Metal finisher vs grinder

The differences between metal finishers and grinders can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a metal finisher has an average salary of $34,760, which is higher than the $33,001 average annual salary of a grinder.

The top three skills for a metal finisher include grinders, stainless steel and hand tools. The most important skills for a grinder are grinders, hand tools, and calipers.

Metal finisher vs grinder overview

	Metal Finisher	Grinder
Yearly salary	$34,760	$33,001
Hourly rate	$16.71	$15.87
Growth rate	-5%	1%
Number of jobs	4,896	3,409
Job satisfaction	-	4
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 47%	High School Diploma, 58%
Average age	44	48
Years of experience	-	4

Metal finisher vs grinder salary

Metal finishers and grinders have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Metal Finisher	Grinder
Average salary	$34,760	$33,001
Salary range	Between $28,000 And $42,000	Between $26,000 And $40,000
Highest paying City	Oregon City, OR	Tualatin, OR
Highest paying state	Oregon	New Mexico
Best paying company	MicroPort	Kennametal
Best paying industry	Health Care	Automotive

Differences between metal finisher and grinder education

There are a few differences between a metal finisher and a grinder in terms of educational background:

	Metal Finisher	Grinder
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 47%	High School Diploma, 58%
Most common major	Business	Precision Metal Working
Most common college	-	-

Metal finisher vs grinder demographics

Here are the differences between metal finishers' and grinders' demographics:

	Metal Finisher	Grinder
Average age	44	48
Gender ratio	Male, 89.3% Female, 10.7%	Male, 91.3% Female, 8.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 7.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.8% Asian, 2.7% White, 69.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%	Black or African American, 4.0% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.7% Asian, 6.3% White, 70.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	6%	3%

Differences between metal finisher and grinder duties and responsibilities

Metal finisher example responsibilities.

Train and instruct other polishers and achieve significant improvements in their productivity.
Prepare a variety of jigs and fabricate extremely ornate gates, railings, stairs, and fences.
Operate fork lifts, cutting torches and power tools to dismantle equipment to find and remove defective parts.
Concrete construction, bobcat operator, concrete finisher
Assist ICM with project management responsibilities and updating and editing documentation for ISO compliance.
Manufacture extruded aluminum evaporator coils, condenser coils, and other products for heat transfer applications.

Grinder example responsibilities.

Machine carbide, harden tool steel, harden stainless steel, and ceramic.
Verify dimensional compliance using micrometers, calipers, ultrasonic testing and similar types of dimensional inspection devices.
Set up and run O.D.
Support for lathes and EDM (i.e.
Grind drills, end mills, taps etc.
Set up and run surface grinder at 200 to 300/ hour.

Metal finisher vs grinder skills

Common metal finisher skills

Grinders, 13%
Stainless Steel, 8%
Hand Tools, 8%
Dents, 7%
Detect Defects, 5%
Quality Checks, 4%

Common grinder skills

Grinders, 20%
Hand Tools, 12%
Calipers, 8%
Grinding Machines, 7%
Grinding Wheels, 7%
CNC, 6%