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Etchers and Engravers: Job Description

Engrave or etch metal, wood, rubber, or other materials. Includes such workers as etcher-circuit processors, pantograph engravers, and silk screen etchers.

The Daily Work of Etchers and Engravers Perform?

Typical responsibilities of etchers and engravers include:

• Inspect etched work for depth of etching, uniformity, and defects, using calibrated microscopes, gauges, fingers, or magnifying lenses.
• Examine sketches, diagrams, samples, blueprints, or photographs to decide how designs are to be etched, cut, or engraved onto workpieces.
• Clean and polish engraved areas.

Key Skills and Knowledge

Effective etchers and engravers draw on a mix of skills and domain knowledge.

Most Important Skills

These are the skills most central to this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Core Knowledge

Other Etchers and Engravers Job Titles

This career also goes by job titles like:

• Acid Etch Operator
• Award Machine Operator
• Block Engraver
• Bowling Ball Engraver
• Chemical Engraver
• Cold Etch Operator
• Decorative Engraver
• Die Cutter

Job Outlook

There are about 862,700 etchers and engravers working in the United States today. This occupation is expected to grow by +14.7% over the projection horizon.

Salary for Etchers and Engravers

Statistic	Value
Annual median	$28,903
Hourly median	$13.90
10th percentile	$20,000
25th percentile	$23,260
75th percentile	$34,546
90th percentile	$40,188

Pay can vary substantially based on experience, location, and industry.

How Much Do Etchers and Engravers Make in Different U.S. States?

State	Annual median salary
Vermont	$68,030
Rhode Island	$59,690
Washington	$57,520
Maryland	$52,000
New Jersey	$50,530
Illinois	$47,720
Tennessee	$46,040
Pennsylvania	$45,890
Connecticut	$44,860
Minnesota	$44,260
South Dakota	$44,160
Massachusetts	$43,870
New Hampshire	$43,720
California	$42,800
Indiana	$42,790
Michigan	$42,320
Wisconsin	$42,070
Iowa	$41,600
Colorado	$41,140
Florida	$39,870
Montana	$39,520
South Carolina	$39,520
Utah	$39,190
Georgia	$38,860
Oregon	$38,800
New York	$38,750
Alabama	$38,710
Kentucky	$38,710
North Carolina	$38,350
Maine	$38,320
Virginia	$37,820
Oklahoma	$37,180
Ohio	$36,880
Arkansas	$36,680
Idaho	$36,620
Texas	$35,680
Arizona	$35,330
Missouri	$35,180
Nebraska	$34,580
Mississippi	$32,360
Kansas	$24,540

Where Etchers and Engravers Earn the Most

Pay for etchers and engravers vary by region. These regions lead on median pay:

Region	Median annual wage	Share of U.S. jobs	Location quotient
New England	$45,325	9.4%	2.06
Middle Atlantic	$43,278	10.7%	0.88
Far Western US	$43,198	13.4%	0.92
Great Lakes	$42,827	24.0%	2.03
Plains States	$40,209	6.6%	1.50
Southeast	$39,847	15.3%	0.93
Rocky Mountains	$39,479	2.9%	0.82
Southwest	$35,710	17.8%	1.43

Where the Jobs Cluster

Metro area	State	Median annual wage	Employment
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA	WA	$62,120	40
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA	CA	$59,010	90
Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD	MD	$52,000
St. Louis, MO-IL	MO	$48,570	50
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD	PA	$47,750	80
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI	MI	$47,320
Memphis, TN-MS-AR	TN	$47,320	60
Chattanooga, TN-GA	TN	$46,630	30

Top Industries Employing Etchers and Engravers

Most etchers and engravers work in these industries:

Industry	Employment	Median annual wage
Manufacturing	4,480	$42,400
Retail Trade	3,060	$36,610
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	430	$46,730
Wholesale Trade	180	$47,170
Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services	100	$37,210

The table below shows some of the most common industries where those employed in this career field work.

Software Etchers and Engravers Use

• Graphics or photo imaging software: Adobe Illustrator (hot technology)
• Office suite software: Microsoft Office software (hot technology)
• Operating system software: Microsoft Windows (hot technology)

Work Environment

The work environment for etchers and engravers reflects the following characteristics:

• Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
• Importance of Being Exact or Accurate
• Indoors, Environmentally Controlled
• Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls
• Time Pressure

Education and Training

Typical etchers and engravers positions require a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education. The role falls in Some Preparation Needed (Job Zone 2), signaling the level of preparation typically expected.

Other Careers to Consider

Similar Occupations

• Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic (Supplemental)
• Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic (Primary-Long)
• Milling and Planing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic (Primary-Long)
• Model Makers, Metal and Plastic (Supplemental)
• Patternmakers, Metal and Plastic (Primary-Short)
• Tool and Die Makers (Primary-Short)
• Layout Workers, Metal and Plastic (Supplemental)
• Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners (Supplemental)

References

Data on this page comes from the following authoritative sources:

• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
• BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
• O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.

SOC code: 51-9194.00 (Etchers and Engravers).