Weighers, graders and sorters: average salary and pay in the UK
Full-time weighers, graders and sorters in the UK earned a median £30,918 in the year to 5 April 2025, according to the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE): 21% less than the £39,039 median for all full-time jobs.
What the figures show
It is in the lowest-paid third of the 382 occupations (120th from the bottom).
Median full-time pay: women £29,838 a year, men £32,012 a year.
Paid hours are long: a full-time median of 43.9 a week including overtime, against 37.5 across all jobs.
Since 2021 it has risen 20.6%, from £25,643, slower than the 25.0% for all jobs.
Pay distribution, 2025 provisional
| Gross pay | Full-time, annual | Full-time, weekly | Full-time, hourly | All, annual | All, weekly | All, hourly |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25th percentile | – | – | – | – | £427.80* | £12.57 |
| 30th percentile | – | £555.90 | £12.99 | £24,384* | £445.20* | £12.82 |
| 40th percentile | £29,632 | £605.50 | £13.71 | £26,362* | £498.10* | £13.62 |
| Median (50th percentile) | £30,918 | £645.00 | £13.96 | £29,141* | £573.00* | £13.88 |
| 60th percentile | £32,946* | £666.50* | £14.53 | £29,780* | £640.20* | £14.30 |
| 70th percentile | – | £718.30* | – | – | £671.00* | £15.29 |
| Mean | £32,977 | £663.50 | £14.69 | £28,314 | £572.40 | £14.61 |
Pay since 2021
| ASHE year | Full-time, annual median | Full-time, weekly median | Full-time, hourly median | All, annual median | All, weekly median | Jobs (thousands, indicative) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 revised | £25,643* | £512.70* | £11.33 | £24,474* | £479.00* | – |
| 2022 revised | – | £575.30* | £11.16* | – | £493.70* | – |
| 2023 revised | £29,582* | £563.50* | £11.91* | – | £538.10* | – |
| 2024 revised | £28,676* | £539.20* | £13.47 | £28,314* | £537.10* | – |
| 2025 provisional | £30,918 | £645.00 | £13.96 | £29,141* | £573.00* | 5* |
What weighers, graders and sorters do
Weighers, graders and sorters weigh, grade and sort materials, goods and products. (ONS SOC 2020, 8144)
Also covers: grader (food products mfr), metal sorter, selector (ceramics mfr), weighbridge clerk, weighbridge operator, bank-note counter, biscuit selector, biscuit sorter, bobbin sorter, bottle examiner, bottle sorter, bowl picker, braid measurer, breakage sorter, bulb sorter, cement gauger, clip sorter and cloth measurer (175 titles in the ONS coding index).
- Examines hide, skins, leather, fabric, wool, rags, scrap metal, tobacco pipe bowls, fish, fibres, ceramics, produce and other goods
- Assesses product quality visually and by touch, and grades according to weight, thickness, colour and other quality criteria
- Ascertains material(s) required from order card, recipe, or specification and weighs and measures prescribed quantities accordingly
- Uses balances, springs, weighing platforms, automatic scales and weighbridges to check the weight of goods, products and loaded vehicles
- Records and calculates gross and net weight, checks delivery notes and prepares documents and labels for identification purposes
- Operates machines to measure lengths of rolls of material and irregularly shaped materials such as leather or sheepskin
There are no formal academic entry requirements. Training is typically received on-the-job, supplemented by short courses relating to the specific material or product being considered.
Related
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ASHE Table 14: 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 · coding index · notes · 15 October 2026