Lumber handler vs material handler

The differences between lumber handlers and material handlers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a material handler has an average salary of $33,215, which is higher than the $28,973 average annual salary of a lumber handler.

The top three skills for a lumber handler include hand tools, pile and . The most important skills for a material handler are pallets, basic math, and forklifts.

Lumber handler vs material handler overview

	Lumber Handler	Material Handler
Yearly salary	$28,973	$33,215
Hourly rate	$13.93	$15.97
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	26,579	174,068
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 67%	High School Diploma, 51%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	-	-

Lumber handler vs material handler salary

Lumber handlers and material handlers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Lumber Handler	Material Handler
Average salary	$28,973	$33,215
Salary range	Between $23,000 And $35,000	Between $26,000 And $41,000
Highest paying City	Missoula, MT	Minneapolis, MN
Highest paying state	Alaska	Minnesota
Best paying company	TPI	Battelle
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	Automotive

Differences between lumber handler and material handler education

There are a few differences between a lumber handler and a material handler in terms of educational background:

	Lumber Handler	Material Handler
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 67%	High School Diploma, 51%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Lumber handler vs material handler demographics

Here are the differences between lumber handlers' and material handlers' demographics:

	Lumber Handler	Material Handler
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 95.9% Female, 4.1%	Male, 77.6% Female, 22.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.9% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 15.1% Asian, 4.8% White, 63.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%	Black or African American, 13.9% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 18.6% Asian, 5.6% White, 55.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%
LGBT Percentage	5%	5%

Differences between lumber handler and material handler duties and responsibilities

Lumber handler example responsibilities.

Distribute production materials to designate locations on assembly lines observing the first-in-first-out (FIFO) inventory control practice.
Thrive in this fast-pace environment requiring memorization, accuracy, and stamina.

Material handler example responsibilities.

Utilize a manufacturing cloud ERP system to accomplish tasks.
Operate forklift according to OSHA safety regulations.
Pull parts from stockroom using detail BOM's.
Perform daily transactions of materials and inventory movements in ERP system.
Help train in coming personnel on FedEx and LTL carriers shipping systems.
Move parts from CNC operators to stock area or to assemblers directly.

Lumber handler vs material handler skills

Common lumber handler skills

Hand Tools, 85%
Pile, 15%

Common material handler skills

Pallets, 12%
Basic Math, 6%
Forklifts, 6%
Math, 5%
Customer Service, 4%
Hand Tools, 4%

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Lumber Handler
Lumber Handler vs Material Handler

Updated January 8, 2025

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