Tool and Die Makers
Analyze specifications, lay out metal stock, set up and operate machine tools, and fit and assemble parts to make and repair dies, cutting tools, jigs, fixtures, gauges, and machinists' hand tools.
56,930 people do this job in the US. $64,050 a year.
of the working time. Estimate.
- 36%
- 0%
- 64%
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, 9%. Today's estimate: 13%.
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 . 17 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fit and assemble parts to make, repair, or modify dies, jigs, gauges, and tools, using machine tools, hand tools, or welders.Done daily by most who do it. | 17% | 3.3 h50 min to 1.7 work days | Stays with people | |
| Set up and operate conventional or computer numerically controlled machine tools such as lathes, milling machines, or grinders to cut, bore, grind, or otherwise shape parts to prescribed dimensions and finishes.Done several times a day by most who do it. | 16% | 2.5 h38 min to 6.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Develop and design new tools and dies, using computer-aided design software.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 11% | 1 work day2.5 h to 4.2 work days | 5%Half by Dec 2027 | |
| Design jigs, fixtures, and templates for use as work aids in the fabrication of parts or products.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 11% | 4.2 h1.7 h to 1.3 work days | 27%Half by Jan 2027 | |
| Study blueprints, sketches, models, or specifications to plan sequences of operations for fabricating tools, dies, or assemblies.Done daily by most who do it. | 9% | 1.7 h25 min to 4.2 h | 57%Half by now | |
| Smooth and polish flat and contoured surfaces of parts or tools, using scrapers, abrasive stones, files, emery cloths, or power grinders.Done daily by most who do it. | 5% | 1.7 h25 min to 3.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Conduct test runs with completed tools or dies to ensure that parts meet specifications, making adjustments as necessary.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 5% | 2.1 h50 min to 5 h | Stays with people | |
| Verify dimensions, alignments, and clearances of finished parts for conformance to specifications, using measuring instruments such as calipers, gauge blocks, micrometers, or dial indicators.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 4% | 25 min8 min to 1.3 h | Stays with people | |
| File, grind, shim, and adjust different parts to properly fit them together.Done daily by most who do it. | 4% | 1.3 h25 min to 4.2 h | Stays with people | |
| Visualize and compute dimensions, sizes, shapes, and tolerances of assemblies, based on specifications.Done daily by most who do it. | 3% | 38 min13 min to 1.7 h | 95%Half by now | |
| Set up and operate drill presses to drill and tap holes in parts for assembly.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 3% | 1.1 h25 min to 2.1 h | Stays with people | |
| Measure, mark, and scribe metal or plastic stock to lay out machining, using instruments such as protractors, micrometers, scribes, or rulers.Done several times a day by most who do it. | 3% | 38 min13 min to 1.7 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.
- Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners6% now, 6% by 2028
- Model Makers, Metal and Plastic18% now, 22% by 2028
- Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand11% now, 11% by 2028
- Milling and Planing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic18% now, 18% by 2028
- Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic6% now, 6% by 2028
- Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic7% now, 7% 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).