Prevailing Wage for Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
Prevailing wage floors for Batch Heat Treat Operator positions are set by the DOL using regional wage surveys, and the floor your employer must meet depends on both the experience level assigned to your role and the worksite city. Whether your offer lists you as a Furnace Operator or Heat Treat Furnace Operator, the DOL maps all four experience levels to the same SOC code, and wages vary significantly across metros.
See all jobs for Batch Heat Treat OperatorLook up your work address
Level 1 applies to entry-level Batch Heat Treat Operators with limited experience, typically in their first one to two years operating heat-treating furnaces or induction equipment under close supervision, following established procedures with minimal independent judgment.
Level 2 covers qualified Heat Treat Operators who work with moderate supervision, can set up and tend multiple equipment types such as flame-hardening machines and soaking pits, and handle routine process adjustments. This is the most common filing level for this occupation.
Level 3 applies to experienced operators who independently manage complex heat-treating cycles, troubleshoot equipment issues, and may guide junior operators. Candidates at this level typically have several years of hands-on furnace or induction equipment experience across varied materials.
Level 4 reflects fully competent professionals with broad expertise across tempering, hardening, and annealing processes. These operators often take on lead responsibilities, train others, and may oversee quality control for heat-treated metal or plastic components.
Prevailing Wage for Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic by OES area
Each shape is a DOL OES area, the unit prevailing wage is published for.
What’s an OES area?
The Department of Labor publishes prevailing wages for geographic zones called OES areas. Every U.S. county belongs to exactly one, and the wage floor applies across the whole area. A worker in Oakland gets the San Francisco metro wage, not a separate Oakland wage.
Top 10 cities · Level 1
See all jobs for Batch Heat Treat Operator
See which U.S. employers are actively hiring for Batch Heat Treat Operator and sponsoring H-1B, OPT, and green card visas at or above the prevailing wage.
Search visa-sponsored jobsPrevailing Wage Guide for Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
Verify your title maps to SOC 51-4191
Titles like Burner or Coating Line Worker are O*NET alternates for this SOC, but some employers misfiled them under related production SOCs with lower wage floors. Confirm your offer letter title aligns with the certified LCA before accepting.
Compare Seattle against lower-paying metros
The wage gap between top-paying metros like Seattle and bottom-paying metros like Rockford is substantial across all four levels. If your offer is worksite-specific, the prevailing wage on the LCA must match the actual facility location, not headquarters.
Watch for shift-differential exclusions in heat-treat roles
Many furnace operator positions involve overnight or weekend shifts with differential pay. DOL's prevailing wage floor covers base wages only; shift premiums cannot substitute for a base rate that falls below the certified LCA wage level.
Search sponsors with heat-treat hiring history on Migrate Mate
Migrate Mate shows which employers have sponsored Batch Heat Treat Operators and similar furnace roles before. Filtering by sponsorship history helps you target manufacturers with an established DOL filing track record rather than employers new to sponsorship.
Jobs for Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic are hiring across the US. Find yours.
Find Jobs for Batch Heat Treat OperatorPrevailing Wage by Reported Job Title
DOL classifies these titles under SOC 51-4191.00 alongside Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic, so the same four-tier wage schedule applies to each. Tap a title to see the full breakdown.
Batch Heat Treat Operator Prevailing Wage
Batch Heat Treat Operator Prevailing Wage
Batch Heat Treat Operator positions fall under SOC 51-4191.00 (Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic). DOL OFLC publishes one four-tier prevailing wage schedule for the entire classification; employers filing H-1B, E-3, or PERM petitions for this title use the levels below.
Burner Prevailing Wage
Burner Prevailing Wage
When a U.S. employer sponsors a Burner for a work visa or green card, DOL applies the prevailing wage schedule for SOC 51-4191.00 (Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
Coating Line Worker Prevailing Wage
Coating Line Worker Prevailing Wage
Coating Line Worker is an O*NET-reported job title within SOC 51-4191.00 (Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic). All roles in this SOC share the same prevailing wage tiers. The level an employer files at depends on what the role requires, not which title is used.
Furnace Operator Prevailing Wage
Furnace Operator Prevailing Wage
Furnace Operator positions fall under SOC 51-4191.00 (Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic). DOL OFLC publishes one four-tier prevailing wage schedule for the entire classification; employers filing H-1B, E-3, or PERM petitions for this title use the levels below.
Heat Treat Furnace Operator Prevailing Wage
Heat Treat Furnace Operator Prevailing Wage
When a U.S. employer sponsors a Heat Treat Furnace Operator for a work visa or green card, DOL applies the prevailing wage schedule for SOC 51-4191.00 (Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
Heat Treat Operator Prevailing Wage
Heat Treat Operator Prevailing Wage
Heat Treat Operator is an O*NET-reported job title within SOC 51-4191.00 (Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic). All roles in this SOC share the same prevailing wage tiers. The level an employer files at depends on what the role requires, not which title is used.
Heat Treat Technician Prevailing Wage
Heat Treat Technician Prevailing Wage
Heat Treat Technician positions fall under SOC 51-4191.00 (Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic). DOL OFLC publishes one four-tier prevailing wage schedule for the entire classification; employers filing H-1B, E-3, or PERM petitions for this title use the levels below.
Heat Treater Prevailing Wage
Heat Treater Prevailing Wage
When a U.S. employer sponsors a Heat Treater for a work visa or green card, DOL applies the prevailing wage schedule for SOC 51-4191.00 (Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
Scarf and Anneal Operator Prevailing Wage
Scarf and Anneal Operator Prevailing Wage
Scarf and Anneal Operator is an O*NET-reported job title within SOC 51-4191.00 (Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic). All roles in this SOC share the same prevailing wage tiers. The level an employer files at depends on what the role requires, not which title is used.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does DOL set the prevailing wage for Batch Heat Treat Operator positions?
DOL uses Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey data collected by the Bureau of Labor Statistics to set prevailing wages for each SOC code, including SOC 51-4191. OFLC then publishes four wage levels derived from that regional data. Employers sponsoring a Batch Heat Treat Operator must certify on the LCA that the offered wage meets or exceeds the applicable level for the worksite area.
What do the four DOL wage levels mean for a Heat Treat Operator, and how do I know which one applies to my offer?
DOL assigns levels based on experience, supervision, and job complexity. Level 1 is for entry-level operators under close supervision. Level 2 covers qualified operators handling routine adjustments independently. Level 3 applies to experienced professionals managing complex cycles. Level 4 reflects lead or fully autonomous roles. The level on your certified LCA determines the wage floor your employer must pay, so ask to see the LCA before signing an offer.
Why does the prevailing wage for a Furnace Operator vary so much between cities?
OFLC calculates prevailing wages from regional OES surveys that capture local labor market conditions. A dense industrial market like Seattle, with higher concentrations of aerospace and manufacturing employers competing for heat-treat talent, produces higher survey wages than a smaller metro like Rockford. The LCA must list the actual worksite location, so the wage floor is tied to where you physically work, not where the company is headquartered.
What happens if an employer's offer falls below the prevailing wage for a sponsored Heat Treat Operator position?
An LCA certified with a wage below the applicable prevailing wage level is a compliance violation. USCIS can deny the underlying visa petition, and OFLC can initiate a wage investigation that results in back pay obligations and debarment from future sponsorship. Candidates should request a copy of the certified LCA and compare the stated wage to the published OFLC level for the worksite metro before starting employment.
How can I find the prevailing wage for a Batch Heat Treat Operator role in a specific U.S. city?
Use the OFLC Wage Search tool, which allows you to query by SOC code 51-4191 and select any of the covered metropolitan areas. The tool returns all four wage levels for that location. You can also search O*NET for occupational context. For finding employers that have sponsored this role before, Migrate Mate filters listings by visa type and shows each employer's historical sponsorship activity.
See which employers are hiring and sponsoring visas for Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic right now.
Search Jobs for Batch Heat Treat Operator