Rolling Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
Set up, operate, or tend machines to roll steel or plastic forming bends, beads, knurls, rolls, or plate, or to flatten, temper, or reduce gauge of material.
25,250 people do this job in the US. $50,140 a year.
of the working time. Estimate.
- 14%
- 0%
- 86%
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, 2%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 14%. Today's estimate: 14%.
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 . 19 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adjust and correct machine set-ups to reduce thicknesses, reshape products, and eliminate product defects.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 12% | 38 min13 min to 1.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Install equipment such as guides, guards, gears, cooling equipment, and rolls, using hand tools.Done daily by most who do it. | 10% | 1.3 h25 min to 3.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Position, align, and secure arbors, spindles, coils, mandrels, dies, and slitting knives.Done daily by most who do it. | 9% | 50 min17 min to 2.1 h | Stays with people | |
| Disassemble sizing mills removed from rolling lines, and sort and store parts.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 9% | 1.3 h38 min to 2.5 h | Stays with people | |
| Monitor machine cycles and mill operation to detect jamming and to ensure that products conform to specifications.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 8% | 25 min13 min to 50 min | Stays with people | |
| Examine, inspect, and measure raw materials and finished products to verify conformance to specifications.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 7% | 25 min8 min to 50 min | Stays with people | |
| Direct and train other workers to change rolls, operate mill equipment, remove coils and cobbles, and band and load material.Done daily by most who do it. | 6% | 50 min25 min to 2.5 h | Stays with people | |
| Set distance points between rolls, guides, meters, and stops, according to specifications.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 6% | 29 min13 min to 1.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Calculate draft space and roll speed for each mill stand to plan rolling sequences and specified dimensions and tempers.Done daily by most who do it. | 5% | 33 min13 min to 1.3 h | 99%Half by now | |
| Read rolling orders, blueprints, and mill schedules to determine setup specifications, work sequences, product dimensions, and installation procedures.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 4% | 17 min8 min to 38 min | 100%Half by now | |
| Start operation of rolling and milling machines to flatten, temper, form, and reduce sheet metal sections and to produce steel strips.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 4% | 17 min8 min to 33 min | Stays with people | |
| Thread or feed sheets or rods through rolling mechanisms, or start and control mechanisms that automatically feed steel into rollers.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 3% | 17 min4 min to 42 min | 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.
- Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders7% now, 7% by 2028
- Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic7% now, 7% by 2028
- Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic18% now, 18% by 2028
- Milling and Planing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic18% now, 18% by 2028
- Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing7% now, 7% by 2028
- Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand11% now, 11% by 2028
Where this job works
The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025).
- Iron and Steel Mills and Ferroalloy Manufacturing8,050 people
- Steel Product Manufacturing from Purchased Steel2,840 people
- Alumina and Aluminum Production and Processing2,250 people
- Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (3321, 3322, 3325, 3326, and 3329 only)2,140 people
- Nonferrous Metal (except Aluminum) Production and Processing1,490 people
Where the most of these jobs are
The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025).