Blacksmiths, toolmakers and related trades workers

How to become a blacksmith, hammersmith or forging press worker

Official title: Blacksmiths, hammersmiths and forging press workers

Also called: Blacksmith, Drop hammer worker, Forging press worker, Hammersmith

Blacksmiths, hammersmiths and forging press workers hammer and forge bars, rods, ingots and plates of iron, steel or other metals, and draw wire to make and repair various kinds of tools, metal articles, pieces of equipment, and agricultural and related implements.

Main tasks

Heating metal in forge furnaces and manufacturing and repairing articles by drawing, bending, cutting, hammering metal on an anvil, punching, shearing, joining and hardening or tempering
Shaping heated metal into forgings on power hammers equipped with open dies
Operating closed-die drop hammers to forge metal articles
Operating a power-press machine equipped with closed dies to forge metal articles
Drawing wire
Reading work orders or blueprints to determine specified tolerances and sequences of operations for machine setup
Measuring and inspecting machine parts to ensure conformity with product specifications

Pay · Outlook · AI and this job

Median pay: HK$21,000 a month
About 387,500 people in 2025, and about 403,200 projected by 2028. (+4.1%)
Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Questions people ask

Do you need a degree to become a blacksmith, hammersmith or forging press worker?

Usually not. Only 4% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

Will AI change the work of a blacksmith, hammersmith or forging press worker?

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

Sources

Census and Statistics Department (2021 Population Census): 2021 Population Census, Interactive Data Dissemination Service: working population by occupation (38 groups) and sex, age, education, income; median income and field of education (9 groups) (2021 Population Census), retrieved 4 October 2026
Census and Statistics Department (General Household Survey): Median monthly employment earnings by occupation (9 groups), excluding foreign domestic helpers (Table 210-06317A); employed persons by occupation, age and sex (210-06307A) and by industry (210-06308A) (2025 annual (series to 2026-07)), retrieved 4 October 2026
Labour and Welfare Bureau; tables published by C&SD: Mid-term Update of Manpower Projection to 2028: supplementary statistical tables (5 occupation groups, 17 selected industries) (2025 to 2028 (published 2026-09)), 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

Updated 4 October 2026