Furnace, Kiln, Oven, Drier, and Kettle Operators and Tenders
Also called: Dry Kiln Operator, Furnace Operator, Kiln Fireman, Kiln OperatorOperate or tend heating equipment other than basic metal, plastic, or food processing equipment. Includes activities such as annealing glass, drying lumber, curing rubber, removing moisture from materials, or boiling soap.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 1 of its 17 tasks, and jobs are projected to grow 2.6% by 2035. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 7.1% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 5.4 hires for every 10 job openings in durable goods manufacturing, which employs about 75% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.5.4 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $50,600 | $46,240 to $62,790 | 1,090 |
| Arizona | $44,530 | $40,190 to $46,920 | 140 |
| Arkansas | $43,560 | $38,230 to $53,180 | 150 |
| California | $45,300 | $37,440 to $54,910 | 900 |
| Colorado | $55,770 | $47,570 to $63,300 | 100 |
| Florida | $42,400 | $35,590 to $47,530 | 350 |
| Georgia | $50,820 | $42,320 to $65,310 | 870 |
| Idaho | $57,690 | $50,120 to $59,260 | 120 |
| Illinois | $62,870 | $45,830 to $67,130 | 230 |
| Indiana | $48,770 | $44,650 to $66,020 | 650 |
| Iowa | $45,910 | $40,960 to $54,210 | 100 |
| Kansas | $62,350 | $50,330 to $73,100 | 210 |
| Kentucky | $75,620 | $61,220 to $81,850 | 240 |
| Louisiana | $47,820 | $45,940 to $51,640 | 120 |
| Maine | $48,060 | $44,920 to $61,540 | 70 |
| Maryland | $77,440 | $39,920 to $77,470 | 100 |
| Massachusetts | $53,300 | $44,310 to $68,710 | 120 |
| Michigan | $47,410 | $35,250 to $61,350 | 420 |
| Minnesota | $47,210 | $43,410 to $61,450 | 100 |
| Mississippi | $44,370 | $37,440 to $48,220 | 370 |
| Missouri | $49,470 | $43,960 to $59,830 | 270 |
| Montana | $53,250 | $29,880 to $60,540 | 100 |
| Nebraska | $41,650 | $30,770 to $50,900 | 100 |
| New Hampshire | $49,250 | $46,460 to $59,790 | 60 |
| New Jersey | $52,440 | $42,000 to $64,330 | 300 |
| New York | $49,280 | $44,610 to $61,330 | 490 |
| North Carolina | $39,310 | $31,160 to $47,900 | 530 |
| North Dakota | $60,170 | $47,400 to $62,280 | 70 |
| Ohio | $46,190 | $38,210 to $55,730 | 1,580 |
| Oklahoma | $42,970 | $35,560 to $47,760 | 370 |
| Oregon | $50,820 | $48,320 to $60,650 | 540 |
| Pennsylvania | $49,610 | $46,920 to $58,460 | 410 |
| South Carolina | $48,170 | $41,520 to $54,330 | 300 |
| South Dakota | $48,200 | $42,440 to $65,510 | 40 |
| Tennessee | $44,710 | $42,640 to $49,180 | 640 |
| Texas | $45,040 | $39,520 to $55,590 | 780 |
| Utah | $45,610 | $37,280 to $59,250 | 130 |
| Vermont | $52,560 | $38,390 to $60,310 | 50 |
| Virginia | $49,650 | $39,810 to $59,820 | 260 |
| Washington | $58,580 | $47,920 to $63,130 | 430 |
| West Virginia | $45,690 | $36,960 to $57,720 | 80 |
| Wisconsin | $56,140 | $48,510 to $57,910 | 210 |
| Wyoming | $62,130 | $59,810 to $76,950 | 50 |
Nationally: $48,040. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on 1 of its 17 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Not much | Confer with supervisors or other equipment operators to report equipment malfunctions or to resolve production problems. | Not published |
| Not much | Monitor equipment operation, gauges, and panel lights to detect deviations from standards. | Not published |
| Not much | Press and adjust controls to activate, set, and regulate equipment according to specifications. | Not published |
| Not much | Read and interpret work orders and instructions to determine work assignments, process specifications, and production schedules. | Not published |
| AI + software | Record gauge readings, test results, and shift production in log books. | Not published |
| Not much | Examine or test samples of processed substances, or collect samples for laboratory testing, to ensure conformance to specifications. | Not published |
See all 17 tasks
| Not much | Transport materials and products to and from work areas, manually or using carts, handtrucks, or hoists. | Not published |
| Not much | Remove products from equipment, manually or using hoists, and prepare them for storage, shipment, or additional processing. | Not published |
| Not much | Calculate amounts of materials to be loaded into furnaces, adjusting amounts as necessary for specific conditions. | Not published |
| Not much | Stop equipment and clear blockages or jams, using fingers, wire, or hand tools. | Not published |
| Not much | Weigh or measure specified amounts of ingredients or materials for processing, using devices such as scales and calipers. | Not published |
| Not much | Clean, lubricate, and adjust equipment, using scrapers, solvents, air hoses, oil, and hand tools. | Not published |
| Not much | Load equipment receptacles or conveyors with material to be processed, by hand or using hoists. | Not published |
| Not much | Feed fuel, such as coal and coke, into fireboxes or onto conveyors, and remove ashes from furnaces, using shovels and buckets. | Not published |
| Not much | Replace worn or defective equipment parts, using hand tools. | Not published |
| Not much | Melt or refine metal before casting, calculating required temperatures, and observe metal color, adjusting controls as necessary to maintain required temperatures. | Not published |
| Not much | Direct crane operators and crew members to load vessels with materials to be processed. | Not published |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 0 of the 17 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 17 tasks fall under 16 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
- #8 Read documents or materials to inform work processes
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adjust equipment to ensure adequate performance | |||
| Maintain tools or equipment | |||
| Load products, materials, or equipment for transportation or further processing | |||
| Read documents or materials to inform work processes | |||
| Coordinate with others to resolve problems | |||
| Determine resource needs of projects or operations | |||
| Measure physical characteristics of materials, products, or equipment | |||
| Test characteristics of materials or products |
Show all 16 activities
| Clean tools, equipment, facilities, or work areas | |||
| Maintain operational records | |||
| Repair tools or equipment | |||
| Monitor equipment operation | |||
| Direct organizational operations, activities, or procedures | |||
| Move materials, equipment, or supplies | |||
| Prepare industrial materials for processing or use | |||
| Remove workpieces from production equipment |
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for furnace, kiln, oven, drier, and kettle operators and tenders specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved next
of 971 moves out
- 1 Maintenance and Repair Workers, General Low +4.2% 19%
- 2 Computer User Support Specialists Very high -3.5% 6%
- 3 Production Workers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 6%
- 4 Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators Low +1.5% 3%
- 5 First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers High +1.8% 3%
Where people moved in from
of 1,046 moves in
- 1 Maintenance and Repair Workers, General Low +4.2% 24%
- 2 Production Workers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 7%
- 3 Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators Low +1.5% 4%
- 4 Computer User Support Specialists Very high -3.5% 4%
- 5 Property, Real Estate, and Community Association Managers High +3.7% 4%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
O*NET survey of workers in this occupation
- 21% less than high school
- 56% high school
- 16% postsecondary certificate
- 4% some college
- 1% associate's
- 2% bachelor's
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 28 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 12% less than high school
- 40% high school
- 30% some college
- 9% associate's
- 4% bachelor's
- 3% master's
- 1% professional degree
Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation · 138 people surveyed.
Why the two can differ
O*NET asks about 20 people in each occupation, which makes its shares uncertain, but it reports the exact occupation and counts certificates. The Census survey reaches thousands, but it groups some occupations together and counts degrees only. More in the Guide
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
25.2% this occupation
45.3% all occupations
| By kind | This occupation | All occupations |
|---|---|---|
| a certification | 4.1% | 5.8% |
| a license | not published | |
| an educational certificate | not published |
Share of jobs whose employer requires it. BLS doesn't say which credential. How to read this
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeship Finder ↗ DOL lists 3 registered apprenticeships in this occupation (Batch-and-Furnace Operator; FIRER, KILN (Pottery & Porc); Kiln Operator (Woodworking)). Apprenticeship.gov can't be linked to one occupation, so search for “Furnace, Kiln, Oven, Drier, and Kettle Operators and Tenders” there.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS
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