Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between furnace operators and line operators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a furnace operator has an average salary of $35,972, which is higher than the $34,520 average annual salary of a line operator.
The top three skills for a furnace operator include math, basic math and cranes. The most important skills for a line operator are preventative maintenance, PPE, and basic math.
| Furnace Operator | Line Operator | |
| Yearly salary | $35,972 | $34,520 |
| Hourly rate | $17.29 | $16.60 |
| Growth rate | -5% | 7% |
| Number of jobs | 58,975 | 137,127 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 55% | High School Diploma, 49% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
A furnace operator records time and production data, adjusts thermostats, and observes a pyrometer to maintain the temperature between specified limits. The operators set furnace control to regulate the temperature and heating time. They measure the temperature of the products to determine the necessity for adjusting furnace temperature using thermal instruments and charts. Their duties include the removal of materials from the furnace using signals overhead crane operator and transfer it to the next station and open furnace doors. This process will allow them to admit slabs, sheet, plate, and coil to lower ingots and uncover soaking pits into them.
A line operator is responsible for assisting in warehouse and factory operations, usually assigned on doing heavy works for the production. Line operators' duties include operating manufacturing machines and equipment, placing products on the appropriate shelves, checking supplies and inventories, loading orders for shipments, inspecting products for any defects, labeling products accurately, adhering to the safety procedures to prevent product contamination, and observing sanitary regulations. A line operator must have comprehensive knowledge of the mechanical industry, as well as the ability to multi-task, especially on meeting deadlines and processing customers' orders.
Furnace operators and line operators have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Furnace Operator | Line Operator | |
| Average salary | $35,972 | $34,520 |
| Salary range | Between $29,000 And $44,000 | Between $27,000 And $43,000 |
| Highest paying City | Rochester, NY | Grand Forks, ND |
| Highest paying state | New York | North Dakota |
| Best paying company | BWX Technologies | BD |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a furnace operator and a line operator in terms of educational background:
| Furnace Operator | Line Operator | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 55% | High School Diploma, 49% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between furnace operators' and line operators' demographics:
| Furnace Operator | Line Operator | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 92.6% Female, 7.4% | Male, 67.6% Female, 32.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.9% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 17.0% Asian, 3.6% White, 62.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% | Black or African American, 11.9% Unknown, 3.4% Hispanic or Latino, 15.4% Asian, 7.0% White, 61.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 5% |