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Metal Polisher salary in Australia
The median full-time salary for a metal polisher is $65,000 per annum, before tax, up $13,800 since 2018.
DerivedIndicative estimate, not yet verified against official Jobs and Skills Australia / ABS data · Estimate
- Most metal polishers are covered by the manufacturing award or a site enterprise agreement, so the base rate, overtime and shift loadings account for much of the difference between one job and the next.
- Employers pay more for high-spec finishing work, such as mirror finishes on food or pharmaceutical equipment, and for people who can set up and run the polishing equipment themselves.
- Whether the workshop does long production runs or one-off custom work matters more to your take-home pay than where it is.
The median salary rose by $13,800 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 metal polisher
The largest typical pay rise is $22,800 a year, moving into Metal Fabricator.
- Metal Fabricator+$22,800/yr
- Welder+$22,800/yr
- Process Worker+$14,000/yr
How to negotiate a higher metal polisher salary
- Know the market rate before you ask. The median full-time metal polisher salary is $65,000; use that, not a guess, as your anchor, and adjust for your experience and employer.
- Use demand as leverage. Metal Polishers 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 Hand and power tool work tend to command a premium over general metal polisher experience, name them specifically when you ask.
- Bring a real alternative to the table. Metal Fabricator pays a typical $22,800 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."
Metal Polisher salary questions
How much do metal polishers earn in Australia?
The median full-time salary for a metal polisher is $65,000 a year before tax. Seniority, specialisation, sector and the award or agreement you're employed under all move it.
Is metal polisher pay rising or falling?
The median metal polisher salary is up $13,800 since 2018. Figures from 2025 onward on this page are a projection, not a measured result.
What pays more than metal polisher?
Metal Fabricator pays a typical $22,800 a year more and draws on similar skills to metal polisher.
Related salaries
- Metal Fabricator salary
- Welder salary
- Sheet Metal Worker salary
- Process Worker salary
- Metal Trades Assistant salary
- Wood Turner 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.