of heat, and properties of metals.Done daily by most who do it. | 12% | 1.7 h50 min to 5 h | 76%Half by now | |
| Mark curves, lines, holes, dimensions, and welding symbols onto workpieces, using scribes, soapstones, punches, and hand drills.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 8% | 38 min13 min to 1.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Install doors, hatches, brackets, and clips.Done daily by most who do it. | 7% | 1.7 h38 min to 3.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Brace parts in position within hulls or ships for riveting or welding.Done daily by most who do it. | 6% | 1.1 h25 min to 2.5 h | Stays with people | |
| Plan locations and sequences of cutting, drilling, bending, rolling, punching, and welding operations, using compasses, protractors, dividers, and rules.Done daily by most who do it. | 6% | 50 min25 min to 2.5 h | Stays with people | |
| Design and prepare templates of wood, paper, or metal.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 5% | 1.7 h38 min to 4.2 h | Stays with people | |
| Compute layout dimensions, and determine and mark reference points on metal stock or workpieces for further processing, such as welding and assembly.Done daily by most who do it. | 5% | 38 min17 min to 1.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Lift and position workpieces in relation to surface plates, manually or with hoists, and using parallel blocks and angle plates.Done daily by most who do it. | 4% | 25 min8 min to 50 min | Stays with people | |
| Locate center lines and verify template positions, using measuring instruments such as gauge blocks, height gauges, and dial indicators.Done daily by most who do it. | 3% | 29 min13 min to 1.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Inspect machined parts to verify conformance to specifications.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 2% | 25 min13 min to 1.3 h | Stays with people |
Within reach, per task: the share of the task's time whose instances are short enough for a model to finish at the chosen date, pace and reliability. Half by: the date half of that time comes within reach.
Jobs that share skills with this one
From O*NET's related occupations. Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five.
- Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters5% now, 5% by 2028
- Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers4% now, 4% by 2028
- Patternmakers, Metal and Plastic16% now, 35% by 2028
- Model Makers, Metal and Plastic18% now, 22% by 2028
- Sheet Metal Workers11% now, 18% by 2028
- Tool and Die Makers13% now, 35% by 2028
Where this job works
The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025).
Where the most of these jobs are
The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025).