Engraver salary in Australia
The median full-time salary for an engraver is $65,000 per annum, before tax, up $13,600 since 2018.
Pay depends heavily on whether you work for an employer or run your own workshop, because self-employed engravers set their own rates and carry the cost of machines and materials. In a job, earnings follow the award or enterprise agreement covering the workplace and rise as you add skills, particularly computer-controlled laser work. Specialising in a material or a market, such as industrial part marking or bespoke hand engraving, is the usual way to move above the award.
Roles that pay more than engraver
The largest typical pay rise is $5,200 a year, moving into Jewellery Designer.
- Jewellery Designer+$5,200/yr
- Sign Writer+$3,600/yr
How to negotiate a higher engraver salary
- Know the market rate before you ask. The median full-time engraver salary is $65,000; use that, not a guess, as your anchor, and adjust for your experience and employer.
- Use demand as leverage. Engravers are on the national skills shortage list, so employers are more likely to move on price to keep or attract someone in a role they're struggling to fill.
- Lead with what's scarce, not just tenure. Skills like Craft and handmade production and Visual design tend to command a premium over general engraver experience, name them specifically when you ask.
- Bring a real alternative to the table. Jewellery Designer pays a typical $5,200 a year more and draws on similar skills, even mentioning you're weighing it up is a legitimate data point in a pay conversation.
- Time it deliberately. Reviews, the end of a project you delivered, or taking on responsibility beyond your job description are stronger moments to ask than an arbitrary date on the calendar.
- Ask for a number, not a raise. "Based on the market rate and [specific contribution], I'd like to move to X" gets a clearer answer than "I think I deserve more."
Engraver salary questions
How much do engravers earn in Australia?
The median full-time salary for an engraver is $65,000 a year before tax. Seniority, specialisation, sector and the award or agreement you're employed under all move it.
Is engraver pay rising or falling?
The median engraver salary is up $13,600 since 2018. Figures from 2025 onward on this page are a projection, not a measured result.
What pays more than engraver?
Jewellery Designer pays a typical $5,200 a year more and draws on similar skills to engraver.