AI exposure by occupation, O*NET 51-4111.00
Will AI replace Tool and Die Makers?
Tool and Die Makers: AI can already handle 1 of 17 tasks; most of the work is hands-on, and the part AI can address mostly needs a frontier-tier model.
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Every task, scored
The 17 tasks O*NET 30.3 lists for Tool and Die Makers, from most to least exposed. 1 reach 60 or more, the level at which AI already handles a task.
| Task | AI exposure | Evidence | Model tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Verify dimensions, alignments, and clearances of finished parts for conformance to specifications, using measuring instruments such as calipers, gauge blocks, micrometers, or dial indicators. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Study blueprints, sketches, models, or specifications to plan sequences of operations for fabricating tools, dies, or assemblies. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Design jigs, fixtures, and templates for use as work aids in the fabrication of parts or products. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Develop and design new tools and dies, using computer-aided design software. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Fit and assemble parts to make, repair, or modify dies, jigs, gauges, and tools, using machine tools, hand tools, or welders. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Inspect finished dies for smoothness, contour conformity, and defects. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Visualize and compute dimensions, sizes, shapes, and tolerances of assemblies, based on specifications. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Select metals to be used from a range of metals and alloys, based on properties such as hardness or heat tolerance. | Estimated | No tier | |
| File, grind, shim, and adjust different parts to properly fit them together. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Smooth and polish flat and contoured surfaces of parts or tools, using scrapers, abrasive stones, files, emery cloths, or power grinders. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Measure, mark, and scribe metal or plastic stock to lay out machining, using instruments such as protractors, micrometers, scribes, or rulers. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Conduct test runs with completed tools or dies to ensure that parts meet specifications, making adjustments as necessary. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Cut, shape, and trim blanks or blocks to specified lengths or shapes, using power saws, power shears, rules, and hand tools. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Set up and operate drill presses to drill and tap holes in parts for assembly. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Set pyrometer controls of heat-treating furnaces and feed or place parts, tools, or assemblies into furnaces to harden. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Set up and operate conventional or computer numerically controlled machine tools such as lathes, milling machines, or grinders to cut, bore, grind, or otherwise shape parts to prescribed dimensions and finishes. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Lift, position, and secure machined parts on surface plates or worktables, using hoists, vises, v-blocks, or angle plates. | Estimated | No tier |
Observed: scored from AI use recorded in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), 0 of 17 tasks. Estimated: scored from the task's O*NET 30.3 work activity, 17 of 17. Importance is O*NET's 1 to 5 rating of how central the task is. Model tier is the lowest tier that can do the task under the published rubric; "No tier" marks hands-on work.
The model tier this role needs
A frontier-tier model or lower covers 36% of the role's importance-weighted task work. 36% of the work is something AI can address at some tier, and 64% is hands-on.
Efficient, standard and frontier tiers come from the JobRoute model tier reference. The recommended tier is the lowest one that covers 80% of the work AI can address. How the method works.
Wages, employment and outlook
- US employment
- 56,930
- Median annual wage
- $64,050
- Middle half of earners
- $51,490 to $78,770
- Projected change, 2024 to 2034
- -10.8%
Employment and wages: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, national. Projection: BLS Employment Projections 2024 to 2034.
Adjacent roles
The occupations that reuse the most of this role's skills, with the usual time to move. These are the first places to look when you plan to redeploy or retrain people in this role.
- Model Makers, Metal and Plastic 71% skill overlap, about 10 months to move Exposure24
- Machinists 70% skill overlap, about 11 months to move Exposure27
- Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners 70% skill overlap, about 11 months to move Exposure21
- Patternmakers, Metal and Plastic 68% skill overlap, about 12 months to move Exposure26
- Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic 66% skill overlap, about 12 months to move Exposure17
Skill overlap and transition time from the JobRoute role adjacency graph on O*NET 30.3 skills.
Questions about Tool and Die Makers and AI
Will AI replace Tool and Die Makers?
AI already handles 1 of the 17 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, at a task exposure of 60 or more, and the role's importance-weighted exposure is 25 out of 100. JobRoute scores tasks, not whole jobs, so the score shows how much of the work changes rather than whether the job disappears. BLS projects employment to change by -10.8% from 2024 to 2034.
What is the AI exposure of Tool and Die Makers?
25 out of 100 on JobRoute's task exposure measure, the importance-weighted average of the role's O*NET task scores. Higher means more of the work is AI-doable today. 0 of the 17 task scores are observed in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), and the other 17 are estimated from each task's O*NET work activity.
Which Tool and Die Makers tasks can AI already do?
The tasks with the highest exposure are: Verify dimensions, alignments, and clearances of finished parts for conformance to specifications, using measuring instruments such as calipers, gauge blocks, micrometers, or dial indicators. It is the only task that reach 60 or more.
What AI model tier does this role need?
A frontier-tier model or lower covers 36% of the role's importance-weighted task work, and 64% is hands-on work that no model tier covers. JobRoute assigns each task the lowest tier that can do it under a published rubric and recommends the lowest tier that covers 80% of the work AI can address.
How many people work as Tool and Die Makers, and what do they earn?
56,930 people in the United States, with a median annual wage of $64,050 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). BLS Employment Projections expect a change of -10.8% from 2024 to 2034.
How to cite
Data version 2026-11-02, JobRoute method v1.0.0. Download all occupations or this occupation as JSON. Methodology.
JobRoute (2026). AI exposure: Tool and Die Makers. Data version 2026-11-02, method v1.0.0. Built on O*NET 30.3, BLS OEWS May 2025 and the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026). CC BY 4.0. https://www.jobroute.ai/jobs/tool-and-die-makers
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