NOC 94120: Sawmill machine operators
What sawmill machine operators do
Sawmill machine operators operate, monitor and control automated lumbermill equipment to saw timber logs into rough lumber; saw, trim and plane rough lumber into dressed lumber of various sizes; and saw or split shingles and shakes. They are employed in sawmills and planing mills.
Main duties
This group performs some or all of the following duties:
- Operate front-end loaders and stationary deck cranes to feed logs into the sawmill
- Examine logs and rough lumber to determine size, condition, quality and other characteristics to decide best lumber cuts to carry out, or use automated equipment to convey logs through laser scanners which determine the most productive and profitable cutting patterns
- Operate automated lumbermill from control rooms or consoles to saw logs into rough lumber; saw, trim and plane rough lumber into dressed lumber of various sizes; and saw or split shingles and shakes
- Start conveyor system to move logs and lumber to and from saws
- Set up and adjust saw equipment and replace blades or bands using wrenches, gauges and other hand tools
- Operate equipment to sort and stack lumber by length and thickness, move stacks to storage areas or drying kilns, and feed lumber through planers
- Monitor movement of lumber and computer screens to ensure cuts are made according to specifications, and print production reports
- Clean and lubricate sawmill equipment.
Job titles under NOC 94120
73 job titles are classified here, including circular saw operator, edgerman/woman, head sawyer.
- automatic edger operator - sawmill
- block splitter - sawmill
- board sawyer - sawmill
- bolt sawyer - sawmill
- bolterman/woman - sawmill
- canter operator - sawmill
- chip reclaim operator - sawmill
- Chip-N-Saw operator - sawmill
- circular saw operator
- circular saw operator - sawmill
- cut-off saw operator - sawmill
- drag saw operator - sawmill
- edger - sawmill
- edgerman/woman
- edgerman/woman - sawmill
- gang sawyer - sawmill
- head sawyer
- head sawyer - sawmill
- headrig operator - sawmill
- head-saw operator - sawmill
- high-speed stud operator - sawmill
- jumbo operator - sawmill
- log cut-off operator
- log cut-off operator - sawmill
Employment requirements
- Completion of secondary school is usually required.
- College courses in wood processing technology may be required.
- Several weeks of on-the-job training are usually provided.
- Head sawyers and planer operators usually require several years of experience in other sawmill machine operating positions in the same company.
- A certificate in industrial first aid may be required.
Sawmill machine operators 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 | $19.00/hr | $27.35/hr | $37.00/hr |
Toronto ON | $19.06/hr | $23.39/hr | $29.10/hr |
Vancouver Lower Mainland region, BC | $23.56/hr | $30.51/hr | $38.68/hr |
Ottawa ON | $19.35/hr | $22.40/hr | $25.89/hr |
Québec City Quebec region, QC | $19.00/hr | $27.00/hr | $30.00/hr |
Hamilton Hamilton–Niagara Peninsula region, ON | $22.14/hr | $23.81/hr | $29.33/hr |
Kitchener-Waterloo Kitchener–Waterloo–Barrie region, ON | $18.85/hr | $22.15/hr | $26.33/hr |
Victoria Vancouver Island and Coast region, BC | $23.25/hr | $30.96/hr | $38.35/hr |
| Where | Low | Median | High |
|---|---|---|---|
Nova Scotia | $18.91/hr | $21.66/hr | $25.20/hr |
New Brunswick | $16.00/hr | $21.21/hr | $24.60/hr |
Quebec | $19.00/hr | $27.00/hr | $30.00/hr |
Ontario | $19.70/hr | $23.72/hr | $31.41/hr |
Saskatchewan | $20.70/hr | $28.76/hr | $37.05/hr |
Alberta | $17.00/hr | $35.00/hr | $40.00/hr |
British Columbia | $25.00/hr | $32.50/hr | $37.00/hr |
Using NOC 94120 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 73 titles above are how the same work is named across employers.
Not in this group
Similar jobs classified under a different NOC code:
- Labourers in wood, pulp and paper processing (NOC 95103)
- Lumber graders and other wood processing inspectors and graders (NOC 94123)
- Other wood processing machine operators (NOC 94129)
- Supervisors, forest products processing (NOC 92014)
- Woodworking machine operators (NOC 94124)
Frequently asked questions
What is the NOC code for sawmill machine operators?
Sawmill machine operators are NOC 2021 unit group 94120. Example job titles in this group include circular saw operator, edgerman/woman, head sawyer, log cut-off operator.
What TEER is NOC 94120?
NOC 94120 is TEER 4 (High school and on-the-job training). Usually requires completion of secondary school, or several weeks of on-the-job training. TEER 4 and 5 work does not count as skilled work experience for Express Entry’s Federal Skilled Worker or Canadian Experience Class programs.
How much do sawmill machine operators earn in Canada?
Job Bank's 2025 wage data puts the median at $27.35/hr, about $53,000 a year full-time, with a range of $19.00/hr to $37.00/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.