Home Garment Cutter Salary
Garment Cutter salary in Australia
The median full-time salary for a garment cutter is $59,800 per annum, before tax, up $12,700 since 2018.
What you earn depends on the award or enterprise agreement covering the workplace, so a cutting room inside a larger manufacturer often pays more than a small workroom or an alterations business. Shift and early-start arrangements can add penalty rates, and skill with computer-controlled cutting and nesting software is one of the few things that moves pay within the same job.
Roles that pay more than garment cutter
The largest typical pay rise is $5,200 a year, moving into Clothing Patternmaker.
- Clothing Patternmaker+$5,200/yr
- Leather Goods Maker+$5,200/yr
- Canvas Goods Maker+$2,600/yr
How to negotiate a higher garment cutter salary
- Know the market rate before you ask. The median full-time garment cutter salary is $59,800; use that, not a guess, as your anchor, and adjust for your experience and employer.
- Lead with what's scarce, not just tenure. Skills like Craft and handmade production and Hand and power tool work tend to command a premium over general garment cutter experience, name them specifically when you ask.
- Bring a real alternative to the table. Clothing Patternmaker 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."
Garment Cutter salary questions
How much do garment cutters earn in Australia?
The median full-time salary for a garment cutter is $59,800 a year before tax. Seniority, specialisation, sector and the award or agreement you're employed under all move it.
Is garment cutter pay rising or falling?
The median garment cutter salary is up $12,700 since 2018. Figures from 2025 onward on this page are a projection, not a measured result.
What pays more than garment cutter?
Clothing Patternmaker pays a typical $5,200 a year more and draws on similar skills to garment cutter.