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How to hire a stacker

Stacker hiring summary. Here are some key points about hiring stackers in the United States:

  • HR departments typically spend 15% of their expenses on recruitment.
  • It usually takes about 12 weeks for a new employee to reach full productivity levels.
  • It typically takes 36-42 days to fill a job opening.
  • The median cost to hire a stacker is $1,633.
  • Small businesses spend an average of $1,105 per stacker on training each year, while large companies spend $658.
  • There are currently 37,732 stackers in the US and 27,528 job openings.
  • Atlanta, GA, has the highest demand for stackers, with 8 job openings.
  • Bakersfield, CA has the highest concentration of stackers.

How to hire a stacker, step by step

To hire a stacker, you should clearly understand the skills and experience you are looking for in a candidate, and allocate a budget for the position. You will also need to post and promote the job opening to reach potential candidates. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to hire a stacker:

Here's a step-by-step stacker hiring guide:

  • Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
  • Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
  • Step 3: Make a budget
  • Step 4: Write a stacker job description
  • Step 5: Post your job
  • Step 6: Interview candidates
  • Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new stacker
  • Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a stacker do?

A stacker operates machines to fit lumber stacks. These machines include conveyer chains, mechanical hands, and rollers. They may also be required to burn off feather edges with a gas torch.

Learn more about the specifics of what a stacker does
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  1. Identify your hiring needs

    Before you post your stacker job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a stacker for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

    Determine employee vs contractor status
    Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

    A stacker's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, stackers from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

    The following list breaks down different types of stackers and their corresponding salaries.

    Type of StackerDescriptionHourly rate
    StackerHand laborers and material movers manually move freight, stock, or other materials. Others feed or remove material to and from machines, clean vehicles, pick up unwanted household goods, and pack materials for moving.$10-18
    General HelperGeneral helpers are skilled workers who help other workers by performing tasks that need less skill, such as holding materials or tools and cleaning work areas and equipment. These helpers are required to provide general labor support to all departments while performing a variety of job assignments... Show more$13-20
    WarehousemanA warehouseman or warehouse worker is the person who assists with the inventory, shipping, and receiving of items in warehouses. Warehousemen receive and process incoming materials and stocks, along with picking and filling orders from the store... Show more$14-20
  2. Create an ideal candidate profile

    Common skills:
    • Pallets
    • Electric Pallet Jack
    • Safety Procedures
    • Stack Boxes
    • Stackers
    • Assembly Line
    • Quality Checks
    • Safety Rules
    • Tape Measure
    • Customer Orders
    • Computer System
    • Load Trucks
    • Quality Standards
    • Stack Pallets
    Check all skills
    Responsibilities:
    • Prep shipping boxes and pallets according to customer specifications.
    • Stack trays on dollies for cleaning.
    • Monitor personal being around hazardous materials (lead) with PPE.
    • Stack loaves of bread onto racks on separate dollies for loading on delivery trucks.
    • Move materials as required or direct using hand equipment, power fork trucks or hoists.
    • Operate bundling machine to provide the bindery department neat stack mat er ials to be bound.
    More stacker duties
  3. Make a budget

    Including a salary range in the stacker job description is a good way to get more applicants. A stacker salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

    For example, the average salary for a stacker in Alabama may be lower than in Oregon, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level stacker. Additionally, a stacker with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

    Average stacker salary

    $13.96hourly

    $29,046 yearly

    Entry-level stacker salary
    $22,000 yearly salary
    Updated December 15, 2025

    Average stacker salary by state

    RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
    1Oregon$36,743$18
    2Minnesota$35,832$17
    3Utah$34,301$16
    4Colorado$33,254$16
    5California$32,935$16
    6Illinois$31,971$15
    7Nebraska$29,565$14
    8Virginia$29,238$14
    9Oklahoma$27,355$13
    10Ohio$27,238$13
    11Missouri$26,513$13
    12Tennessee$25,310$12
    13Texas$24,299$12
    14Georgia$23,912$12
    15South Carolina$23,177$11
    16North Carolina$22,797$11
    17Florida$22,713$11

    Average stacker salary by company

    RankCompanyAverage salaryHourly rateJob openings
    1Cognizant$42,382$20.38
    2Tachyon Technologies$42,042$20.21
    3Zensar Technologies$41,260$19.84
    4JPMorgan Chase & Co.$36,258$17.43
    5Idexcel$36,037$17.335
    6Owens Corning$35,867$17.246
    7Nityo Infotech$35,748$17.19
    8Danfoss$35,745$17.195
    9UFP Industries$34,658$16.6633
    10Homeland Vinyl Products$34,278$16.48
    11Tetra Pak$34,245$16.462
    12Tyson Foods$34,207$16.457
    13BNY Mellon$33,976$16.33
    14Precision Technologies Inc$33,683$16.19
    15International Paper$33,601$16.1560
    16Stanley Black & Decker$33,317$16.024
    17Capgemini$33,304$16.01
    18Boise Cascade$33,155$15.9424
    19WestRock$32,925$15.8320
    20Mastech Digital$32,883$15.81
  4. Writing a stacker job description

    A stacker job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. Below, you can find an example of a stacker job description:

    Stacker job description example

    Monday-Friday 11pm-7am

    Pay starts at $17

    Wood Stacker

    Why Woodgrain?

    As a family-owned company, we want to treat you like family. This career supplies FULL benefits, such as

    -- Free Life insurance – Minimum $30,000

    -- Education Reimbursement- $3,000 Undergraduate, $5,250 Graduate

    - Scholarship opportunities- $1,000

    - Employer HSA contribution- $500-$1,500 yearly

    - Perfect attendance drawings (up to $500)

    - Referral Bonuses (up to $500/Person)

    - Quarterly Bonuses (Up to 7% of earnings)

    - 401k Retirement Fund- Employer match up to 3%

    - If you are willing to work a swing or Graveyard shift $1 shift differential

    - Full Health, Vision, Dental insurance

    - Short-Term and Long-Term Disability

    - Paid Vacation, Sick leave and Paid Holidays

    - Great Lumber Discounts

    - Much room for advancement. Being the Corporate location, we have multiple departments from Wood sorting to Lamination, Paint Room to Fabricators, Animal Bedding to Engineering Team. We invite you to come check us out!

    Woodgrain Millwork started in 1954 back in Cedar City, UT. Since then, we have grown to be one of the LARGEST Millworks in the United States Employing over 3000 Employees throughout the Nation. Here at Woodgrain, we manufacture Windows, Doors, Moldings, and lots of other Building Product.

    Culture is Important to us. We are looking for Ideal Team Players, who understand what it takes to stay ambitious, motivated, Humble, and have that desire to continually learn.

    Core Values:

    1. Safety

    2. Integrity

    3. Servant Leadership

    4. Respect for People

    5. Customer Focus

    What this position entails:

    Wood stackers are responsible for not only stacking material as it comes out of the machines, but they are also the first line of defense to detect quality defects. This position will work hand in hand with the operator to ensure quality product is being prepared for the customer. From feeding the machine to wrapping the final product you can be a proud employee of ensuring a great customer focus in the material.

    - Work as a safe team with operator to provide quality product to our customers

    - Teams usually include one operator and two stackers

    - Operating hand saws, banders, basic machinery.

    - Using a tape measure to appropriately stack lumber according to lengths, widths, and size.

    - Practicing good housekeeping by sweeping, dusting, and cleaning work area.

    - Responsible for evaluating lumber for defects and trimming those defects out if necessary.

    - Patching any defects with putty, sander, or paint

    - Wrapping and tagging units to prepare it for customer.

    - Running the Hog (woodchipper) to process rejected material

    - Work with operator to feed machine with material

    You will do well in this position if you:

    - Possesses mechanical aptitude, or previous manufacturing experience.

    - Understand computers, especially SAP

    - Understand how to read a tape measure

    - Can perform basic calculator equations. (Adding, subtracting, multiplying, dividing).

    - Understand and know how to use digital calipers

    - Applicants must be able to stand up to 12 hours a day and consistently lift 30 - 40 pounds.

    - Work well in a team setting

    To be successful we will provide:

    - Training on recognizing all wood defects and basic duties of the position.

    - Training on LOTO procedures and emergency shut off switches

    - Safety green sheeted on every machine you desire to learn

    - Safety glasses, Ear plugs, Gloves

    Are you ready to be part of the Woodgrain Family? Apply now. We hope to hear from you soon.

    Job Type: Full-time

    Pay: $17.00 an hour

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  5. Post your job

    There are various strategies that you can use to find the right stacker for your business:

    • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
    • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
    • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
    • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.
    Post your job online:
    • Post your stacker job on Zippia to find and recruit stacker candidates who meet your exact specifications.
    • Use field-specific websites.
    • Post a job on free websites.
  6. Interview candidates

    Your first interview with stacker candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

    You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.

    The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

  7. Send a job offer and onboard your new stacker

    Once you have selected a candidate for the stacker position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

    It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

    To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

  8. Go through the hiring process checklist

    • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
    • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
    • Define job responsibilities and requirements
    • Establish budget and timeline
    • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
    • Write job description
    • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
    • Promote the job internally
    • Process applications through applicant tracking system
    • Review resumes and cover letters
    • Shortlist candidates for screening
    • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
    • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
    • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
    • Conduct background checks on top candidates
    • Check references of top candidates
    • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
    • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
    • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
    • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
    • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
    • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)
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How much does it cost to hire a stacker?

Recruiting stackers involves both the one-time costs of hiring and the ongoing costs of adding a new employee to your team. Your spending during the hiring process will mostly be on things like promoting the job on job boards, reviewing and interviewing candidates, and onboarding the new hire. Ongoing costs will obviously involve the employee's salary, but also may include things like benefits.

You can expect to pay around $29,046 per year for a stacker, as this is the median yearly salary nationally. This can vary depending on what state or city you're hiring in. If you're hiring for contract work or on a per-project basis, hourly rates for stackers in the US typically range between $10 and $18 an hour.

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