Textile Knitting and Weaving Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
SOC Code: 51-6063.00
ProductionTextile knitting and weaving machine setters, operators, and tenders produce the fundamental fabric structures that underpin the global apparel, home goods, and technical textile industries. They set up and oversee complex looms and knitting machines that interlace yarns into woven cloth or interlock loops into knitted fabric at high production speeds. Their work requires understanding of yarn properties, mechanical systems, and pattern programming to ensure consistent fabric quality across production runs. As textile machinery grows increasingly sophisticated with computerized Jacquard and electronic knitting systems, technical skills have become as important as traditional machine tending.
Salary Overview
Median
$38,260
25th Percentile
$34,530
75th Percentile
$44,180
90th Percentile
$48,070
Salary Distribution
Job Outlook (2024–2034)
Growth Rate
-11.2%
New Openings
1,700
Outlook
Decline
Key Skills
Knowledge Areas
What They Do
- Observe woven cloth to detect weaving defects.
- Examine looms to determine causes of loom stoppage, such as warp filling, harness breaks, or mechanical defects.
- Notify supervisors or repair staff of mechanical malfunctions.
- Stop machines when specified amounts of product have been produced.
- Operate machines for test runs to verify adjustments and to obtain product samples.
- Thread yarn, thread, and fabric through guides, needles, and rollers of machines for weaving, knitting, or other processing.
- Remove defects in cloth by cutting and pulling out filling.
- Inspect products to ensure that specifications are met and to determine if machines need adjustment.
Tools & Technology
★ = Hot Technology (in-demand)
Education Requirements
Typical entry-level education: High School Diploma
Related Careers
Top Career Pivot Targets
View all 6 →Careers with the highest skill compatibility from Textile Knitting and Weaving Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders.
A Day in the Life
Operators begin by reviewing production orders that specify fabric structure, yarn type, color sequence, and dimensional tolerances for the day's runs. They thread or draw in yarns according to weave or knit patterns, set machine gauges to the specified stitch density, and run test swatches to verify fabric quality before full production begins. During production runs they patrol assigned machines, rethreading broken ends, clearing yarn jams, and checking fabric take-up rolls for defects. At shift end they document production counts, report machine maintenance issues, and properly doff full fabric rolls for inventory and downstream processing.
Work Environment
Textile weaving and knitting mills are large, loud production environments where workers tend many machines simultaneously across wide production floors. Constant machine noise requires hearing protection, and airborne fiber lint and dust necessitate respiratory awareness in facilities without adequate ventilation. Workers are on their feet for most of their shifts, covering considerable distance between machines during patrols. Three-shift plant operations are common, meaning operators frequently work evening, overnight, or rotating schedules to keep machines running around the clock.
Career Path & Advancement
Most operators enter this trade through on-the-job training programs at textile mills, learning on specific machine types such as flatbed knitting machines, circular knitters, or shuttle looms. After mastering machine setup and basic troubleshooting, workers progress to senior operator roles responsible for more complex pattern changes and more machines. Those who develop strong mechanical aptitude often advance to loom fixer or knitting machine technician positions, maintaining and repairing equipment at substantially higher wages. Further advancement into production supervision, quality management, or textile engineering is achievable with additional technical education.
Specializations
Circular knitting specialists operate high-speed jersey and interlock machines producing continuous fabric tubes used in T-shirts, hosiery, and athletic wear, a dominant segment of global knit production. Jacquard weaving specialists program and operate electronically controlled looms that produce intricate multi-color woven designs for upholstery, tapestry, and fashion fabrics. Technical weaving for industrial applications includes specialty areas such as fiberglass fabric, carbon fiber weaving, and narrow woven goods used in medical devices and aerospace components. Seamless knitting specialists operate three-dimensional knitting machines that produce shaped garment sections without sewing, a growing technology in performance sportswear.
Pros & Cons
Advantages
- ✓Entry accessible through on-the-job training without formal college education
- ✓Mechanical aptitude development opens pathways to higher-paying machine technician roles
- ✓Variety of fabric types and machine systems prevents complete skill stagnation
- ✓Domestic technical textile sector provides stable employment in specialty niches
- ✓Tangible, visible output of fabric production gives daily sense of accomplishment
- ✓Shift differential pay available at around-the-clock mills can supplement base wages
- ✓Skills transferable across multiple process manufacturing industries
Challenges
- ✗Median salary of $38,260 reflects limited earning potential without advancing to technician or supervisory roles
- ✗High ambient noise levels in weaving mills require consistent hearing protection
- ✗Rotating or overnight shift schedules disrupt circadian rhythms and personal life
- ✗Airborne lint and fiber dust present respiratory health considerations without proper protection
- ✗U.S. industry contraction limits geographic concentration of available employers
- ✗Physically demanding standing work over full shifts contributes to fatigue
- ✗Production pressure from machine output quotas creates stress during high-demand periods
Industry Insight
While the U.S. lost much of its commodity textile weaving and knitting capacity offshore, a resilient domestic industry persists in technical and specialty textiles serving defense, healthcare, and advanced composites sectors. Reshoring trends, driven by supply chain resilience concerns and domestic content requirements, are creating modest but meaningful new investment in U.S. textile capacity. Modern mills invest in high-speed computerized machinery that dramatically increases output per worker, requiring operators to be more technologically literate than previous generations. Sustainable fibers, recycled yarn, and bio-based materials are reshaping product development, offering workers who embrace new material knowledge a competitive advantage.
How to Break Into This Career
Entry-level positions at knitting or weaving mills typically require a high school diploma, good manual dexterity, and the ability to learn machine operation through employer training. Some technical or community colleges in textile-producing regions offer programs in textile manufacturing technology that give candidates a knowledge edge. Direct applications to apparel knitting mills, denim and shirting weavers, and technical textile producers offer the most accessible entry points. Workers who demonstrate mechanical curiosity and attention to fabric quality early in their careers are frequently identified for advancement to machine fixing or supervisory tracks.
Career Pivot Tips
Machine tending experience in textile production builds transferable skills in mechanical troubleshooting, quality inspection, and continuous process monitoring that are valuable in plastics extrusion, wire and cable manufacturing, and paper production facilities. Workers who have learned yarn tension management and fabric take-up systems can transition to film and foil winding operations with modest retraining. Those with Jacquard or computerized machine programming experience can pivot toward CNC machine programming or automation technician roles with additional technical training. Supervisory experience from lead operator roles is valued across manufacturing sectors for team leadership and production coordination positions.
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