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Upholsterer salary in Australia
The median full-time salary for an upholsterer is $79,400 per annum, before tax, up $16,500 since 2018.
- Most upholsterers are covered by the manufacturing award, so base rates rise with the classification level you reach and with any enterprise agreement in your workplace.
- Automotive trimming, marine work and antique restoration generally pay more than volume furniture production, and setting your own prices in a small workshop is where earnings can grow furthest.
- Rates also differ between states and between city and regional workshops.
The median salary rose by $16,500 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.
How to negotiate a higher upholsterer salary
- Know the market rate before you ask. The median full-time upholsterer salary is $79,400; use that, not a guess, as your anchor, and adjust for your experience and employer.
- Use demand as leverage. Upholsterers 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 Hand and power tool work and Fabrication and finishing tend to command a premium over general upholsterer experience, name them specifically when you ask.
- 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."
Upholsterer salary questions
How much do upholsterers earn in Australia?
The median full-time salary for an upholsterer is $79,400 a year before tax. Seniority, specialisation, sector and the award or agreement you're employed under all move it.
Is upholsterer pay rising or falling?
The median upholsterer salary is up $16,500 since 2018. Figures from 2025 onward on this page are a projection, not a measured result.
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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.