Architecture and Engineering · Holland code RCI
Mechanical Drafters
Prepare detailed working diagrams of machinery and mechanical devices, including dimensions, fastening methods, and other engineering information.
Also called: Design Drafter, Die Designer, Drafter, Mechanical Designer, CAD Designer (Computer Aided Design Designer), CAD Operator (Computer Aided Design Operator), CAM Specialist (Computer Aided Manufacturing Specialist), Drafting Technician (Drafting Tech).
O*NET 17-3013.00
At a glance
- US median annual pay
- $71,550
- Middle half earn $58,080 to $86,120. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
- Preparation needed
- Job Zone 3 of 5
- Medium preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.
What the work involves
The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.
- Produce three-dimensional models, using computer-aided design (CAD) software.
- Develop detailed design drawings and specifications for mechanical equipment, dies, tools, and controls, using computer-assisted drafting (CAD) equipment.
- Check dimensions of materials to be used and assign numbers to the materials.
- Design scale or full-size blueprints of specialty items, such as furniture and automobile body or chassis components.
- Lay out and draw schematic, orthographic, or angle views to depict functional relationships of components, assemblies, systems, and machines.
- Create bills of materials.
- Modify and revise designs to correct operating deficiencies or to reduce production problems.
- Review and analyze specifications, sketches, drawings, ideas, and related data to assess factors affecting component designs and the procedures and instructions to be followed.
Skills and knowledge it leans on
Skills
- Critical Thinking3.4 / 5
- Reading Comprehension3.3 / 5
- Active Listening3.3 / 5
- Mathematics3.3 / 5
- Active Learning3.3 / 5
- Speaking3.1 / 5
Knowledge areas
- Design4.6 / 5
- Engineering and Technology4.4 / 5
- Mechanical4.2 / 5
- Mathematics3.9 / 5
- Production and Processing3.6 / 5
- Computers and Electronics3.5 / 5
Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.
Who tends to enjoy it
How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.
- Realistic83
- Investigative47
- Artistic44
- Social3
- Enterprising6
- Conventional64
The same work abroad
Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.
European occupation titles (ESCO)
- drafter · DE Technischer Zeichner/Technische Zeichnerin · FR dessinateur/dessinatrice
- aerospace engineering drafter · DE Zeichner Luft- und Raumfahrttechnik/Zeichnerin Luft- und Raumfahrttechnik · FR dessinateur en ingénierie aérospatiale/dessinatrice en ingénierie aérospatiale
- mechanical engineering drafter · DE Maschinenbauzeichner/Maschinenbauzeichnerin · FR dessinateur en génie mécanique/dessinatrice en génie mécanique
- product development engineering drafter · DE Zeichner Produktentwicklung/Zeichnerin Produktentwicklung · FR dessinateur en conception de produits industriels/dessinatrice en conception de produits industriels
- rolling stock engineering drafter · DE Zeichner Schienenfahrzeuge/Zeichnerin Schienenfahrzeuge · FR dessinateur technique matériel roulant/dessinatrice technique matériel roulant
- automotive engineering drafter · DE Zeichner Kraftfahrzeugbau/Zeichnerin Kraftfahrzeugbau · FR dessinateur en ingénierie automobile/dessinatrice en ingénierie automobile
Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)
- CAD, drawing and architectural technicians (3120)54,900 employed
Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.
Pay across Europe, for the whole group
Median annual earnings of all employees in “Technicians and associate professionals”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.
| Country | Median pay |
|---|---|
| Belgium | €50,992 |
| Austria | €46,986 |
| Germany | €44,473 |
| Netherlands | €42,448 |
| Ireland | €41,613 |
| Sweden | €41,155 |
| Italy | €34,882 |
| France | €34,816 |
| Spain | €29,757 |
| Portugal | €18,080 |
| Poland | €12,108 |
Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.
Exposure to AI
This occupation sits in the higher third of the 774 occupations scored, with an exposure score of +0.84. The scores are standardized across those occupations, so 0 is the average and a score of 1 is about one standard deviation above it.
Our note on reading it: the dataset links AI applications to the abilities that occupations require, so the score reflects overlap between the two. It is a comparison between occupations, not a forecast about jobs. It does not say whether exposure means tasks are replaced or workers get more done with the tools, and it says little about one employer or one role.
Source: Felten, E., Raj, M., & Seamans, R. (2021). Occupational, industry, and geographic exposure to artificial intelligence: A novel dataset and its potential uses. Strategic Management Journal, 42(12), 2195-2217. Matched to this page by 6-digit SOC code (17-3013).
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