Melter operator vs material handler/forklift operator

The differences between melter operators and material handler/forklift operators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a material handler/forklift operator has an average salary of $36,453, which is higher than the $35,740 average annual salary of a melter operator.

The top three skills for a melter operator include aluminum, safety procedures and customer specifications. The most important skills for a material handler/forklift operator are pallets, safety procedures, and electric pallet jack.

Melter operator vs material handler/forklift operator overview

	Melter Operator	Material Handler/Forklift Operator
Yearly salary	$35,740	$36,453
Hourly rate	$17.18	$17.53
Growth rate	7%	7%
Number of jobs	30,201	168,379
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 45%	High School Diploma, 59%
Average age	42	43
Years of experience	-	4

Melter operator vs material handler/forklift operator salary

Melter operators and material handler/forklift operators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Melter Operator	Material Handler/Forklift Operator
Average salary	$35,740	$36,453
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $47,000	Between $29,000 And $45,000
Highest paying City	-	Lakeville, MN
Highest paying state	-	North Dakota
Best paying company	-	Nestlé
Best paying industry	-	Automotive

Differences between melter operator and material handler/forklift operator education

There are a few differences between a melter operator and a material handler/forklift operator in terms of educational background:

	Melter Operator	Material Handler/Forklift Operator
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 45%	High School Diploma, 59%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Melter operator vs material handler/forklift operator demographics

Here are the differences between melter operators' and material handler/forklift operators' demographics:

	Melter Operator	Material Handler/Forklift Operator
Average age	42	43
Gender ratio	Male, 96.6% Female, 3.4%	Male, 89.1% Female, 10.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.7% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 11.1% Asian, 2.4% White, 69.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%	Black or African American, 16.3% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 18.2% Asian, 2.4% White, 58.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	8%	4%

Differences between melter operator and material handler/forklift operator duties and responsibilities

Melter operator example responsibilities.

Exhibit leadership skills by managing co-worker assignments while simultaneously monitoring the skate floor
Perform specialized production line and quality control duties in a professional production environment specializing in plastic extrusion.
Exhibit leadership skills by managing co-worker assignments while simultaneously monitoring the skate floor

Material handler/forklift operator example responsibilities.

Use automate systems and RF units to pull, put away and load customer product, in addition to managing inventory
Train in all aspects of warehousing, shipping, receiving using WMS.
Receive parts from the manufacturers and scan parts into the inventory using warehouse management system (WMS).
Perform specialized production line and quality control duties in a professional production environment specializing in plastic extrusion.
Determine require pallet count to meet the statistical receiving requirements.
Operate tools (hand truck, fork lift, dollies, hand jack), distribute materials to their designate departments.

Melter operator vs material handler/forklift operator skills

Common melter operator skills

Aluminum, 44%
Safety Procedures, 43%
Customer Specifications, 7%
Hoists, 5%

Common material handler/forklift operator skills

Pallets, 19%
Safety Procedures, 10%
Electric Pallet Jack, 10%
Forklift Operation, 7%
RF Scanner, 6%
Assembly Line, 4%

Melter Operator vs. similar jobs

Melter Operator related careers

Melter Operator related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Production and Manufacturing Industry
Melter Operator
Melter Operator vs Material Handler/Forklift Operator

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse production and manufacturing jobs