Metal-Refining Furnace Operators and Tenders

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.

Also Known As:

Arc and Argon Oxygen Decarburization Melter (ARC and AOD Melter) Automatic Furnace Operator Central Melt Specialist Control Room Operator Electric Melt Operator Furnace Operator Melt Room Operator Melter Vacuum Melter Vessel Operator

Wages

Hourly

Annual wages for Metal-Refining Furnace Operators and Tenders in United States

Job Outlook Below Average

New job opportunities are less likely in the future

United States 2033 Projected Employment

20,400

-5% Change From 2023

Explore Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators video

Tasks you might complete in a day.

Observe air and temperature gauges or metal color and fluidity, and turn fuel valves or adjust controls to maintain required temperatures.
Kindle fires, and shovel fuel and other materials into furnaces or onto conveyors by hand, with hoists, or by directing crane operators.
Kindle fires, and shovel fuel and other materials into furnaces or onto conveyors by hand, with hoists, or by directing crane operators.
Draw smelted metal samples from furnaces or kettles for analysis, and calculate types and amounts of materials needed to ensure that materials meet specifications.
Observe operations inside furnaces, using television screens, to ensure that problems do not occur.
Inspect furnaces and equipment to locate defects and wear.
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.
Kindle fires, and shovel fuel and other materials into furnaces or onto conveyors by hand, with hoists, or by directing crane operators.
Scrape accumulations of metal oxides from floors, molds, and crucibles, and sift and store them for reclamation.
Drain, transfer, or remove molten metal from furnaces, and place it into molds, using hoists, pumps, or ladles.
Sprinkle chemicals over molten metal to bring impurities to the surface.
Prepare material to load into furnaces, including cleaning, crushing, or applying chemicals, by using crushing machines, shovels, rakes, or sprayers.
Draw smelted metal samples from furnaces or kettles for analysis, and calculate types and amounts of materials needed to ensure that materials meet specifications.
Remove impurities from the surface of molten metal, using strainers.
Regulate supplies of fuel and air, or control flow of electric current and water coolant to heat furnaces and adjust temperatures.
Observe air and temperature gauges or metal color and fluidity, and turn fuel valves or adjust controls to maintain required temperatures.
Operate controls to move or discharge metal workpieces from furnaces.
Regulate supplies of fuel and air, or control flow of electric current and water coolant to heat furnaces and adjust temperatures.
Weigh materials to be charged into furnaces, using scales.
Direct work crews in the cleaning and repair of furnace walls and flooring.
Regulate supplies of fuel and air, or control flow of electric current and water coolant to heat furnaces and adjust temperatures.

Subject areas you may need to master.

Medicine and Dentistry - Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
Personnel and Human Resources - Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
Geography - Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
Physics - Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.
Chemistry - Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
Sales and Marketing - Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
Psychology - Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
Telecommunications - Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
History and Archeology - Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
Communications and Media - Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
Public Safety and Security - Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
Law and Government - Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
Building and Construction - Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
Sociology and Anthropology - Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
Production and Processing - Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
Economics and Accounting - Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
Mechanical - Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
Fine Arts - Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
Engineering and Technology - Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
Biology - Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
Philosophy and Theology - Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.
Transportation - Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
Food Production - Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
Therapy and Counseling - Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
Administrative - Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
Design - Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
Foreign Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.

Strengths you may need in this role.

Learning Strategies - Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.
Monitoring - Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.
Negotiation - Bringing people together to solve differences.
Active Listening - Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
Critical Thinking - Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
Equipment Selection - Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.
Time Management - Managing your time and the time of other people.
Technology Design - Making equipment and technology useful for customers.
Service Orientation - Looking for ways to help people.
Operations Analysis - Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.
Complex Problem Solving - Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
Equipment Maintenance - Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.
Management of Material Resources - Managing equipment and materials.
Installation - Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.
Writing - Writing things for co-workers or customers.
Judgment and Decision Making - Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.
Management of Personnel Resources - Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.
Programming - Writing computer programs.
Systems Analysis - Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.
Repairing - Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.
Operation and Control - Using equipment or systems.
Troubleshooting - Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.
Instructing - Teaching people how to do something.
Persuasion - Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.
Coordination - Changing what is done based on other people's actions.
Reading Comprehension - Reading work-related information.
Speaking - Talking to others.
Mathematics - Using math to solve problems.
Science - Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.
Systems Evaluation - Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.
Social Perceptiveness - Understanding people's reactions.
Active Learning - Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.
Management of Financial Resources - Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.
Quality Control Analysis - Testing how well a product or service works.
Operations Monitoring - Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.
Night Vision - Seeing at night or under low light.
Speech Recognition - Recognizing spoken words.
Hearing Sensitivity - Telling the difference between sounds.
Gross Body Coordination - Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.
Visual Color Discrimination - Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.
Sound Localization - Noticing the direction that a sound came from.
Dynamic Flexibility - Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
Speech Clarity - Speaking clearly.
Information Ordering - Ordering or arranging things.
Response Orientation - Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.
Written Comprehension - Reading and understanding what is written.
Multilimb Coordination - Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.
Inductive Reasoning - Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.
Memorization - Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.
Speed of Closure - Quickly knowing what you are looking at.
Spatial Orientation - Knowing where things are around you.
Wrist-Finger Speed - Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.
Fluency of Ideas - Coming up with lots of ideas.
Number Facility - Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.
Extent Flexibility - Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.
Dynamic Strength - Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.
Near Vision - Seeing details up close.
Static Strength - Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.
Oral Comprehension - Listening and understanding what people say.
Problem Sensitivity - Noticing when problems happen.
Perceptual Speed - Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
Control Precision - Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.
Finger Dexterity - Putting together small parts with your fingers.
Trunk Strength - Using your lower back and stomach.
Far Vision - Seeing details that are far away.
Auditory Attention - Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.
Stamina - Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.
Gross Body Equilibrium - Keeping your balance or staying upright.
Peripheral Vision - Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.
Explosive Strength - Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.
Rate Control - Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.
Oral Expression - Communicating by speaking.
Depth Perception - Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.
Deductive Reasoning - Using rules to solve problems.
Speed of Limb Movement - Quickly moving your arms and legs.
Originality - Creating new and original ideas.
Glare Sensitivity - Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.
Reaction Time - Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.
Written Expression - Communicating by writing.
Flexibility of Closure - Seeing hidden patterns.
Visualization - Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.
Selective Attention - Paying attention to something without being distracted.
Time Sharing - Doing two or more things at the same time.
Arm-Hand Steadiness - Keeping your arm or hand steady.
Manual Dexterity - Holding or moving items with your hands.
Mathematical Reasoning - Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.
Category Flexibility - Grouping things in different ways.