Building Materials Engineers and Technicians

How to become a Cement, Glass and Ceramics Engineer

Official Chinese title (2022 occupational classification): 硅酸盐工程技术人员

Develops and applies products, processes, technology and equipment for cement, glass, ceramics and other silicate building materials.

Main tasks

Analysing the mineral make up and properties of raw materials, part finished and finished products and how they affect the product
Researching and designing production technology, process equipment and automatic control systems for silicate products
Researching how to improve product quality, cut energy use, make full use of resources, produce cleanly and protect the environment
Following industry developments and new technology and developing new products
Developing technology and equipment that use the production process to safely dispose of household waste, industrial waste, hazardous waste and water treatment sludge, using them in production as raw material or alternative fuel
Drawing up development strategies and plans, management rules, entry conditions and standards for the building materials industry
Analysing production faults and quality, technical and equipment problems and suggesting how to deal with them
Organising thermal calibration, heat balance calculations and environmental testing of industrial kilns
Organising product production and inspection

Ways in

University: Engineering degrees, Offered by 105 universities in China Related undergraduate subject classes in the Ministry of Education catalogue (2025): Materials Science and Engineering (0804); Civil Engineering (0810); majors such as Materials Science and Engineering, Inorganic Non-metallic Materials Engineering, Composite Materials and Engineering, Functional Materials, Intelligent Construction, Materials Physics. Matched to the occupation by Peernovo.
Vocational majors: Higher vocational college (高职专科) major: Architectural Decoration Materials Technology (430703). Vocational major 430703 Architectural Decoration Materials Technology (建筑装饰材料技术), 3 years. The Ministry of Education's 2022 major profiles list this occupation among those the major prepares students for (职业面向).; Higher vocational college (高职专科) major: Building Materials Engineering Technology (430701). Vocational major 430701 Building Materials Engineering Technology (建筑材料工程技术), 3 years. The Ministry of Education's 2022 major profiles list this occupation among those the major prepares students for (职业面向). Example certificates: Civil Engineering Concrete Materials Testing; Precast Concrete Component Quality Inspection.; Higher vocational college (高职专科) major: Intelligent Manufacturing of Prefabricated Building Components (430705). Vocational major 430705 Intelligent Manufacturing of Prefabricated Building Components (装配式建筑构件智能制造技术), 3 years. The Ministry of Education's 2022 major profiles list this occupation among those the major prepares students for (职业面向). Example certificates: Prefabricated Building Component Fabrication and Installation; Precast Concrete Component Quality Inspection; Building Information Modelling (BIM).; Higher vocational college (高职专科) major: New Building Materials Technology (430702). Vocational major 430702 New Building Materials Technology (新型建筑材料技术), 3 years. The Ministry of Education's 2022 major profiles list this occupation among those the major prepares students for (职业面向). Example certificates: Prefabricated Building Component Fabrication and Installation.; Vocational bachelor (职业本科) major: Intelligent Manufacturing of Building Materials (230701). Vocational major 230701 Intelligent Manufacturing of Building Materials (建筑材料智能制造), 4 years. The Ministry of Education's 2022 major profiles list this occupation among those the major prepares students for (职业面向). Example certificates: Civil Engineering Concrete Materials Testing; Precast Concrete Component Quality Inspection.

Pay · AI and this job

Median pay in China: CN¥79,500 a year (2025).
Middle half: CN¥55,200 to CN¥123,700. One in ten earn less than CN¥42,000 and one in ten more than CN¥192,300.
This is the figure for the mid group Engineering and Technical Personnel, not for this job alone.
National figure: wage prices of enterprise employees from the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (MOHRSS) enterprise pay survey. The public sector and the self-employed are not covered.
Guangzhou only: median CN¥114,185 a year (2025), middle half CN¥88,300 to CN¥132,038.
This is the figure for the minor group Building Materials Engineers and Technicians, not for this job alone.
Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Who does this work

The census group Engineering and Technical Personnel holds 2.35% of everyone employed in China; 17.1% of its workers are women (2020 Census).
48.9% are under 35, 45.1% are 35 to 54 and 6% are 55 or older. The middle age band is 35 to 39.
Census figures for the whole mid group (2020 long-form sample), not for this job alone.

Questions people ask

How do I become a Cement, Glass and Ceramics Engineer?

Ways in include: Engineering degrees; Higher vocational college (高职专科) major: Architectural Decoration Materials Technology (430703); Higher vocational college (高职专科) major: Building Materials Engineering Technology (430701).

How much does a Cement, Glass and Ceramics Engineer earn in China?

Across China, the median pay of enterprise employees is CN¥79,500 a year (Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (MOHRSS), 2025). The public sector and the self-employed are not covered. It is the figure for the mid group Engineering and Technical Personnel. In Guangzhou alone it is CN¥114,185 a year (2025).

Will AI change the work of a Cement, Glass and Ceramics Engineer?

Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Sources

Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (MOHRSS): 2025 enterprise pay survey information: wage prices of enterprise employees by occupation mid group, and digital occupations (P10 to P90 annual CNY) (2025 (published 2026-07-08)), retrieved 5 October 2026
Guangzhou Human Resources and Social Security Bureau: Guangzhou 2025 labour market wage prices (P10 to P90 annual CNY by occupation) (2025 (enterprise pay survey)), retrieved 4 October 2026
National Bureau of Statistics of China: China Population Census Yearbook 2020, long-form tables 4-6 and 4-7 (employed by occupation mid group, sex, age) (2020 Census long form (10% sample)), retrieved 4 October 2026
International Labour Organization, Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure (ILO Working Paper 140, Gmyrek et al.) (ILO Working Paper 140, May 2025, Annex Table A1), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026

Sources: Occupational Classification of the People's Republic of China (2022 edition, public consultation draft), Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, State Administration for Market Regulation and National Bureau of Statistics; Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, 2025 enterprise pay survey information; Guangzhou Human Resources and Social Security Bureau, 2025 labour market wage prices; National Bureau of Statistics of China (www.stats.gov.cn), 2020 Population Census yearbook; Ministry of Education, vocational education major profiles (2022 revision) and undergraduate major catalogue (2025); Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, national vocational qualifications catalogue (2021); O*NET interest scores (CC BY 4.0); ILO global generative AI exposure index (CC BY 4.0). Figures processed by Peernovo. English text, translations and the matching of occupations to ISCO-08, majors, degree fields and qualifications by Peernovo.

Descriptions and tasks are Peernovo's own words, written from the facts in the Occupational Classification of the People's Republic of China (2022 edition). Job titles and work types are the classification's own.

Updated 5 October 2026