← Back to Careers
Metal-Refining Furnace Operators and Tenders
Production · SOC 51-4051
0.0% AI Exposure — Low
$54,430
Median Annual Salary
Average
O*NET Outlook
2,000
Proj. Annual Openings
16,780
Employment (OEWS 2025)
-0.4%/yr
Empl. growth (2019–2025)
100/100
AI Resiliency Score
AI exposure from the Anthropic Economic Index (2025); salary from BLS; skills from O*NET. See /sources.
Decision card
Career Evidence Passport
SOC 51-4051 evidence across exposure, wages, projections, postings, certified LCAs, skills, and transitions.
Proxy / seed data labeledDescriptive-only
- SOC exposure
- 0.0%
- Low · Anthropic AEI
- Automation friction
- 52/100
- Moderate friction; broad SOC seed ORS job-requirements coverage.
- Wages
- $54,430
- No H-1B offered-wage row for this SOC.
- Projected openings
- 2,000
- BLS EP 2024–2034; employment change -2.3%.
- Observed/proxy demand
- —
- FY— certified LCAs; 2,327 postings in 2025.
Skill evidence
Operations MonitoringOperation and ControlMonitoringReading ComprehensionActive Listening
Transition context
- H-1B values are certified Labor Condition Applications, not visa approvals.
- Job postings are seed-static / seed-derived; treat as provider-ready proxy coverage until observed provider data is wired in.
- Transition matches are directional skill-overlap context, not placement guarantees.
- This release is a FutureGrid broad-SOC seed derived from public BLS ORS requirement concepts and categories, not direct occupation-level ORS survey estimates. It describes job requirements, not worker ability, AI capability, or displacement probability. Automation friction is a FutureGrid derived score and should be read alongside exposure, demand, wage, and projection signals.
AI Exposure Analysis
AI Exposure0.0%
AI Resiliency100/100
Exposure BandLow
Sector Avg. Exposure0.7%
Across AI measures
Multiple exposure lenses for this occupation.
15.4%
Consensus
Actual adoption · Anthropic0%
AI capability · OpenAI10.4%
AI ability · AIOE35.8%
Automation baseline (2013) · Frey & Osborne88%
Top Skills
1.Operations Monitoring
2.Operation and Control
3.Monitoring
4.Reading Comprehension
5.Active Listening
H-1B Visa Sponsorship Demand
View full H-1B trends →No H-1B certified LCA filings recorded for this occupation in FY2016–FY2025.
O*NET occupation profile
What this work involves
Operate or tend furnaces, such as gas, oil, coal, electric-arc or electric induction, open-hearth, or oxygen furnaces, to melt and refine metal before casting or to produce specified types of steel.
Common titles: Arc and Argon Oxygen Decarburization Melter (ARC and AOD Melter), Automatic Furnace Operator, Central Melt Specialist, Control Room Operator, Electric Melt Operator, Furnace Operator
Representative Tasks
- •Regulate supplies of fuel and air, or control flow of electric current and water coolant to heat furnaces and adjust temperatures.
- •Draw smelted metal samples from furnaces or kettles for analysis, and calculate types and amounts of materials needed to ensure that materials meet specifications.
- •Weigh materials to be charged into furnaces, using scales.
- •Record production data, and maintain production logs.
- •Observe air and temperature gauges or metal color and fluidity, and turn fuel valves or adjust controls to maintain required temperatures.
Detailed Work Activities
- •Adjust equipment controls to regulate gas flow.
- •Adjust equipment controls to regulate coolant flow.
- •Adjust flow of electricity to tools or production equipment.
- •Calculate specific material, equipment, or labor requirements for production.
- •Collect samples of materials or products for testing.
Tools & Technologies
Microsoft Excel · hotMicrosoft Office software · hotProcess control softwareProcess safety management softwareProduction tracking system software
Related Occupations
Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticFurnace, Kiln, Oven, Drier, and Kettle Operators and TendersSeparating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersWelding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersCleaning, Washing, and Metal Pickling Equipment Operators and Tenders
Employment Projections & AI Exposure
15
Occupations Shown
0.5%
Avg AI Exposure
1
Bright Outlook
Horizontal bar chart showing occupations with the highest projected annual openings. Each bar length represents annual projected openings. Color uses a gradient from violet (lower) to cyan (higher). Summary statistics are shown above the chart.
Employment & Wage Trend
BLS OEWS, 2019–2025
Multi-year BLS OEWS history for SOC 51-4051: 2019 — employment: 17,150, median wage: $42,250; 2020 — employment: 15,290, median wage: $44,610; 2021 — employment: 15,540, median wage: $46,690; 2022 — employment: 19,320, median wage: $50,280; 2023 — employment: 20,870, median wage: $50,250; 2025 — employment: 16,780, median wage: $54,430.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). See /sources.
Sector Comparison
| Metric | This Career | Sector Average |
|---|---|---|
| AI Exposure | 0.0% | 0.7% |
| Outlook | Average | 4% Bright |
| Median Salary | $54,430 | N/A |
| AI Resiliency | 100/100 | N/A |