Your work. Your records.
Tool and Die Maker Workplace Records
Tool and die work may combine interpreting specifications, machining components and checking an assembly’s clearances. A workplace concern needs the design version and responsibility assigned to you. Describe the tooling function generally, keeping your own employment experience distinct from a technical conclusion about a failed part or production process.
Call now(800) 800-5555Free initial case evaluation. Representation depends on work state and case eligibility. This guide explains record preparation; it does not determine whether a legal claim exists.
A record map for your role
What to organize first
Version record
List the specification and approved revision relevant to the component or assembly.
Fit sequence
Describe the check you performed, the issue reported and the person directing rework.
Own time
Compare your personal entries with planning, setup and adjustments, labeling estimates.
Start with the work you actually do
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.
O*NET classifies this occupation as Tool and Die Makers (51-4111.00). Its description covers a typical occupation, not every workplace or individual job. It does not establish employee status, overtime eligibility or employer misconduct.
- Verify dimensions, alignments, and clearances of finished parts for conformance to specifications, using measuring instruments such as calipers, gauge blocks, micrometers, or dial indicators.Source task 8490 · updated 08/2021
- 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.Source task 8492 · updated 08/2021
- Visualize and compute dimensions, sizes, shapes, and tolerances of assemblies, based on specifications.Source task 8491 · updated 08/2021
- Study blueprints, sketches, models, or specifications to plan sequences of operations for fabricating tools, dies, or assemblies.Source task 8489 · updated 08/2021
A reference point for your pay records
May 2025 wage estimates by state
Compare your pay records with published BLS estimates for Tool and Die Makers (SOC 51-4111). These describe an occupation across employers. They are not a required pay rate, an overtime calculation, or evidence of discrimination or unpaid wages.
Select your work state to see its published pay range. No personal pay information is requested or sent.
The 25th and 75th percentiles mark the middle half of the estimated wage distribution; the median is its midpoint. Actual pay can differ with experience, employer, location and duties. Hourly and annual figures are shown as published, without converting one into the other.
All published state estimates for this occupation
| State | Hourly 25th | Hourly median | Hourly 75th | Annual median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $24.73 | $31.15 | $35.12 | $64,800 |
| Arizona | $22.43 | $28.44 | $37.33 | $59,140 |
| Arkansas | $22.82 | $27.33 | $31.57 | $56,840 |
| Connecticut | $29.36 | $37.28 | $42.53 | $77,540 |
| Florida | $24.24 | $30.71 | $36.60 | $63,890 |
| Georgia | $23.93 | $28.86 | $34.39 | $60,020 |
| Idaho | $23.33 | $27.79 | $36.47 | $57,800 |
| Indiana | $28.48 | $32.72 | $39.49 | $68,050 |
| Iowa | $28.34 | $31.25 | $35.74 | $65,000 |
| Kansas | $30.07 | $40.33 | $40.45 | $83,890 |
| Kentucky | $25.88 | $32.00 | $38.94 | $66,570 |
| Louisiana | $21.71 | $22.57 | $27.94 | $46,950 |
| Maine | $29.93 | $38.42 | $39.83 | $79,910 |
| Michigan | $26.78 | $31.53 | $38.75 | $65,590 |
| Minnesota | $30.00 | $34.15 | $39.52 | $71,020 |
| Mississippi | $20.94 | $27.87 | $34.10 | $57,980 |
| Missouri | $23.09 | $29.24 | $40.20 | $60,810 |
| Nebraska | $29.25 | $33.24 | $38.48 | $69,150 |
| New Hampshire | $29.97 | $33.61 | $39.44 | $69,910 |
| New Mexico | $21.14 | $23.06 | $30.75 | $47,960 |
| New York | $27.35 | $32.73 | $39.74 | $68,080 |
| North Carolina | $23.85 | $29.36 | $33.90 | $61,060 |
| North Dakota | $30.17 | $35.16 | $39.50 | $73,130 |
| Ohio | $23.54 | $29.94 | $36.26 | $62,280 |
| Oklahoma | $22.23 | $31.67 | $35.90 | $65,870 |
| Pennsylvania | $23.85 | $29.40 | $34.52 | $61,160 |
| Rhode Island | $25.65 | $30.49 | $37.66 | $63,430 |
| South Dakota | $24.80 | $28.74 | $31.11 | $59,770 |
| Tennessee | $23.67 | $29.21 | $34.96 | $60,760 |
| Texas | $20.14 | $26.67 | $34.84 | $55,470 |
| Utah | $22.58 | $27.28 | $37.23 | $56,740 |
| Vermont | $27.72 | $33.32 | $42.38 | $69,300 |
| Virginia | $25.10 | $30.79 | $35.89 | $64,050 |
| West Virginia | $21.58 | $22.21 | $29.98 | $46,190 |
| Wisconsin | $28.69 | $32.75 | $37.10 | $68,120 |
“Not published” preserves unavailable or suppressed source cells. “Above reporting limit” preserves a top-coded source value without inventing a number. A missing state estimate does not establish service eligibility. The data describe wage and salary employment; they do not measure self-employment income.
Source: BLS May 2025 state workbook · OEWS tables · BLS technical notes. Use your own schedule, pay statement and compensation terms to identify the question you want reviewed.
Trace specifications and fitting decisions
Record the drawing version, dimensions supplied and role approving a change. Note whether you fabricated a component, fitted an assembly or repaired existing tooling. Distinguish your measurements from later production feedback, including any clarification you requested before further work.
Explain setup and iterative work
List planning, setup, machining and fit adjustments relevant to your own hours or evaluation. Record unavailable materials or shared-equipment delays you reported. A finished tool count may not describe the preparation required, but your account should not invent durations for missing records.
Protect tooling and inspection assets
Do not remove dies, gauge data, customer drawings or machine programs for a personal file. Identify relevant record types and versions for review. Never recreate an unsafe setup to support the account; keep your own instructions, training and employment feedback separately.
Choose your next step
Review the workplace retaliation guide, unpaid wages guide, or discrimination guide if those concerns fit your experience. A job title alone does not establish a claim.
Call now(800) 800-5555Current service-state coverage
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