Who Earns What

How much does a metal smelter make in Japan?

Iron/Steel/Nonferrous Metal Smelting Workers
$39,170 (¥5.88M)

a year · about $20 an hour

The average metal smelter in Japan makes $39,170 (¥5.88M) a year, monthly pay × 12 plus bonus, about the same as a typical worker in Japan (average, 2025, Japan's Basic Survey on Wage Structure).

What do they do?

Operators wear safety gear, follow a manual, and watch gauges while running furnaces or other machines. They check safety with teammates and report faults or stop equipment when something looks wrong.

Did you know? In a Japanese steel converter, blowing in oxygen makes impurities react and release heat that helps melt iron into steel.

Is that a lot?

Compared with jobs you know
This job$39,170
Typical worker$33,720
Elementary teacher$49,011
Doctor$100,817
Cashier$25,651

What if you were…

In Japan, age and company size matter most

Pick a company size, sex or age to see that group's average here.

How it changes with age

Tap an age to update the number above (Any company size, men and women combined)

How it changes with company size

Any size$39,170
Big company$44,147
Mid-size$37,369
Small company$30,157
Men$40,307
Women$27,279

How do you become one?

In Japan, many start after high school, though no specific degree or certificate is required. New hires learn through training and senior coworkers; some duties later require licenses, such as for crane operation.

Why does pay differ?

In Japan, pay can vary with experience, employer type and size, location, and the process or equipment a worker handles. Some duties need extra licenses, and night or rotating shifts may bring extra allowances.

Jobs like this

Next up

Who earns more?

In the US, a typical metal furnace operator makes $54,430 → see more

Data table and sources
Metal smelter pay in Japan (2025, averages by company size and sex) — Data: MHLW Basic Survey on Wage Structure 2025
Company sizeEveryoneMenWomenAge
Any size$39,170$40,307$27,27942.1
Big company$44,147$45,665$29,85640
Mid-size$37,369$38,285$26,24342.7
Small company$30,157$30,951$21,95746.2

Source: MHLW Basic Survey on Wage Structure 2025 (regular workers, by occupation) (e-Stat). Yearly pay = monthly contractual cash earnings × 12 + annual bonus. Averages for regular workers at firms with 10+ employees. Public employees (teachers, police, firefighters) and company executives are not in this survey. e-stat.go.jp

Pages used for the text

Data: MHLW Basic Survey on Wage Structure 2025 · 1 USD = 150 JPY