How to become a weigher, grader or sorter

Official title: Weighers, graders and sorters

Also called: Grader, Sorter, Weigher, Egg grader, Fat grader, Rag grader, Egg sorter, Fur sorter, Gum sorter, Rag sorter, Tin sorter, Meat grader

Weighers, graders and sorters weigh, grade and sort materials, goods and products.

Main tasks

• 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

How to become one

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.

Pay · Outlook

• Median full-time pay: £30,918 a year
• About 18,800 people work in this job now, and about 18,500 are projected by 2035. (-1.6%)

Related jobs

• Routine inspectors and testers
• Assemblers (electrical and electronic products)
• Assemblers (vehicles and metal goods)
• Tyre, exhaust and windscreen fitters
• Sewing machinists

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Questions people ask

How do I become a weigher, grader or sorter?

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.

How much does a weigher, grader or sorter earn in the UK?

Median full-time pay is £30,918 a year (Office for National Statistics).

Is a weigher, grader or sorter a growing career in the UK?

Employment is projected to stay about the same by 2035: about 18,800 people now and 18,500 later (Department for Education).

Sources

• Office for National Statistics: SOC 2020 Volume 1: structure and descriptions (2026-08-27 edition), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
• Department for Education: Skills Imperative 2035: employment projections by occupation (2021 to 2035 (Warwick IER / Cambridge Econometrics)), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
• Office for National Statistics: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14 (2025 provisional), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
• Office for National Statistics: Annual Population Survey: employment by occupation (April 2025 to March 2026), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03

Updated 2026-10-03