How To Become A Metal Sorter: What It Is and Career Path

What is a metal sorter and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a metal sorter. For example, did you know that they make an average of $14.18 an hour? That's $29,488 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 6% and produce 358,300 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreMetal SorterUS Average

Salary

2.3

Avg. Salary $29,488

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

5.2

Growth Rate 6%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

9.7

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.06%

Asian 7.41%

Black or African American 9.71%

Hispanic or Latino 15.27%

Unknown 4.45%

White 62.09%

Gender

female 13.16%

male 86.84%

Age - 44

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 44

Stress Level

5.2

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

6.1

Complexity Level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

5.8

Work Life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

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Key steps to become a metal sorter

Explore metal sorter education requirements

Most common metal sorter degrees

High School Diploma

56.6 %

Diploma

19.7 %

Bachelor's

11.8 %

Start to develop specific metal sorter skills

Skills	Percentages
Stainless Steel	37.97%
Sort Metals	22.59%
Non-Ferrous Metals	18.03%
Torches	11.26%
Unload Trucks	10.15%

Complete relevant metal sorter training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New metal sorters learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a metal sorter based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real metal sorter resumes.

Research metal sorter duties and responsibilities

Operate a forklift and other equipment such as shears, blow torches, chop see, and shaker tables.
Manufacture extruded aluminum evaporator coils, condenser coils, and other products for heat transfer applications.
Process mail using automate mail processing equipment or manual methods of sortation and distribution.

Prepare your metal sorter resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your metal sorter resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a metal sorter resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Metal Sorter Resume templates

Build a professional Metal Sorter resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Metal Sorter resume.

Apply for metal sorter jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a metal sorter job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams