Extrusion Operator Job Description: Duties, Template & Pay (2026)
This extrusion operator job description covers the person who keeps a line making good product: loading the hopper, holding temperature, speed and vacuum where the spec says, catching the defect before a mile of scrap comes off the end, and changing dies when the schedule changes. Below: the template, the requirements worth keeping, and what the job pays.
What an extrusion operator does
The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts extrusion operators as extruding and drawing machine setters, operators and tenders, metal and plastic (SOC 51-4021): workers who set up, operate or tend machines that extrude or draw thermoplastic or metal into tubes, rods, hoses, wire, bars or structural shapes. O*NET lists Extruder Operator, Extrusion Line Operator, Extrusion Press Operator, Setup Operator and Wire Mill Operator among the titles people in the occupation hold.
The core tasks O*NET records are the job in plain terms: measure and examine product for defects and conformance to spec, adjusting controls as needed; start machines and set controls for vacuum, air pressure, sizing rings and temperature, and synchronize line speed; select dies and parts and work out setup procedures; change and replace dies; load hoppers with mixed material; troubleshoot and make minor repairs; and test physical properties with burst and impact testers. Many operators also weigh and mix resin pellets and color pigments and reel or cut finished product to length.
It is a monitoring job with a lot of consequences. A drift in melt temperature or line speed does not stop the machine; it just makes out-of-spec product until someone notices.
| Working conditions | Share reporting it |
|---|---|
| Protective equipment such as safety glasses, gloves and hearing protection | 100% every day |
| Standing | 99% continually or almost continually |
| Time pressure | 97% every day |
| Distracting or uncomfortable noise | 85% every day |
| Minor burns, cuts or stings | 71% every day |
| More than 40 hours a week | 67% |
Two of those rows belong in your ad rather than your handbook. Heat and noise are the job; say what you do about them. And two-thirds work more than 40 hours, so state the overtime pattern and the rotation plainly — for an operator comparing offers, the schedule is often worth more than a dollar an hour.
Extrusion operator job description template
Copy this, replace the bracketed fields and delete what does not apply. It is written for a plastics line; the customization section covers aluminum, film and wire.
Job title
Extrusion Operator [/ Extruder Operator / Extrusion Line Operator] — [Shift], [Company name], [City, ST]
Summary
[Company name] makes [product] on [number] extrusion lines in [city]. As an extrusion operator you will run a line from startup to changeover: loading material, holding the process to spec, checking product as it comes off, and fixing small problems before they become scrap.
[Shift pattern, e.g. 12-hour rotating days and nights]. [Pay range and shift differential]. [One honest sentence on why people stay.]
What you will do
• Start up, run and shut down [pipe / profile / sheet / film / aluminum] extrusion lines
• Load hoppers and blend resin, regrind and colorant to the recipe
• Set and adjust temperature, screw speed, line speed, vacuum and cooling to the work order
• Measure product with [calipers / micrometers / gauges] and record results every [interval]
• Spot defects, adjust the process, and quarantine nonconforming product
• Change dies, sizing tooling and [pullers / cutters / winders] during changeovers
• Perform routine cleaning and minor maintenance; flag bigger problems to maintenance
• Package, label and stage finished product; move material with [forklift / pallet jack]
• Follow lockout/tagout and all plant safety rules
What you need
• High school diploma or equivalent
• Able to read a tape measure and use basic measuring tools — we teach the rest
• Comfortable standing a full shift in a warm, noisy plant with required safety gear
• Able to lift [weight] [frequency]
• Available for [rotation / overtime / weekends]
Nice to have
• Extrusion, injection molding or other machine operating experience
• [Forklift certification]
• Experience with [SPC charts / SAP / your MES]
What we offer
• [Pay range, differential, overtime rate]
• [Benefits and the date they start]
• [Paid training and a pay step when you are signed off to run a line alone]
• [The path: lead operator, setup technician, process technician]
How to apply
[One step. A short form and a call back within a day.]
Requirements: what to ask for, and what to drop
| Requirement | What to know |
|---|---|
| Experience | BLS lists no prior work experience for entry and moderate-term on-the-job training. Ask for experience on setup roles, not on operator postings. |
| Education | High school diploma or equivalent. 61 percent of O*NET respondents said a new hire needs one. |
| Measuring | Say which tools: tape, calipers, micrometers, gauges. A candidate who has used them on another line will recognize your job in the list. |
| Heat and noise | 62 percent report very hot or cold temperatures every day. Name the conditions and the controls you have: fans, cooling, hearing protection. |
| Schedule | If the lines run continuously, spell out the rotation. “Must be flexible” loses candidates; “2-2-3, every other weekend off” recruits them. |
| Forklift | Say whether it is required or whether you certify in-house. |
Customizing it by setting
Plastic pipe, profile and tubing
Vacuum sizing tanks, pullers, saws and inline measurement. Name the product and the diameter range; operators who have run pipe know it is a different job from film.
Blown and cast film, sheet
Gauge control, bubble stability, winders and roll changes. Say whether the operator also handles slitting or printing downstream.
Aluminum and metal extrusion
Billet heating, the press, die changes, stretching and saws. Expect heat and heavy material; be specific about lifting and PPE, and about whether the role includes press setup.
Wire and cable
The drawing side of the occupation: wire mill operators drawing metal through dies, often feeding insulating extrusion lines. Say which half of the process the job covers.
Compounding and regrind
If the operator mixes resin and pigment to a recipe, see the mixer operator job description for that part of the role.
What extrusion operators earn
Extruding and drawing machine setters, operators and tenders had a median wage of $47,720 a year, or $22.94 an hour, in May 2025.
| May 2025 wage | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $17.65 | $36,700 |
| 25th percentile | $19.45 | $40,450 |
| Median | $22.94 | $47,720 |
| 75th percentile | $27.33 | $56,840 |
| 90th percentile | $30.63 | $63,710 |
O*NET places 96 percent of the occupation in manufacturing. BLS projects employment to edge up 0.7 percent, from 60,900 in 2025 to 61,400 in 2035, with about 5,400 openings a year — almost all of them replacing people who leave. The operators you want are mostly running someone else’s line right now.
What it costs to reach an extrusion operator
Warehouse and production roles have a median cost per applicant of $9.83 on Meta across our managed campaigns, with the middle half of campaigns between $3.15 and $18.72, a blended figure of $4.44 and a 20 percent apply rate, across 82 campaign-months. The all-role median is $13.88.
Across the whole benchmark, applicant conversion explains about 70 percent of the variation in cost per applicant. An operator coming off a 12-hour shift will answer a few questions on an instant form; a portal with a resume upload loses most of them.
Staffing the rest of the floor? See the injection molding operator, machine operator, production operator and quality control inspector job descriptions, and manufacturing recruiting for the hiring side.
The job description is not the job ad
The template goes in the ATS. The ad has one job: get an operator who was not looking to stop scrolling.
- Open with shift, rotation and pay. That is what an operator compares first.
- Name the product and the process. “Extrusion operator, PVC pipe” tells an experienced candidate more than a paragraph of company history.
- Say how long until someone runs a line alone and what the pay step is.
- One application step.
More on writing the ad in job ad copywriting, and production recruiting covers filling several shifts at once.
Frequently asked questions
What does an extrusion operator do?
An extrusion operator sets up, runs and monitors machines that push plastic or metal through a die to make continuous shapes such as pipe, tubing, film, profiles, rods and wire. The job includes loading material, setting temperature, speed and vacuum, measuring product for defects, changing dies and making minor repairs.
What should an extrusion operator job description include?
The product and process, the shift and rotation, the pay range and differential, the measuring tools used, the real heat, noise and lifting demands, whether forklift work is involved, and the path from operator to setup or process technician.
What qualifications does an extrusion operator need?
A high school diploma or equivalent is typical; BLS lists no prior work experience and moderate-term on-the-job training. Useful extras are experience on another production line, measuring-tool skills and forklift certification.
What is the difference between an extrusion operator and an injection molding operator?
Extrusion makes a continuous shape by pushing material through a die, then cuts or winds it. Injection molding shoots material into a closed mold to make individual parts. BLS counts them as separate occupations: extruding and drawing machine operators, and molding, coremaking and casting machine operators.
How much do extrusion operators make?
The median wage for extruding and drawing machine setters, operators and tenders was $47,720 a year, or $22.94 an hour, in May 2025. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $36,700 and the highest 10 percent more than $63,710.
Is extrusion operator a hard job?
It is physically steady rather than heavy. 99 percent report standing continually, 85 percent work with uncomfortable noise every day, 62 percent with very hot or cold temperatures every day, and 67 percent work more than 40 hours a week.
What is an extrusion setup operator?
A setup operator prepares the line for a run: selecting and installing dies and sizing tooling, setting process parameters and proving the first product. If your plant treats it as a more senior role, post it separately with its own pay range rather than folding it into an operator posting.
How much does it cost to recruit an extrusion operator?
On Meta, warehouse and production roles run a median of $9.83 per applicant across our managed campaigns, with the middle half between $3.15 and $18.72 and a 20 percent apply rate. The all-role median is $13.88.
Other job description templates
Hiring extrusion operators?
The description is the document. Getting it in front of operators who are not on a job board is the part we do.
Wage data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, extruding and drawing machine setters, operators and tenders, metal and plastic (SOC 51-4021). Employment, projections, education and training: BLS Employment Projections 2025–35. Tasks, job titles, work context, education responses and industry share: O*NET OnLine 51-4021.00. Read at source 28 September 2026. Cost-per-applicant and apply-rate figures: Boostpoint 2026 Social Job Advertising Benchmark, 891 managed campaigns and 1,334 campaign-months.