NOC 94129: Other wood processing machine operators
What other wood processing machine operators do
Other wood processing machine operators operate and tend wood processing equipment and machines to remove bark from logs, produce wood chips, preserve and treat wood, and produce waferboards, particleboards, hardboards, insulation boards, plywood, veneers and similar wood products. They are employed in sawmills, woodrooms of pulp mills, planing mills, wood treatment plants, waferboard plants and other wood processing plants.
Main duties
This group performs some or all of the following duties:
- Operate and tend various wood processing equipment and machines to remove bark, knots and dirt from logs; reduce logs or sawmill waste into wood chips or flakes; stack and band lumber; screen wood chips; and produce waferboards, particleboards, hardboards and insulation boards
- Operate and tend conveyors, lathes, sanding machines and other equipment to peel and slice veneer from logs and log sections, and to glue, press, trim, sand and splice veneer sheets
- Operate and tend kilns, treating tanks and other equipment to dry lumber and other wood products, and to treat chemically and impregnate wood products with preservatives
- Observe equipment, panel indicators, video monitors, and other instruments to detect malfunctions and ensure that processes are operating according to specifications
- Assemble plywood panels and repair plywood and veneer mechanically or manually
- Start up, shut down, set up, adjust and assist in maintaining processing equipment and machines as required
- Complete and maintain production reports.
Job titles under NOC 94129
76 job titles are classified here, including barker operator, chipper operator, lumber kiln operator.
- automatic veneer clipper tender - wood processing
- barker operator
- barking machine operator - wood processing
- chip screen tender - wood processing
- chip-mixing machine tender - wood processing
- chipper operator
- clipper operator - wood processing
- core layer operator - wood processing
- core-laying machine tender - wood processing
- debarker operator - wood processing
- dip tank tender - wood processing
- drop sorter operator - wood processing
- drum barker tender - wood processing
- drying kiln operator - wood processing
- edge gluer - wood processing
- excelsior machine tender
- flaker operator - wood processing
- fuel log maker - wood processing
- hardboard press operator - wood processing
- hardboard-forming line operator
- hardboard-grinding machine operator
- hardboard-oiling machine tender
- hot press operator - wood processing
- humidifier tender - wood processing
Employment requirements
- Completion of secondary school is usually required.
- Several weeks of on-the-job training are provided.
- For lumber kiln operators, particleboard operators and waferboard operators, some combination of college or company courses and up to one year of on-the-job training may be required.
- Previous experience as a labourer in wood processing may be required.
Other wood processing 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 | $17.50/hr | $25.72/hr | $37.00/hr |
Vancouver Lower Mainland region, BC | $28.43/hr | $36.09/hr | $47.40/hr |
Edmonton AB | $30.42/hr | $37.05/hr | $45.73/hr |
Québec City Quebec region, QC | $20.00/hr | $27.50/hr | $46.00/hr |
Victoria Vancouver Island and Coast region, BC | $27.61/hr | $34.79/hr | $41.14/hr |
| Where | Low | Median | High |
|---|---|---|---|
New Brunswick | $20.50/hr | $25.54/hr | $30.32/hr |
Quebec | $20.00/hr | $27.50/hr | $46.00/hr |
Ontario | $18.06/hr | $22.85/hr | $35.13/hr |
Manitoba | $20.58/hr | $25.02/hr | $30.99/hr |
Saskatchewan | $19.80/hr | $27.65/hr | $33.96/hr |
Alberta | $27.69/hr | $35.07/hr | $40.94/hr |
British Columbia | $26.25/hr | $33.13/hr | $42.73/hr |
Using NOC 94129 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 76 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)
- Sawmill machine operators (NOC 94120)
- Supervisors, forest products processing (NOC 92014)
Frequently asked questions
What is the NOC code for other wood processing machine operators?
Other wood processing machine operators are NOC 2021 unit group 94129. Example job titles in this group include barker operator, chipper operator, lumber kiln operator, particleboard line operator.
What TEER is NOC 94129?
NOC 94129 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 other wood processing machine operators earn in Canada?
Job Bank's 2025 wage data puts the median at $25.72/hr, about $50,000 a year full-time, with a range of $17.50/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.