Materials Engineers
Evaluate materials and develop machinery and processes to manufacture materials for use in products that must meet specialized design and performance specifications. Develop new uses for known materials. Includes those engineers working with composite materials or specializing in one type of material, such as graphite, metal and metal alloys, ceramics and glass, plastics and polymers, and naturally occurring materials. Includes metallurgists and metallurgical engineers, ceramic engineers, and welding engineers.
22,770 people do this job in the US. $112,860 a year.
of the working time. Estimate.
- 62%
- 14%
- 24%
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, 1%. Today's estimate: 3%.
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 . 21 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solve problems in a number of engineering fields, such as mechanical, chemical, electrical, civil, nuclear, and aerospace.Done daily by most who do it. | 13% | 1.3 work days1.7 h to 1 work week | 3%Half by Jun 2028 | |
| Plan and implement laboratory operations to develop material and fabrication procedures that meet cost, product specification, and performance standards.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 13% | 4.2 work days6.7 h to 3.3 work weeks | Stays with people | |
| Analyze product failure data and laboratory test results to determine causes of problems and develop solutions.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 7% | 2.1 work days3.3 h to 1.7 work weeks | 1%Half by Sep 2028 | |
| Supervise the work of technologists, technicians, and other engineers and scientists.Done daily by most who do it. | 7% | 3.3 h50 min to 1.3 work days | Stays with people | |
| Determine appropriate methods for fabricating and joining materials.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 6% | 6.7 h1.7 h to 2.5 work days | 8%Half by Sep 2027 | |
| Plan and evaluate new projects, consulting with other engineers and corporate executives, as necessary.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 6% | 1.7 work days3.3 h to 1.3 work weeks | 2%Half by May 2028 | |
| Design and direct the testing or control of processing procedures.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 6% | 1.7 work days3.3 h to 1.3 work weeks | Stays with people | |
| Review new product plans, and make recommendations for material selection, based on design objectives such as strength, weight, heat resistance, electrical conductivity, and cost.Done daily by most who do it. | 5% | 6.7 h1.7 h to 2.1 work days | 9%Half by Aug 2027 | |
| Perform managerial functions, such as preparing proposals and budgets, analyzing labor costs, and writing reports.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 5% | 1.3 work days2.5 h to 4.2 work days | 3%Half by Feb 2028 | |
| Replicate the characteristics of materials and their components, using computers.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 5% | 1.7 work days3.3 h to 1.7 work weeks | 2%Half by Jul 2028 | |
| Supervise production and testing processes in industrial settings, such as metal refining facilities, smelting or foundry operations, or nonmetallic materials production operations.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 4% | 6.7 h1.7 h to 2.5 work days | Stays with people | |
| Conduct training sessions on new material products, applications, or manufacturing methods for customers and their employees.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 4% | 6.7 h1.7 h to 2.5 work days | 8%Half by Sep 2027 |
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.
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).