NOC 63221: Upholsterers
What upholsterers do
Upholsterers cover furniture, fixtures and similar items with fabric, leather or other upholstery materials. They are employed by furniture, aircraft, motor vehicle and other manufacturing companies, furniture retail outlets and repair shops or they may be self-employed.
Main duties
This group performs some or all of the following duties:
- Discuss upholstery fabric, colour, and style with customers and provide cost estimate for upholstering furniture or other items
- Lay out, measure and cut upholstery materials according to sketches or design specifications
- Replace worn-out webbing, springs and other furniture parts using hand and power tools
- Operate sewing machines or sew upholstery materials by hand to seam cushions and join sections of covering materials
- Install padding and underlays and fasten covering materials to furniture frames
- Tack, glue or sew ornamental trim, braids or buttons on upholstered items
- Lay out, cut, fabricate and install upholstery in aircrafts, motor vehicles, railway cars, boats and ships
- May repair furniture frames and refinish wood surfaces
- May make upholstery patterns from sketches, customer descriptions or blueprints
- May install, fabricate, maintain and repair interior components of aircraft, such as seats, coverings, drapes, cargo nets, flooring, closets, bins and panels.
Job titles under NOC 63221
20 job titles are classified here, including automobile upholsterer, custom upholsterer, furniture upholsterer.
- aircraft custom upholsterer
- aircraft furnishing technician
- aircraft patternmaker and upholsterer
- aircraft upholsterer
- automobile upholsterer
- automotive upholsterer
- casket upholsterer
- chair upholsterer
- custom upholsterer
- furniture upholsterer
- industrial upholsterer
- patternmaker-upholsterer
- preparation upholsterer
- production upholsterer
- railway car upholsterer
- re-upholsterer
- upholsterer
- upholstery mechanic
- upholstery repairer
- vehicle upholstery repairer
Employment requirements
- Completion of secondary school is usually required.
- Completion of college or other specialized courses or an apprenticeship program in furniture upholstering and repair or Several years of on-the-job training, including working as an upholsterer helper are usually required.
- Trade certification is available, but voluntary, in Quebec.
Upholsterers wages in Canada
Low, median and high hourly wages from Job Bank’s 2025 wage data. Annual figures assume full-time work (1,950 hours a year).
| Where | Low | Median | High |
|---|---|---|---|
Canada | $17.99/hr | $22.46/hr | $31.00/hr |
Toronto ON | $19.50/hr | $25.00/hr | $35.00/hr |
Winnipeg MB | $16.00/hr | $19.95/hr | $24.56/hr |
Québec City Quebec region, QC | $18.00/hr | $22.00/hr | $27.63/hr |
| Where | Low | Median | High |
|---|---|---|---|
Quebec | $18.00/hr | $22.00/hr | $27.63/hr |
Ontario | $18.50/hr | $24.45/hr | $35.00/hr |
Manitoba | $16.00/hr | $19.95/hr | $24.56/hr |
Using NOC 63221 for your resume or Express Entry profile
- IRCC asks you to make sure the main duties listed for your NOC match what you actually did at your job. If they don’t, look for another unit group whose duties do.
- Describe your own work in your own words. Recruiters and ATS software look for concrete tools, results and scope, not text copied from the NOC.
- Applying from outside Canada? Run your resume through the Canadian resume format checker to catch things Canadian employers don’t expect, like a photo or date of birth.
- Use the job title the employer’s posting uses. The 20 titles above are how the same work is named across employers.
Not in this group
Similar jobs classified under a different NOC code:
- Furniture and fixture assemblers, finishers, refinishers and inspectors (NOC 94210)
- Upholsterers supervisor (NOC 62029)
- Upholstery marker and cutter (NOC 95105)
Frequently asked questions
What is the NOC code for upholsterers?
Upholsterers are NOC 2021 unit group 63221. Example job titles in this group include automobile upholsterer, custom upholsterer, furniture upholsterer, upholsterer.
What TEER is NOC 63221?
NOC 63221 is TEER 3 (College or apprenticeship (under 2 years)). Usually requires a college program or apprenticeship of less than 2 years, or more than six months of on-the-job training. TEER 0, 1, 2 and 3 work counts as skilled work experience for Express Entry’s Federal Skilled Worker and Canadian Experience Class programs.
How much do upholsterers earn in Canada?
Job Bank's 2025 wage data puts the median at $22.46/hr, about $44,000 a year full-time, with a range of $17.99/hr to $31.00/hr.
Related occupations
Sources: Statistics Canada, National Occupational Classification (NOC) 2021 Version 1.0; Employment and Social Development Canada, Job Bank wages (2025). Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada. OfferJetAI is not affiliated with the Government of Canada. Check IRCC’s NOC guidance before you apply.