Metal machining setters and setter-operators: salary in the UK
About £29,686 a year after tax (England, Wales and Northern Ireland, 2026/27)
median salary a year, full-time, +1.6% on last year
£3,029 a month About £2,474 a month after tax 45 thousand full-time jobs
Gross pay before tax, including bonuses, commission and overtime. Not included: benefits in kind such as a company car. About the data
Pay range
The dark part is the middle half of full-time employees (25% to 75%); the light bar runs from 10% to 90%. ONS doesn't publish the highest or lowest salary, and x means a figure wasn't published.
Pay by year
The median went from £28,597 in 2021 to £36,342 in 2026 (+27%); for all full-time employees in the UK it changed by +31% over the same years.
Figures by year
| P10 | P25 | Median | P75 | P90 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | £19,603 | £23,506 | £28,597 | £34,538 | x |
| 2022 | £20,406 | £24,156 | £30,316 | £36,091 | x |
| 2023 | x | £26,831 | £32,656 | £39,411 | x |
| 2024 | £24,086 | £28,513 | £34,601 | £40,945 | x |
| 2025 | £25,679 | £30,075 | £35,755 | £42,855 | x |
| 2026 | £26,256 | £30,414 | £36,342 | £43,413 | x |
ONS figures for each year, not adjusted for inflation. Years before 2021 used a different occupation classification, so they can't be compared. Earlier years are ONS's revised figures; the latest is provisional.
Half of full-time employees in this occupation earn less than £36,342 a year and half earn more. That is 11% less than the median for all full-time employees in the UK (£40,911).
The middle half earn between £30,414 and £43,413; one in ten earns less than £26,256.
Ranked by median, it is number 193 of the 362 occupations with a published figure.
At the median salary, take-home pay after Income Tax and National Insurance is about £2,474 a month in England, Wales or Northern Ireland and £2,471 in Scotland.
Percentiles
| Percentile | Annual | Monthly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th (P10) | £26,256 | £2,188 |
| 20th | £29,036 | £2,420 |
| 25th (P25) | £30,414 | £2,534 |
| 30th | £31,525 | £2,627 |
| 40th | £33,964 | £2,830 |
| Median (50th) | £36,342 | £3,029 |
| 60th | £39,192 | £3,266 |
| 70th | £41,964 | £3,497 |
| 75th (P75) | £43,413 | £3,618 |
| 80th | £45,673 | £3,806 |
| 90th (P90) | x | x |
Men and women
| Median | Mean | Jobs (thousands) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Men | £36,410 | £38,474 | 43 |
| Women | x | £30,699 | x |
Take-home pay at the median
| Where you live | Per year | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| England, Wales, NI | £29,686 | £2,474 |
| Scotland | £29,657 | £2,471 |
After Income Tax and National Insurance for 2026 to 2027, with the standard tax code and no pension or student loan. Work out your own take-home pay · Take-home pay on £36,000
Job titles in this occupation
ONS codes these 254 job titles to SOC 5221 Metal machining setters and setter-operators. Pay figures are for the whole occupation, not for each title.
- Air driller
- Auto setter
- Auto-setter
- Automatic machine setter
- Automatic setter
- Axle box driller
- Axle bush finisher
- Axle bush turner
- Axle grinder
- Axle turner
- Barrel driller
- Barrel fine borer
- Bayonet miller
- Bobbin turner
- Bolster grinder
- Borer
- Boring machinist
- Brake press setter-operator
- Broaching miller
- Bush maker
- Cam-bowl grinder
- Camshaft grinder
- Capstan engineer
- Capstan lathe setter
- Capstan lathe setter-operator
- Capstan lathe turner
- Capstan setter
- Capstan setter-operator
- Capstan turner
- Case maker
- Casement driller
- Centre boss turner
- Centre lathe setter
- Centre lathe setter-operator
- Centre lathe turner
- Centreless grinder
- Circle driller
- Clock case maker
- CNC engineer
- CNC grinder
- CNC lathe turner
- CNC machine operator
- CNC machine setter
- CNC machine setter operator
- CNC machine setter-operator
- CNC machinist
- CNC miller
- CNC operative
- CNC operator
- CNC press setter
- CNC programmer
- CNC setter
- CNC setter operator
- CNC setter-operator
- CNC technician
- CNC turner
- Coiling machine setter
- Commutator turner
- Computer numerically control engineer
- Concave miller
Show all 254 titles
- Copper band turner
- Crank turner
- Crankshaft grinder
- Crankshaft turner
- Cutlery grinder
- Cutter grinder
- Cutter turner
- Cutter-grinder
- Cylinder borer
- Cylinder grinder
- Cylindrical grinder
- Die cast setter
- Die miller
- Die planer
- Die setter
- Die turner
- Die-sinking machine setter-operator
- Disc grinder
- Drill bits grinder
- Drill grinder
- Drill setter
- Drill setter-operator
- Driller
- Driller setter
- Engine turner
- Engineer miller
- Engineer's miller
- Engineer's setter
- Engineer-driller
- Engineer-machinist
- Engineering grinder
- Engineering miller
- Engraver's turner
- External grinder
- Face grinder
- Facer
- Facing machinist
- Faller driller
- Ferrule maker
- File grinder
- Flyer cutter
- Frame driller
- Gas burner driller
- Gas ring driller
- Gear cutter
- Gear grinder
- General turner
- Grinder
- Grinder-setter
- Grinding engineer
- Grinding machinist
- Gun turner
- Hackle driller
- Hand turner
- Heading machine setter
- Hob grinder
- Horizontal borer
- Horizontal miller
- Instrument grinder
- Internal grinder
- Iron borer
- Jig borer
- Jig grinder
- Jig setter
- Knife grinder
- Lathe engineer
- Lathe machinist
- Lathe operator
- Lathe setter
- Lathe setter and turner
- Lathe setter-operator
- Lathe turner
- Lathe turner engineer
- Lawn mower grinder
- Locomotive turner
- Loom turner
- Machine driller
- Machine grinder
- Machine miller
- Machine programmer
- Machine setter
- Machine setter-operator
- Machine tool setter
- Machine tool setter-operator
- Machine tool shaper
- Maintenance turner
- Marine turner
- Metal miller
- Miller
- Miller and turner
- Milling engineer
- Milling machinist
- Milling setter
- Mould turner
- Nc lathe turner
- NC machine setter-operator
- Nc miller
- Nc press setter
- Nc programmer
- Numerical control programmer
- Optical profile grinder
- Pin driller
- Planer
- Planing engineer
- Power press setter
- Precision grinder
- Press brake operator
- Press setter
- Press setter-operator
- Press tool setter
- Press tool setter-operator
- Profile cutter
- Profile miller
- Race grinder
- Radial arm driller
- Radial driller
- Rail driller
- Razor grinder
- Rim driller
- Ring turner
- Robot operator
- Robot programmer
- Roll grinder
- Roll setter
- Roll turner
- Roll turning lathe setter-operator
- Roller grinder
- Roller turner
- Rough turner
- Saw grinder
- Scissors borer
- Screw cutter
- Segmental grinder
- Setter
- Setter-operator
- Setter-up
- Shaft grinder
- Shears grinder
- Slider
- Space band miller
- Spill borer
- Spindle grinder
- Spindle setter
- Spinner
- Spline grinder
- Spring grinder
- Spring grinder and finisher
- Steel planer engineer
- Steel tube turner
- Surface grinder
- Tackler
- Textile turner
- Tip driller
- Tong borer
- Tool and cutter grinder
- Tool cutter and grinder
- Tool grinder
- Tool miller
- Tool room borer
- Tool room driller
- Tool room grinder
- Tool room miller
- Tool room shaper
- Tool room turner
- Tool setter
- Tool setter-operator
- Tool turner
- Toolsetter
- Turner
- Turner engineer
- Turner-engineer
- Turret lathe setter
- Turret lathe setter-operator
- Turret lathe turner
- Turret setter-operator
- Tyre borer
- Tyre turner
- Universal borer
- Universal grinder
- Universal miller
- Universal tool grinder
- Valve grinder
- Valve turner
- Vertical borer
- Vertical driller
- Vertical miller
- Vice pin cutter
- Wall planer and slotter
- Watch case maker
- Wheel borer
- Wheel disc finisher
- Wheel driller
- Wheel turner
- Worm cutter
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Source: ONS, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings 2026 provisional, Table 14.7a (full-time employees, gross annual pay, UK, tax year ending 5 April 2026). Provisional figures may be revised.