Cold header operator vs heading machine operator

The differences between cold header operators and heading machine operators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a cold header operator has an average salary of $62,538, which is higher than the $38,675 average annual salary of a heading machine operator.

The top three skills for a cold header operator include calipers, grinders and SPC. The most important skills for a heading machine operator are hand tools, production run, and CNC.

Cold header operator vs heading machine operator overview

	Cold Header Operator	Heading Machine Operator
Yearly salary	$62,538	$38,675
Hourly rate	$30.07	$18.59
Growth rate	-5%	7%
Number of jobs	25,851	59,193
Job satisfaction	5	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 48%	High School Diploma, 45%
Average age	43	44
Years of experience	-	-

Cold header operator vs heading machine operator salary

Cold header operators and heading machine operators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Cold Header Operator	Heading Machine Operator
Average salary	$62,538	$38,675
Salary range	Between $39,000 And $99,000	Between $12,000 And $121,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between cold header operator and heading machine operator education

There are a few differences between a cold header operator and a heading machine operator in terms of educational background:

	Cold Header Operator	Heading Machine Operator
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 48%	High School Diploma, 45%
Most common major	Mechanical Engineering	Business
Most common college	-	-

Cold header operator vs heading machine operator demographics

Here are the differences between cold header operators' and heading machine operators' demographics:

	Cold Header Operator	Heading Machine Operator
Average age	43	44
Gender ratio	Male, 98.5% Female, 1.5%	Male, 78.4% Female, 21.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.7% Unknown, 2.8% Hispanic or Latino, 12.1% Asian, 2.3% White, 72.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 11.7% Unknown, 3.4% Hispanic or Latino, 15.3% Asian, 7.5% White, 60.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%
LGBT Percentage	3%	5%

Differences between cold header operator and heading machine operator duties and responsibilities

Cold header operator example responsibilities.

Use measuring equipment (calipers, micrometers, etc . )
Enforce QMS compliance fulfilling BSI regulate certification.
Maintain parts to blue-print specifications using micrometers, vernier calipers and measuring gages.
Enforce QMS compliance fulfilling BSI regulate certification.

Heading machine operator example responsibilities.

Use automate systems and RF units to pull, put away and load customer product, in addition to managing inventory
Set up, run and programe CNC machining centers using set up sheets.
Control & troubleshoot automate extrusion line adjusting speed & feed, monitoring temperature, & finish material specification per customers order.
Control & troubleshoot automate extrusion line adjusting speed & feed, monitoring temperature, & finish material specification per customers order.

Cold header operator vs heading machine operator skills

Common cold header operator skills

Calipers, 62%
Grinders, 19%
SPC, 17%
Formax, 2%

Common heading machine operator skills

Hand Tools, 31%
Production RUN, 23%
CNC, 20%
Calipers, 14%
RAN, 3%
Embroidery, 2%

Cold Header Operator vs. similar jobs

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Production and Manufacturing Industry
Cold Header Operator
Cold Header Operator vs Heading Machine Operator

Updated January 8, 2025

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