SOC 51-4051.00

    Metal-Refining Furnace Operators and Tenders

    Operate or tend furnaces, such as gas, oil, coal, electric-arc or electric induction, open-hearth, or oxygen furnaces, to melt and refine metal before casting or to produce specified types of steel.

    Median pay
    $54,430
    Growth
    -2.9%
    Decline
    Openings a year
    1,400
    Typical education
    High school diploma

    Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition

    Source: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

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    Annual pay range

    Lowest 10% earn less than
    $39,200
    Median
    $54,430
    Highest 10% earn more than
    $74,470
    National wages for all workers in this occupation. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.

    16,780 people work in this occupation.

    What metal-refining furnace operators and tenders do

    Job Zone 2: Some preparation

    Operate or tend furnaces, such as gas, oil, coal, electric-arc or electric induction, open-hearth, or oxygen furnaces, to melt and refine metal before casting or to produce specified types of steel.

    Usually a high school diploma; some on-the-job training or experience.

    Interest profile

    Realistic (R) · strongest
    98 / 100
    Investigative (I)
    29 / 100
    Artistic (A)
    1 / 100
    Social (S)
    0 / 100
    Enterprising (E)
    0 / 100
    Conventional (C)
    50 / 100
    How strongly each interest area describes the work, from O*NET (scores rescaled to 0–100). The interest code lists the strongest areas in order.

    Interest code RCI. Compare it with yours

    What you'd do

    Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings
    78
    Handling and Moving Objects
    77
    Getting Information
    76
    Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
    76
    Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials
    74
    Performing General Physical Activities
    70
    Making Decisions and Solving Problems
    64
    Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
    64
    Estimating the Quantifiable Characteristics of Products, Events, or Information
    61
    Controlling Machines and Processes
    61
    Work activities rated by importance for this occupation, O*NET (0–100).

    Skills and strengths

    Skills

    • Operations Monitoring
    • Operation and Control
    • Monitoring
    • Active Listening
    • Complex Problem Solving
    • Critical Thinking
    • Quality Control Analysis
    • Reading Comprehension
    • Speaking
    • Active Learning

    Knowledge

    • Production and Processing
    • Mechanical
    • Public Safety and Security
    • Administration and Management
    • Education and Training
    • Customer and Personal Service
    • Chemistry
    • Mathematics
    • English Language
    • Engineering and Technology

    Abilities

    • Control Precision
    • Manual Dexterity
    • Near Vision
    • Problem Sensitivity
    • Arm-Hand Steadiness
    • Reaction Time
    • Selective Attention
    • Information Ordering
    • Multilimb Coordination
    • Deductive Reasoning

    Work styles

    • Dependability
    • Cautiousness
    • Attention to Detail
    • Stress Tolerance
    • Perseverance
    • Integrity
    • Self-Control
    • Achievement Orientation
    • Self-Confidence
    • Adaptability

    Also called

    Arc and Argon Oxygen Decarburization Melter (ARC and AOD Melter) · Automatic Furnace Operator · Backbreaker · Bessemer Converter Blower · Bessemer Converter Operator · Bessemer Regulator · Blade Bender Furnace Tender · Blast Furnace Blower · Blast Furnace Keeper · Blast Furnace Operator

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    Sources and attribution

    Every figure on this page comes from these public datasets. Missing values are shown as not reported, never estimated.

    O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.

    Page data updated November 5, 2026.