Production

Tire Builders

Operate machines to build tires.

MAY 2025 · OCCUPATIONAL WAGES

A wage reference for United States.

Published wage percentiles describe a distribution within the source occupation group. They provide context for a career decision; employer packages and job offers have their own terms.

Source wage group: Tire Builders

This wage group may include multiple detailed occupations. The figures are for the source group, which may be broader than Tire Builders. They are not an exact-title, employer, experience or seniority match.

May 2025 · USD · United States. Annual and hourly figures are shown only when the source publishes them; neither is calculated from the other.

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics occupational wage data, distributed through the O*NET® OnLine service.

Median annual wage$57,390USD per year · Published 50th percentile
Median hourly wage$27.59USD per hour · Published 50th percentile

Annual wage thresholds

USD per year

Hourly wage thresholds

USD per hour

Published occupational wage percentiles · United States · May 2025
PercentileAnnual wage (USD/year)Hourly wage (USD/hour)
10th$40,150$19.31
25th$47,900$23.03
50th · Median$57,390$27.59
75th$64,380$30.95
90th$74,680$35.91

“≥” means at least the published amount; “≤” means at most that amount. These are bounds, not exact values. “Not published” means the source did not provide that figure. Occupational wages follow the source definition and do not establish an employer’s base salary, equity or total compensation.

PUT A WAGE IN CONTEXT

Where does your number sit?

Compare an entered wage with the published thresholds for United States. Your entry stays on this page.

This compares wage amounts to published percentile thresholds. It does not estimate your personal percentile, adjust for your experience, or compare total compensation. Match the wage definition and occupation group before using the result.

THE WORK BEHIND THE TITLE

What this career involves.

Occupation definitions describe common work. Responsibilities and requirements vary by employer and specific job.

Selected title examples

Automobile Tire Builder (Auto Tire Builder)Automobile Tire Recapper (Auto Tire Recapper)Bead BuilderBelt BuilderBelt Machine OperatorBufferCord Tire BuilderInjection Mold TechnicianInjection MolderInjection Molding AssemblerInjection Molding Machine OperatorInjection Molding Maintenance Technician (Injection Molding Maintenance Tech)
Expand more title examples (31)
Injection Molding OperatorInjection Molding Process TechnicianInjection Molding TechnicianLap Machine TenderMold TechnicianMolding Process TechnicianMolding TechnicianRecapperRetread AssociateRetread TechnicianRetreaderTire AssemblerTire BuilderTire CurerTire FabricatorTire FinisherTire LayerTire MakerTire MolderTire MounterTire RecapperTire Recapping Machine OperatorTire RetreaderTire TechnicianTire VulcanizerTread BookerTread BuilderTread Builder OperatorTube BuilderTube Building Machine OperatorVulcanizing Operator

Typical tasks

  • Build semi-raw rubber treads onto buffed tire casings to prepare tires for vulcanization in recapping or retreading processes.
  • Trim excess rubber and imperfections during retreading processes.
  • Fill cuts and holes in tires, using hot rubber.
  • Place tires into molds for new tread.
  • Fit inner tubes and final layers of rubber onto tires.
  • Buff tires according to specifications for width and undertread depth.
Expand more tasks (14)
  • Brush or spray solvents onto plies to ensure adhesion, and repeat process as specified, alternating direction of each ply to strengthen tires.
  • Start rollers that bond tread and plies as drums revolve.
  • Align treads with guides, start drums to wind treads onto plies, and slice ends.
  • Inspect worn tires for faults, cracks, cuts, and nail holes, and to determine if tires are suitable for retreading.
  • Measure tires to determine mold size requirements.
  • Roll hand rollers over rebuilt casings, exerting pressure to ensure adhesion between camelbacks and casings.
  • Position ply stitcher rollers and drums according to width of stock, using hand tools and gauges.
  • Cut plies at splice points, and press ends together to form continuous bands.
  • Depress pedals to rotate drums, and wind specified numbers of plies around drums to form tire bodies.
  • Clean and paint completed tires.
  • Rub cement sticks on drum edges to provide adhesive surfaces for plies.
  • Depress pedals to collapse drums after processing is complete.
  • Wind chafers and breakers onto plies.
  • Pull plies from supply racks, and align plies with edges of drums.

Skills used in this work

Operation and Control
Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
Operations Monitoring
Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
Active Listening
Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Critical Thinking
Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
Monitoring
Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Judgment and Decision Making
Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Expand more skills (29)
Time Management
Managing one's own time and the time of others.
Quality Control Analysis
Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
Speaking
Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Social Perceptiveness
Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Complex Problem Solving
Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
Reading Comprehension
Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
Service Orientation
Actively looking for ways to help people.
Troubleshooting
Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.
Active Learning
Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Coordination
Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Instructing
Teaching others how to do something.
Learning Strategies
Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
Writing
Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Equipment Maintenance
Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.
Equipment Selection
Determining the kind of tools and equipment needed to do a job.
Management of Personnel Resources
Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
Mathematics
Using mathematics to solve problems.
Persuasion
Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
Systems Analysis
Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
Negotiation
Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
Repairing
Repairing machines or systems using the needed tools.
Systems Evaluation
Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
Management of Material Resources
Obtaining and seeing to the appropriate use of equipment, facilities, and materials needed to do certain work.
Technology Design
Generating or adapting equipment and technology to serve user needs.
Management of Financial Resources
Determining how money will be spent to get the work done, and accounting for these expenditures.
Operations Analysis
Analyzing needs and product requirements to create a design.
Programming
Writing computer programs for various purposes.
Installation
Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or programs to meet specifications.
Science
Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.
FIND YOUR MARKET

Explore wages by location.

0 retained state and local wage references are available. Start with these selected locations, or search the full market directory for this career.

United States wage reference

Local wage references are not retained for this occupation. The national view and employer evidence may still help.

Browse all wage markets

Available links reflect retained source coverage for this career.

TURN CONTEXT INTO A NEXT STEP

Find the next step that fits.

Look at current disclosed job ranges, explore supported employer salary evidence, or build a proposed hiring range with your own assumptions.

Sources and citation.

Cite this page: Wages.fyi, “Tire Builders career and wage guide.” Link to this Wages.fyi page

This page includes information from the O*NET® 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. Wages.fyi has selected and organized this information and added wage navigation and explanations. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. Database license and attribution requirements.

Official occupation profile · Official wage reference . Wage reference: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, distributed through the O*NET® OnLine service. Source data and publication dates can differ from the date this page is accessed.