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.
DerivedIndicative estimate, not yet verified against official Jobs and Skills Australia / ABS data · Estimate
- 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.
The median salary rose by $12,700 between 2018 and 2024; the dashed line shows a projection to 2028 based on the real ABS Wage Price Index growth rate, not a role-specific forecast.
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.
Related salaries
- Clothing Patternmaker salary
- Sail Maker salary
- Tailor salary
- Canvas Goods Maker salary
- Leather Goods Maker salary
- Sewing Machinist salary
Pay advice
- How to ask for a pay rise, and back it up with real numbersWhat national wage growth looks like right now, how to work out a figure for your own role, wording you can adapt for the conversation, and what to do if the answer is no.
- The average salary in Australia (2026)Full-time adults in Australia averaged $2,083.70 a week in May 2026. Several measures get called the average salary, and this explains which one fits your situation.
- Overtime pay, time in lieu and what your award saysOvertime rates come from your award or agreement, not one national rule. How rates work, what happens on a salary, and how time off in lieu works.