Patternmakers, wood
Plan, lay out, and construct wooden unit or sectional patterns used in forming sand molds for castings.
Patternmakers, wood plan, lay out, and construct wooden unit or sectional patterns used in forming sand molds for castings. The role reports a median annual salary of $52,520 in the US and is projected to decline by 5% over the next decade. Entry typically requires a High school diploma or equivalent, and shows moderate AI exposure (0.47 on a 0-1 scale) — some tasks are being automated but the role adapts. The most in-demand skills for the role include Complex Problem Solving, Monitoring, Operation and Control, Operations Monitoring, Reading Comprehension.
Pay in the UK
UK: median £33,078 a year for Furniture makers and other craft woodworkers (ONS ASHE 2025, full-time)
UK jobs are grouped differently; this is the closest UK occupation group (ONS SOC 2020 5442). ONS rates this estimate reasonably precise. 2025 provisional figures; ONS revises them a year later. Source: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (Open Government Licence)
Pay in India (occupation group)
Average monthly earnings of salaried employees in the occupation group “Craft and related trades workers” in India, from the Government of India's Periodic Labour Force Survey (January–December 2025). It covers everyone in this group, not only Patternmakers, wood, and it is not US pay converted to rupees.
Source: MoSPI (Government of India), Periodic Labour Force Survey Annual Report 2025, Table 51 — average wage/salary earnings of regular wage/salaried employees, NCO-2015 division 7. Official India data gives one average per occupation group: there are no official India figures for single careers, experience levels or cities. Read the report
Top skills
Knowledge you'll build
- Mathematics
- Design
- Engineering and Technology
- Mechanical
- Building and Construction
- Administration and Management
- Production and Processing
- Customer and Personal Service
What you'd actually do
- Read blueprints, drawings, or written specifications to determine sizes and shapes of patterns and required machine setups.
- Fit, fasten, and assemble wood parts together to form patterns, models, or sections, using glue, nails, dowels, bolts, and screws.
- Lay out patterns on wood stock and draw outlines of units, sectional patterns, or full-scale mock-ups of products, based on blueprint specifications and sketches, and using marking and measuring devices.
- Trim, smooth, and shape surfaces, and plane, shave, file, scrape, and sand models to attain specified shapes, using hand tools.
- Divide patterns into sections according to shapes of castings to facilitate removal of patterns from molds.
- Verify dimensions of completed patterns, using templates, straightedges, calipers, or protractors.
Tools & technology you'd use
Frequently asked questions
What does Patternmakers, wood do?
Plan, lay out, and construct wooden unit or sectional patterns used in forming sand molds for castings.
How much does Patternmakers, wood earn?
The median annual salary for Patternmakers, wood in the US is $52,520.
What is the job outlook for Patternmakers, wood?
The role is projected to decline by 5% over the next decade. Current US employment is approximately 500 workers.
How do I become patternmakers, wood?
The typical entry education is a High school diploma or equivalent. Building a foundation in the top skills below will strengthen your application.
What skills does Patternmakers, wood need?
The most in-demand skills for this role include Complex Problem Solving, Monitoring, Operation and Control, Operations Monitoring, Reading Comprehension, Critical Thinking. These are the skills O*NET identifies as most important for competent performance.
Will AI replace Patternmakers, wood?
Our AI-durability model gives Patternmakers, wood a score of 0.47 on a 0-1 scale (higher = more exposure). That places it at moderate AI exposure — some tasks are being automated but the role adapts. Learning to work with AI tools rather than against them is the path forward.
How hard is it to enter this field?
Patternmakers, wood has low barrier to entry — generally accessible — you can enter with basic credentials and on-the-job learning.